A bipartisan group of senators recently wrote letters urging tech executives at Google, Microsoft, Pinterest and Yahoo to use their platforms to eradicate illegal online drug sales and advertising. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; John Kennedy, R-La.; and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., wrote the letters Feb. 15 to CEOs Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Ben Silbermann (Pinterest) and Yahoo leadership (Marissa Mayer resigned in June). The lawmakers cited various company policies meant to combat illicit sales of drugs, drawing particular attention to fentanyl, which is contributing to opioid abuse. “These online companies can help limit illegal sales by preventing users from creating online black markets to peddle their poison,” Grassley said in a statement emailed Thursday. “I appreciate any efforts by the private sector to help tackle this problem, and I’m committed to finding new ways to help stem the tide in our nation’s opioid crisis.” The lawmakers asked firms to direct users to legal pharmacies that require valid drug prescriptions; block searches for illegal sales; report illicit advertising to police; establish 24/7 communication lines with police; and train employees to search for and find illegal content.

ProSource said it signed Centricity, formerly Bankers Warranty Group and Bonded Builders Warranty Group, to be the group’s exclusive service partner. Plans will protect customers after the manufacturer warranties expire, offering 24/7 call center support, it said Thursday. Group programs include standard single component coverage, custom installation system coverage and an iConnectProtect monthly subscription plan, it said. Centricity has more than 30 years’ experience. ProSource didn't immediately respond to questions.

T-Mobile named Mike Sievert, chief operating officer, to its board, raising the number of directors from 11 to 12, T-Mobile said Thursday. Sievert joined T-Mobile as chief marketing officer in 2012, moving to his current role three years later.

The FCC tentatively approved the first environmental sensing capability (ESC) operators for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, moving launch of the CBRS sharing band another step closer to reality. The ESC operators allow sharing in coastal areas, protecting Navy radars. The four are: CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google and Key Bridge Wireless. All must now submit their systems for testing before final certification, the FCC said. “The ESC operators will manage a sensor system designed to detect the presence of federal incumbent radar transmissions in the 3550-3650 MHz portion of the 3.5 GHz Band and communicate that information to one or more Spectrum Access Systems (SAS) in accordance with the Commission’s rules,” said the notice by the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Wireless Bureau. “The ESC will enable more dynamic sharing between federal and non-federal users in the band, particularly in coastal areas.” Commissioner Mike O’Rielly last week said approval of the operators was imminent (see 1802130041). “Today’s important step gets us closer to permitting 3.5 GHz use in coastal areas where a huge population of Americans live and attracting necessary investment for equipment manufacturing and network deployment," O’Rielly said Wednesday. Ruckus Networks Wednesday announced release of 3.5 GHz LTE access points and associated cloud-based subscription services. The 3.5 GHz market is likely to be huge, Ruckus said. “The Ruckus LTE portfolio enables enterprises to deploy private LTE networks to ensure high quality-of-service (QoS) for critical business applications,” said a news release.

Cable-TV bills are rising fast because of lack of competition, Public Knowledge Technology and Policy Fellow Katrina Worsham blogged Friday. A small number of cable operators "overwhelmingly dominate," and in many locations face little to no meaningful competition, she said: Cable operators reduce the competitive threat from direct broadcast satellite and online video providers by bundling video and broadband subscriptions. “Is this 2018 or 1998?" NCTA emailed us Tuesday. "Public Knowledge must somehow have missed the last two decades of marketplace developments which provide consumers with literally dozens of ways and price points to enjoy the video content of their choosing.” Earlier this month, the FCC reported on 2015 price increases (see 1802120026).

Shentel said it's partnering with Hitron Technologies for a new offering it calls “Wall to Wall WiFi.” The service “offers a powerful modem with signal extenders when needed to cover every inch of livable space in the home,” Shentel said. “The network is custom installed by a Shentel technician who will identify and eliminate areas in the home where Wi-Fi signals are weakest.”

LED lighting company LumaStream joined the Azione Unlimited buying group, bringing a low-voltage lighting offering to the custom integrator channel. Traditionally, lighting has been owned by electrical contractors, but LumaStream’s LED portfolio design allows low-voltage integrators to spec and install lighting for their clients, a LumaStream spokesman said. “A/V integrators are experiencing the evolution of high-efficiency LED lighting as well as increased demand from homeowners that points to an important opportunity,” said Azione President Richard Glikes in a statement. LumaStream gives integrators control over end-to-end, architectural energy-efficient lighting without having to depend on a licensed electrician, it said. The company supports integrators with lighting design services along with technical and sales support teams, it said.

The internet sector is a significant contributor to urban areas, said the Internet Association and the National League of Cities Tuesday, citing their report. They said the sector "contributes an average of 3.3 percent of total jobs and total number of businesses" in U.S. urban markets. Recommended best practices: "design smart cities," "support open data systems," "facilitate pilot projects" and "invest in public-private partnerships."

Broadcom made a $121 billion “best and final offer” for Qualcomm. The $82 per share includes $60 in cash and $22 in Broadcom stock, compared with its initial offer in November -- $70 per share, or $60 in cash and $10 in stock (see 1711060004). This "will allow Qualcomm stockholders a greater opportunity to participate in the upside created by the combined company's strategic and operational advantages,” Broadcom said Monday. “Broadcom's track record demonstrates our ability to consistently accelerate share price appreciation following acquisitions and indicates a substantial likelihood that we will exceed our synergies expectations.” Qualcomm's board, "in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, will review the revised proposal to determine the course of action it believes is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders," that company responded.

The International Moving Image Society's annual awards ceremony Tuesday in London offered rare insights into the world of nature photography and revealed the extent to which it now depends on declassified military technology. “Because animals can’t be directed like actors, we now shoot in 5K or better and pan and track within the frame area at the post-production stage,” said Julian Hector, who heads the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU). Very-long-focus telephoto shots from a helicopter are now possible only due to a recently declassified, gyro-stabilized camera pod, mounted outside the cabin and remotely controlled from inside, he said. The NHU is starting to use drones developed for military surveillance, and Ultra HD cameras are now small enough to be mounted on animals, he said. Since “nighttime is the right time for wildlife shooting,” the NHU uses declassified image intensifiers or thermal imaging cameras developed for nighttime military operations, but resolution is very poor, he said. Asked about the possibility of shooting color at night instead of the black and white captured by infrared image intensifiers or thermal imagers, Colin Jackson, innovation producer at the BBC, said: “It’s almost there, but I hope we don’t do it because what we humans see at night is monochrome.” Hector totally disagrees, he said. Color would “let us tell the story from the animals’ point of view,” he said.