AT&T defended coming rate increases for unlimited smartphone data plans (see 1512010069). "Our unlimited data plan customers continue to receive an incredible value, especially those taking advantage of our 4G LTE network," a spokesman told us. AT&T said the rate increases are expected to start with customers' February service.

Such 5G-enabled applications as the "tactile Internet" -- meaning expanded human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interactions -- "will spawn a myriad of applications in every field of human endeavor," said CableLabs Principal Architect Don Clarke in a blog post Wednesday. "The enabling technologies exist today" for tactile Internet, Clarke said. "They just need to be brought together in the right way with standards that facilitate open innovation." Defining 5G itself is somewhat difficult because it's "a far richer vision than simply an increase in wireless bandwidth or a 5G icon appearing on a smartphone handset," he said. With the existing cable network being "an ideal foundation for 5G" because of its ubiquity and that it already includes millions of Wi-Fi nodes, CableLabs has research and development program underway looking at some of the key enabling technologies for 5G, Clarke said. They include developing end-to-end architectures based on network-function virtualization and software-defined networks, studying the coexistence of wireless technologies, and partnering with such groups as NYU Wireless to evaluate combining millimeter wave region spectrum with cable networks.

The type of downloadable security supported by TiVo in the report from the FCC Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee would open up retail set-top box manufacturers that use a guide combined with a DVR to being sued by the company for patent infringement, said NCTA in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 15-64. It responded to Media Bureau questions about the recordability of multichannel video programming distributor content. “Some observers have noted that TiVo is seeking to ‘preserve its lucrative patent business’ by increasing manufacturer exposure to its patent claims,” NCTA said. The app-based approach favored by MVPDs isn’t as exposed to patent lawsuits, NCTA said. Also in a blog post Wednesday, NCTA said the set-top security/navigation integration ban will sunset Friday under the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization. “The Integration Ban was an unnecessary technology mandate from the late 1990’s that cost billions of dollars with no real consumer benefit,” NCTA said: “The STELAR legislation approved overwhelmingly by a bipartisan Congress is significant because it recognizes that innovation in the television industry shouldn’t be held back by a mandate that penalizes one sector (cable operators) while others are free to experiment.” The ban’s sunset doesn’t mean cable companies will stop supporting CableCARDs, the association said. “In the end, we want customers to access their favorite content however they want. And if that means supporting CableCARDs to decrypt video signals in retail devices, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.” TiVo had no immediate comment Wednesday.

Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and 21 members of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to the FCC opposing what was referred to as the “All Vid” proposal. The lawmakers worried of higher costs for consumers. “And even worse, while requiring consumers to rent more equipment it would eliminate consumer protections concerning privacy, emergency alerts, children’s programming and more. Consumers would pay more and be protected less,” the lawmakers said in a letter led by Clarke. “All Vid will cause irreparable harm to independent and minority programmers by allowing third parties to strip programming from visible channel placements and relegate it to the bottom of the pile. These merchants would also be allowed to sell intrusive advertising without sharing any revenue with programmers, cutting off the needed revenue to continue producing quality content.” Pay-TV companies have been opposing a revival of the FCC AllVid proposal, while some tech companies have been pursuing something that may be close to that.

Comcast will include a national video description pilot program with NBC’s broadcast of The Wiz Live! Thursday, the first U.S. live entertainment program to be accessible to people with a visual disability, Comcast said. The video description narration track is inserted between the natural pauses in dialogue to describe the visual elements of a show or movie, including facial expressions, settings, costumes and stage direction. The pilot program, which coincides with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, is available across the country where SAP (secondary audio program) feeds are available, Comcast said. Descriptive Video Works is delivering the video and audio description.

The FCC got "the message loud and clear" from fans of free Wi-Fi router software, the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) said Wednesday of the agency's clarification earlier last month (see 1511120056) that it won't encourage manufacturers to prevent firmware modifications. EFF and the Save Wifi coalition relaunched an FCC public comment platform so people could comment on the third-party firmware issue, and more than 1,000 people did, wrote EFF Director-Copyright Activism Parker Higgins. "Router makers rarely provide much in the way of support or documentation to people developing new software, and have a bad record on delivering software updates to end users," he wrote on EFF's blog. "We'll continue to monitor the progress of this proposed rule to ensure it can't be used to jeopardize the important role that free third-party software continues to play in the router ecosystem."

