Qualcomm released a 5G new radio (NR) spectrum sharing prototype system and a trial platform. The 5G NR is designed to work on low- to high-frequency spectrum, Qualcomm said in a Monday news release. “Qualcomm Technologies' prototype system aims to show that 5G spectrum sharing technologies will bring higher levels of mobile broadband performance to shared spectrum to enable fiber-like experiences, as well as extending 5G into new types of deployments, such as dedicated 5G networks for enterprise and industrial IoT,” the company said. “This technology will benefit operators with licensed spectrum but also opens the doors to those without licensed spectrum -- such as cable operators, enterprise or IoT verticals -- to take advantage of the 5G NR family of technologies,” said Matt Grob, chief technology officer at Qualcomm Technologies.

The FCC Disability Advisory Committee will meet Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, said a public notice Thursday, covering a variety of issues from IoT accessibility to video description. The gathering will hear reports on video mail-to-text services for video relay services for consumers who are deaf-blind; mobile device support for USB connectivity to Braille displays; best practices for development and testing of augmentative-alternative communication devices; portability of phone numbers between IP-enabled relay providers; IoT accessibility; and video description services. The event also will hear a presentation on the future of TV, the PN said. The meeting also will be webcast with open captioning.

The House Communications and Commerce Trade subcommittees will hold a hearing Nov. 16 on IoT cybersecurity, the full committee said Wednesday. The subcommittees sought the hearing in part because of the October distributed denial of service attacks against DynDNS (see 1610260067). “Internet connectivity remains a vital part of our economic well-being and our national security. Americans should not have to worry that the convenience and connectivity of the Internet of Things comes at the expense of the resiliency and reliability of the larger Internet,” said Commerce and Trade Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, and House Communications Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., in a news release. “Next week’s hearing provides our members with an opportunity to learn more about the recent cyberattacks, how cyberattacks are evolving, and what can be done to mitigate future attacks and risks.” The hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the FTC to take aggressive action to ensure that IoT-connected devices meet basic security standards aimed at preventing cyberattacks. House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Commerce Trade Subcommittee ranking member Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., also urged FTC action on IoT device cybersecurity (see 1611030037). Congressional attention on IoT security has increased since the late October distributed denial-of-service attacks against DynDNS. The attacks caused outages and latency for multiple major U.S. websites (see 1610210056). "While unprecedented, this episode was hardly unpredictable and could just be a preview of what’s to come if aggressive action is not taken to secure Internet connected devices," Blumenthal said in a Thursday letter to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "Too many IoT devices today remain shockingly deficient in basic security standards, making it far too easy for this kind of distributed denial-of-service attack to occur." Blumenthal said the FTC should scrutinize "companies that don’t prompt users to immediately change passwords, use obvious default passwords, or keep open risky communication ports as the default." Blumenthal asked the FTC to consider ways to improve the timely recall of IoT devices that don't meet basic cybersecurity standards, because “there is no entity that currently coordinates or incentivizes” such efforts even though connected devices “may threaten personal privacy or national security.”

House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Commerce Trade Subcommittee ranking member Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., urged the FTC Thursday to “strongly reinforce to both consumers and device manufacturers the need to adopt strong security measures,” after recent distributed denial-of-service attacks against DynDNS. The October problem caused outages and latency for multiple major U.S. websites (see 1610210056). It's time for the commission to strongly reinforce to both consumers and device manufacturers the need to adopt strong security measures, Pallone and Schakowsky said in a letter to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “First, the FTC should call on IoT device manufacturers to implement security measures, including patching vulnerabilities and requiring consumers to change the default passwords on devices during the set-up process. Second, the FTC should alert consumers to the security risks posed by continuing to use default passwords on IoT devices.” Pallone and Schakowsky asked the FTC to immediately use all tools at the agency’s disposal to ensure manufacturers of IoT devices implement strong security measures, saying consumers sometimes don’t have the option to update their passwords from the default added by the manufacturer. Pallone and Schakowsky were among House Commerce members who earlier this week said committee leaders should hold a hearing on the attacks (see 1610310063). Industry lobbyists predicted the attacks would prompt a Capitol Hill examination of the cybersecurity of IoT-connected devices (see 1610260067).

Cisco, Dell, Juniper and seven other IT companies jointly formed the Zero Outage Industry Standard Association (ZOISA) Wednesday in a bid to jump-start an industry-wide discussion on safeguarding IT infrastructure reliability, the companies said. The group plans to develop a zero-outage framework of best practices to improve infrastructure safety and security, they said. The framework also would maximize infrastructure availability and improve industry wide customer satisfaction, the founding firms said. ZOISA's best practices framework will “specify consistent error response times, employee qualification levels and set security and platform requirements,” said a news release. “This can help companies to minimize errors, increase availability, ensure security and operate cost-effectively.”

Mobility platform company Aerohive plans a live video event on its Facebook page Thursday at 12:30 p.m. EDT to answer questions on how companies can protect their networks in the IoT age. The recent attack on DynDNS (see 1610210056), which caused massive website outages for Twitter, Spotify, Reddit and others, was attributed in part to a bot that scours the web for IoT devices such as video cameras that were protected by factory-default usernames and passwords, which the bot then used to attack online targets, said Aerohive. The attack was widely successful because many people were using default admin credentials and outdated firmware, said the company. Aerohive panelists will discuss tools available to prevent similar attacks.

North America’s mobile industry will be worth nearly $1 trillion a year to the region’s economy by 2020, up from $710 billion last year, GSMA reported Tuesday. The launch of 5G, the IoT, smart cities and connected cars will play a role in the growth, GSMA said. “Thanks to the billions of dollars of investment made by mobile operators in their networks in recent years, North America is a leader in mobile usage and engagement, characterised by huge levels of mobile data consumption,” said Michael O’Hara, GSMA chief marketing officer. “The recent decision in the US to identify and open up spectrum for 5G services -- alongside its leadership of the IoT market -- has reaffirmed the region as one of the world’s most advanced mobile markets and one that is leading the next wave of mobile innovation.” Among findings is that smartphones account for 75 percent of the region’s mobile connections, the highest smartphone regional adoption rate.

House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and other committee Democrats want a House Commerce hearing on the recent distributed denial-of-service attacks against DynDNS. The late October DDoS attacks caused outages and latency for multiple major U.S. websites (see 1610210056). Industry lobbyists predicted the attacks would prompt a wider examination of the cybersecurity of IoT-connected devices (see 1610260067). “The expansion of technology and increasing connectivity of devices make it imperative that we understand what happened in this recent cyberattack and assess what can be learned from it,” said Pallone and other committee Democrats in a Monday letter to House Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy, R-Pa. “This could have wide-sweeping effects not only on telecommunications and Internet regulation, but also on many other areas under the Committee's jurisdiction. We urge you to hold hearings as soon as possible.” Upton raised concerns last week about the Dyn attacks, saying he was “closely monitoring the situation” (see 1610240038). The other signers of Pallone's letter were House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., House Commerce Oversight ranking member Diana DeGette, D-Colo., House Commerce Trade Subcommittee ranking member Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif.

With consumer trust in artificial intelligence important and issues bound to arise, Information Technology Industry Council CEO Dean Garfield had some advice for lawmakers. "Ask the tough questions," he blogged Thursday, while focusing "on the real risks of real harm, and not solely the 'what-ifs,' because that could cut this technology off at its knees. We must consider what societal benefits we would give up if we were to unnecessarily restrict these technologies." Garfield acknowledged that "with any technology -- especially emerging technologies -- accidents and mistakes can and will likely happen." Industry executives acknowledge much of what Garfield wrote and believe consumer confidence is important, he said.