The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Briefing.
TELECOM
FCC
On 11/5/15 the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) announced that it is seeking comment on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to facilitate the relocation of incumbent public safety communications systems operating in the 758-769/788-799 MHz spectrum band (Band 14) in advance of the deployment and operation of FirstNet’s nationwide broadband public safety network (NPSBN).
Mobile Device Theft
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) released a publication of new best practices to support mobile device theft protection. The best practices directly address an FCC Technological Advisory Council recommendation to develop solutions for law enforcement and others to easily obtain the International Mobile Station Equipment Identifier (IMEI) from a mobile device. The specification is limited to phones and tablets with user interface capabilities that have an IMEI. They are developed to help law enforcement, carriers, and third-party resellers obtain the IMEI by inputting a string of characters on the screen of a smartphone-even if the device has been locked or disabled. Since law enforcement personnel may come into possession of an individual’s mobile device during their normal execution of duties, access to the IMEI is the key to determining if the device has been reported as stolen. Implementation of the ATIS best practices will provide the quick, simple, and consistent solution to obtain the IMEI from disabled, locked, or unlocked mobile devices.
