diff --git a/selfdrive/controls/controlsd.py b/selfdrive/controls/controlsd.py
index 6400478..66ef835 100755
--- a/selfdrive/controls/controlsd.py
+++ b/selfdrive/controls/controlsd.py
@@ -485,13 +485,16 @@ class Controls:
     # generic catch-all. ideally, a more specific event should be added above instead
     has_disable_events = self.events.contains(ET.NO_ENTRY) and (self.events.contains(ET.SOFT_DISABLE) or self.events.contains(ET.IMMEDIATE_DISABLE))
     no_system_errors = (not has_disable_events) or (len(self.events) == num_events)
-    if (not self.sm.all_checks() or self.card.can_rcv_timeout) and no_system_errors and not model_suppress:
+    # CLEARPILOT: fire commIssue ONLY when messages actually aren't flowing (not_alive)
+    # or CAN RX is timing out. Don't fire on self-declared valid=False — that's the
+    # polling-pattern / all_checks cascade that paramsd/torqued/plannerd/frogpilot
+    # propagate even while their publish rate and content are fine.
+    comms_really_broken = (not self.sm.all_alive()) or self.card.can_rcv_timeout
+    if comms_really_broken and no_system_errors and not model_suppress:
       if not self.sm.all_alive():
         self.events.add(EventName.commIssue)
-      elif not self.sm.all_freq_ok():
-        self.events.add(EventName.commIssueAvgFreq)
-      else:  # invalid or can_rcv_timeout.
-        self.events.add(EventName.commIssue)
+      else:
+        self.events.add(EventName.commIssue)  # can_rcv_timeout path
 
       logs = {
         'invalid': [s for s, valid in self.sm.valid.items() if not valid],
diff --git a/selfdrive/locationd/calibrationd.py b/selfdrive/locationd/calibrationd.py
index 6e154bf..1a23162 100755
--- a/selfdrive/locationd/calibrationd.py
+++ b/selfdrive/locationd/calibrationd.py
@@ -284,7 +284,14 @@ def main() -> NoReturn:
 
     # 4Hz driven by cameraOdometry
     if sm.frame % 5 == 0:
-      calibrator.send_data(pm, sm.all_checks())
+      # CLEARPILOT: publish valid based on calibration status, not upstream sm.all_checks().
+      # The original gate cascaded upstream freq glitches into liveCalibration.valid=False,
+      # which kept locationd.filterInitialized False, which fed garbage into paramsd, which
+      # corrupted steerRatio and caused erratic steering (and controlsd commIssue banners).
+      # "valid" here semantically means "the calibration data is trustworthy" — a question
+      # about convergence, not input freshness.
+      cal_valid = calibrator.cal_status == log.LiveCalibrationData.Status.calibrated
+      calibrator.send_data(pm, cal_valid)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":