The FCC moved forward with sweeping changes in the 900 MHz band, making 6 megahertz of low-band spectrum available for the development of critical wireless broadband technologies and services through a process of realigning the band by moving incumbent narrowband users to different 900 MHz spectrum.

There are initiatives in 15 countries for enterprises to deploy private networks, said global technology market advisory firm ABI Research. This includes both arrangements for enterprises to acquire spectrum directly from the regulator, as well as spectrum assets held by mobile network operators, that focus entirely on providing private cellular networks for enterprises.

Sierra Wireless reported results for its first quarter ended March 31. Revenue for the first quarter of 2020 was $157.6 million compared with $173.8 million in the first quarter of 2019, a decrease of 9.3%.

Starting in January, Iridium elected to extend what was a limited time commercial offer doubling the amount of data available on Iridium Certus L-band broadband service packages for the maritime industry. The company is also giving away up to 500 minutes of free crew calling for each vessel equipped with Iridium Certus or Iridium OpenPort as a primary service, currently through the end of September.

Motorola Solutions is offering its WAVE push-to-talk (PTT) service free to critical industries in Australia and New Zealand until the end of June.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that eight companies that will assist the federal government in establishing requirements for future suppliers of remote identification. Remote ID will enable unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, to provide identification and location information while operating in the nation’s airspace.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is now accepting applications from eligible grantees for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) supplemental funds (EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance) intended to help communities prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a supplemental funding opportunity to explore the feasibility of National Radio Dynamic Zones (NRDZ), under the purview of the Foundation's new Spectrum Innovation Initiative (SII).

Southern Telecom appointed industry veteran Michael E. Britt as Southern Telecom president and CEO. In addition to leading the Southern Telecom business, Britt is responsible for the continued development of the telecommunications infrastructure strategy for Southern Co.’s electric utilities.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied a protest from T-Mobile USA regarding the terms of a request for quotations (RFQ) issued by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) for cellular services with a “public-safety plan.”