Under the terms of a Report and Order, AM broadcasters will now have the option of converting their current analog or hybrid analog/digital transmissions to all-digital operations. The decision will support improved AM audio quality while also allowing broadcasters to provide listeners with additional information such as the name of the artist or the title of a song.
The Report and Order also establishes rules intended to protect existing AM broadcast stations from interference. Further, stations converting to all-digital operations must notify the Commission and the public at least 30 days in advance of their transition, and continue to participate in the Emergency Alert System.
As we’ve previously reported, analog signals are increasingly subject to interference from electronic devices, and fewer than 250 AM stations have adopted hybrid operations. According to FCC Chair Ajit Pai, all-digital broadcasts will offer listeners a higher quality audio experience over a greater geographic area and enable AM operators to remain competitive in the broadcast market.
Published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1562 modifies Annexes I, II, and III of Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/167. Those Annexes list 13 additional harmonized standards applicable to: 1) advanced surface movement guidance and control systems; 2) primary surveillance radars; 3) broadcast sound receivers; 4) international mobile telecommunications equipment; and 5) fixed radio systems.
The Implementing Decision also serves notice of the Commission’s intention to withdraw references to several harmonized standards that have either been revised or that are considered obsolete. However, the Commission says that it will defer the withdrawal of such standards until a later date to give manufacturers time to take appropriate actions.
According to an article posted to the website of the Bangkok Post, the ban covers 428 types of electronic waste (e-waste), which is defined by Thailand’s Commerce Ministry as “electric and electronic components and scraps.”
Violations of the newly implemented e-waste ban are punishable by a jail sentence of up to 10 years, a financial penalty equivalent to five times the value of the illegally imported e-waste, or both.
According to a separate article in Recycling Magazine, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries became target spots for the disposal of e-waste following the implementation of China’s National Sword policy in 2018, which banned the importation of electronic and plastic waste into that country.
According to an Order and Consent Decree issued by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in late October, Ubiquiti, Inc. marketed certain models of WiFi access points that operated at power levels higher than those stipulated in their grants of certification. Based on testing conducted by the Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), it was determined that the affected models contained an error in the software driver calibration data. That error caused the devices to be capable of exceeding permitted radiated emissions limits and allowing the emissions to emanate into restricted frequencies.
In response to a Letter of Inquiry from the Bureau’s Spectrum Enforcement Division, Ubiquiti acknowledged that the devices in question were capable of operating outside of its authorized parameters and that it had delivered a firmware update to all affected devices operating in the U.S. that resolved the excessive power and radiation issues identified in the OET’s testing. The company subsequently filed a Class II permissive change request with a telecommunications certification body (TCB) to reflect compliance with the minimum requirements, which was granted.