Utilities should be allowed to use the public safety wireless broadband network in the 700 MHz band to promote grid reliability and efficiency and Congress must consider amending the Communications Act to make it possible, the FCC said in a National Broadband Plan released Tuesday. The commission devoted an entire section to the “important” role broadband and advanced communications would play in achieving energy independence and efficiency.

Samsung Mobile Display and LG Display are gearing up to increase production of OLED panels late this year, signaling renewed interest in the technology, Universal Display officials said on a quarterly earnings call.

PS3 console supplies remained weak in the U.S. Tuesday as Sony Computer Entertainment America released the key game God of War III. Separately, SCEA said a limited-edition Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PSP Entertainment Pack will ship June 8 at $199.99 that includes a copy of the latest game in Konami Digital Entertainment’s Metal Gear Solid series on Universal Media Disc and the PSP-3000 handheld system in “spirited green” -- the first time that color has been available for the PSP in North America.

Recent patent filings by RealD seem to break new ground, we found in the latest in a series of reports profiling the patent portfolios of 3D’s leading IP holders. The newer filings complement expiring patents held by RealD (CED March 9 p2).

Philips and Seagate will be among the first companies with DivX Plus HD-certified products, starting with deliveries in Q2, DivX Product Manager Ryan Taylor told us. Philips is expected to field a DivX Plus HD-equipped Blu-ray player for the European market, while Seagate adds a portable hard drive, Taylor said.

TV rebate programs will dominate utilities’ 2010 efforts to promote the sale of energy-efficient CE products in the northwestern states, said Stephanie Fleming of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. TV power use in the region is a “pretty big deal, because right now there are more televisions than people,” she said, referring to estimates of 12.5 million TVs in use. The alliance, with 120 utility members, will also seek to devise programs for set-top boxes and will “research” videogame consoles in 2010, said Fleming, senior manager for the residential business.

Tough new rules proposed at the Department of Transportation for shipping lithium batteries on airplanes (CED March 1 p3) “would have dramatic impacts on retailing” in key areas not even discussed or considered in the department’s rulemaking notice, the CE Retailers Coalition said in comments submitted at the Friday deadline. Among other things, CERC heeds the warnings of the Cargo Airline Association that the proposed rules would cause logjams in the shipment of covered products, especially during the holiday selling season, when retailers transact 25 to 40 percent of their annual business, it said.

CE makers must deal with a big unknown now that they've started shipping 3D TVs to consumers: How many people can’t view 3D properly because of impaired vision?

After working with DreamWorks Animation on stereoscopic 3D for its movies, Intel is seeing “a lot of developers” express interest in using the technology for games, Roger Chandler, director of marketing for Intel’s Visual Computing Software Division, told us Friday at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

Sibeam’s recent raising of $36.5 million will fund development of third-generation WirelessHD chips for mobile and data networking applications and possibly pave the way for an IPO, CEO John LeMoncheck told us. The new money, which follows $40 million raised in 2008, includes new investors in Lux Capital, Hatteras Funds, Best Buy and Cisco, the latter offering a breadth of product from Linksys routers and Flip video recorders to Scientific-Atlanta cable set-top boxes. The financing round began in mid-2009 and was completed in January, LeMoncheck said. LeMoncheck declined comment of whether Best Buy or Cisco got board seats, but said both are represented on Sibeam’s strategic advisory panel.