Compensation for satellite companies is essential for publicly auctioning off midband spectrum, the C-Band Alliance argued in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission last week. The CBA asserted that companies that take part in public auction bidding should pay spectrum holders a fee, saying that it would speed up the process, avoid litigation and compensate current owners for the cost of their equipment as well as that of transferring the frequencies.

The Federal Communications Commission listed the number of locations in each state that are among the 6 million homes where the government will subsidize the building of broadband facilities through the agency's planned Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. California leads the list with 421,000 locations followed by Texas and Michigan while Wyoming is last with 21,000 places.

Lockheed Martin is testing HiveStar software technology with its Pony Express 1 nanosatellite. The technology could bring shared processing capabilities to satellites and enable mesh communications across networks.

Wireless carriers will increase capital spending from 2% to 4% this year, but are telling equipment makers that 5G gear expenditures will be more modest for the near future, analysts at Jefferies report. The investment bank says the most significant growth will come from AT&T's FirstNet project, DISH Network's increasing infrastructure builds and the conclusion of Sprint and T-Mobile's merger effort.

Pine64 is launching the Linux-based PinePhone, a fully open-source smartphone that will cost $150. The device is marketed to early adopters and developers and allows users to choose their OS.

Xbox One's Console Streaming is out of beta and available globally for players with Android devices. Users must be in an Update Preview ring and have a Bluetooth Xbox One controller, among other requirements.

Roomba is going beyond its usual Google and Alexa Assistant workings to integrate its iRobot vacuums with the If This Then That app to initiate cleanings around the schedules of other smart home devices. This would mean that while the homeowner is away, the thermostat setting could trigger a cleaning by a Roomba device.

Procter & Gamble is launching the Oral-B Guide electric toothbrush this spring, complete with a waterproof, charger base that includes an Alexa speaker. The $230 smart toothbrush has six brushing modes, pressure monitoring and can connect to Oral-B's progress-tracking app.