Come next spring, the global CE industry may well find out whether China can support two CE trade shows only three weeks apart. That’s because Messe Berlin, producer of the annual IFA show, has now set April 20-22 as the dates for its inaugural CE China event at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center. Messe Berlin is billing CE China as “a premier opportunity” for Chinese and international brands to showcase their latest products for a pan-Asian audience, the organizers said Wednesday in a “save the date” alert emailed to journalists. CE China was hatched through a memorandum of understanding announced and signed at the last IFA show in September by Messe Berlin and Shenzhen’s Economy, Trade and Information Commission. Three weeks after CE China shuts its doors, the Consumer Technology Association will take up shop May 11-13 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre for the second installment of CES Asia. In September, a week after Messe Berlin announced plans for CE China, the former CEA released its own announcement trumpeting plans to double the size of the CES Asia exhibit floor in its second year. “China’s rapid growth over the last decade has helped to reshape the global economy, creating a powerful driver of corporate strategies, financial markets, geopolitical decisions and a market ripe for a technology boom," Karen Chupka, CTA senior vice president-CES and corporate business strategy, emailed us in a statement that dwelled on the virtues of CES Asia without mentioning the IFA-backed CE China event. "With twice the exhibit space of 2015, the upcoming CES Asia will serve as the premier event for the Asian consumer tech market for both global brands and budding startups," Chupka said. The inaugural CES Asia last year "featured more than 200 companies, including 10 of the world’s top 100 global brands," she said. "CES Asia is a curated event focused on brands and emerging innovation. Our exhibitors go through a highly selective application process to participate in the show and must produce an innovative, branded product. Our show is located in Shanghai, which has the busiest international hub in mainland China and services 73 international destinations.” Similarly, IFA's September announcement of CE China touted Shenzhen as "an ideal location," not only because it's "at the heart of a center of the country’s electronics industry, but also because of its great transport links, thanks to airport hubs in Shenzhen and nearby Guangzhou, and the fact that both Hong Kong and Macao are very close by."

The Digital Economy Board of Advisors is being formed to provide recommendations to the NTIA administrator and the secretary of commerce on “a broad range of issues related to the digital economy and Internet policy,” NTIA said Tuesday in a notice. The board is forming as part of the Department of Commerce’s new Digital Economy Agenda, which Secretary Penny Pritzker announced in early November. The agenda seeks to promote a “free and open Internet,” promote trust online, ensure access for “workers, families and companies” and promote innovation, NTIA said. The board’s activities may include analyzing policies restricting cross-border data flows and other barriers to global Internet freedom, along with providing policy advice on cybersecurity and other issues that affect the digital economy, NTIA said. The board may also promote the development of new digital technologies and analyze the Internet’s impact on the U.S. economy. NTIA said it's seeking nominations for board members for two-year terms, with the board consisting of between five and 30 members. The secretary of commerce will appoint the board’s chairman. Board members will come from the private sector and civil society and should be “prominent experts in their fields and recognized for their professional achievements,” NTIA said. Nominations are due Dec. 23.

Following typical trend lines, consumer confidence toward technology spending and the overall economy grew 8.8 points to 92.1 in the Consumer Technology Association Index of Consumer Technology Expectations, said CTA Tuesday. “Consumer sentiment traditionally moves higher in advance of Black Friday and the prime holiday shopping season,” said Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac, noting many Black Friday promotions have already kicked in. “Apprehensions about the economy remain but consumers seem confident going into the most popular holiday shopping period,” he said.

The Mobile 360-Europe conference scheduled for Dec. 3 in Brussels was postponed due to terrorism-related security concerns, GSMA said in a news release Tuesday. It didn't set a new date but said it would be in 2016. "Whilst there have been no direct threats to the event, the restrictions on travel would make it extremely difficult for attendees, speakers and members to travel to and within Brussels," GSMA said in a statement.