*** A Defense Department plan, still in the early stages, to fast-track its own 5G capabilities by using its own mid-band spectrum could lead to a sweetheart deal for wireless company Rivada, according to a CNN report. Rivada unsuccessfully bid on the FirstNet public safety network. Source told CNN that the White House is pressuring DOD to make an award for the scheme without going through the competitive bidding process.
*** GCN reports that water managers and farmers in the West will soon be able to more accurately track water consumption by crops and other vegetation through a web application that uses data from satellites and weather stations. The app, dubbed Open ET, is the result of a collaboration between the Environmental Defense Fund, NASA, the Desert Research Institute and Google.
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