The FCC granted special temporary authority (STA) to AT&T to use additional spectrum to serve Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) during the coronavirus pandemic. The commission granted AT&T access to the Advanced Wireless Service (AWS)-4 spectrum, licensed to Dish, for 60 days to expand its network capacity to meet expected increases in network traffic as a result of more Americans on the islands working from home, social distancing and sheltering in place.

AT&T outlined initiatives to help First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) subscribers respond during the COVID-19 pandemic. The carrier is adding coverage and devices where needed, and FirstNet apps are helping agencies better address response to the national emergency.

Rescue 42 said its PodRunner division entered into an exclusive supplier agreement with AT&T to provide the SatRunner Satellite communications platform configured with Wi-Fi internet and band 14 cellular for the nationwide First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) network.

UPS said it would collaborate with German drone maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for a variety of use cases in the United States and internationally. Wingcopter’s unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology can deliver a variety of goods over long distances in multiple international settings, the companies said.

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) leadership announced that the next plenary meetings (TSG #88), scheduled June 15 – 19, will be e-meetings. The leadership are considering proposing a three-month delay to the Release 17 timeline, which would put the Release 17 ASN.1 and OpenAPI specification freeze to December 2021.

Verizon said its Verizon Response Team is leading nearly 160 engagements in the United States and has deployed mobile cell sites, Wi-Fi hot spots, free charging stations and other solutions that help boost network performance and enable communications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) canceled the Public Safety Stakeholder Meeting scheduled for June in San Diego, and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International pushed its Nexus event back a year.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), built with AT&T, said it will give first responders unthrottled connectivity and waived wireless overage fees as they respond to the coronavirus crisis.

The FCC pushed back the start of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) Auction 106 until July 23 and postponed indefinitely Auction 106 given the COVID-19 pandemic.

American Petroleum Institute (API) members called out Anterix for not providing enough information on how it plans to remedy interference concerns in the 900 MHz band and said refineries can’t give up critical spectrum until the issues are addressed.