As the FCC looks to streamline satellite licensing rules, it should make sure it doesn’t “inadvertently undermine the careful balance struck” between the upper microwave flexible use service and fixed satellite service in the spectrum frontiers proceeding, CTIA said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 22-411. “If the Commission expands the list of ‘minor’ modifications that can be made by operators without prior approval, it should do so with a measured approach that accounts for the impact of the proposed modifications on the spectrum landscape.” CTIA said it agrees operators “should be able to make certain administrative modifications that do not impact the interference environment, such as modifying antenna identification, without prior authorization from the Commission,” but “other modifications, like adding a point of communication or changing antenna parameters, may result in increased interference and impact the operations of other providers.”
CTIA withdrew a 2015 petition seeking reconsideration of two “discrete” aspects of updated Lifeline program rules approved that year (see 1508130048). CTIA cited “the passage of time since the Petition was filed,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 11-42. The organization had asked the FCC to reconsider declarations that Section 222(a) of the Communications Act “imposes a duty of confidentiality upon carriers, other than with respect to Customer Proprietary Network Information” and that Section 201(b) “imposes a duty upon carriers to implement data security measures.”
NCTA told the FCC it agrees with comments that the commission should target the 7.125-8.4 GHz band for wireless broadband (see 2311290040), in response to an NPRM on implementing 2015 and 2019 decisions by the World Radiocommunication Conference. The FCC’s proposal in the NPRM “is based on an NTIA recommendation from 2018 that does not reflect the 2023 National Spectrum Strategy -- and could undermine that strategy by unnecessarily complicating the future of the 7/8 GHz range,” said a filing Wednesday in docket 23-120. “The circumstances … have changed significantly since the Commission issued the NPRM in April 2023 and even more since NTIA made its original recommendation to the Commission in 2018,” NCTA said.
The FCC Public Safety Bureau approved a waiver allowing Quincy, Massachusetts, to use nonpublic safety frequencies 470.3 and 473.3 MHz in its public safety radio system. “The requested frequencies are considered interleaved because they are situated in between part 22 and part 90-designated spectrum bands, but they are not assignable to users under either part,” the bureau said. Quincy says there has been a significant increase in new buildings in the city and the additional channels will give it “added channel capacity for use as a fireground channel to address emergencies in the new buildings, or for use as an operations channel to coordinate evacuation of residents, or as a rapid intervention team channel to deal with a firefighter ‘MAYDAY,’” said the Wednesday order.
The Georgia Department of Transportation supports a 5G Automotive Association petition (see 2106030075) asking the FCC to reduce by 20 dB the permitted level of unwanted emissions from the unlicensed services that share the 5.9 GHz band. The 5GAA is looking to protect cellular vehicle-to-everything operations from unlicensed use of the band (see 2402290042). “As 5GAA’s Petition highlights, the unwanted emissions levels that the FCC adopted for unlicensed services that neighbor C-V2X in the 5.9 GHz spectrum band place C-V2X’s benefits at risk by subjecting the technology to harmful interference,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-138.
Verizon remains enthusiastic about its choice to invest heavily in C-band spectrum during the 2021 auction, Joe Russo, president-global networks and technology, said at the Scotiabank financial conference Tuesday. Verizon went big in the C-band auction, bidding $45.4 billion, plus $8 billion in incentive costs to satellite operators (see 2102250046). C-band has “great propagation characteristics,” Russo said. “And the usage of that C-band spectrum has just been exploding as more and more customers get access to it and more and more customers buy our premium plans with premium devices.” C-band also gives Verizon the capacity to offer fixed wireless access, he said. Russo said FWA requires “really good modeling around RF propagation” and “really great capacity management capabilities.” Verizon has focused on both. Moreover, its mobile network remains Verizon's top priority, with FWA possible where it has excess capacity, he said. The average 160 MHz of C-band Verizon has in each market gives the carrier lots of capacity, he said. Russo noted its FWA product offers 300 Mbps service. “When we look at even peak volumes that come out of a consumer's home, even the biggest homes with streaming and gaming and all these kinds of things, customers are using far less than that,” he said. Peak demands for top tier fiber and FWA customers average 100 Mbps or less, he said. Verizon now has more than 3 million FWA customers, with a goal of 5 million-6 million by the end of next year, which means about 350,000 adds per quarter, Russo said. “We're well ahead of that pace.”
The FCC Office of Communications Business Opportunities Tuesday issued a small-entity compliance guide explaining FCC rules for the 76-81 GHz band. Commissioners approved an order 3-0 in July 2017 expanding the 76-77 GHz spectrum allocation for vehicular radars to include the entire 76-81 GHz band and transitioning automotive radars out of the 24 GHz band (see 1707130056). The FCC “established an efficient regulatory framework for radar applications operating in the ... band, while also promoting more effective use of spectrum, fostering technological innovation, and providing a consistent set of technical rules and policies for vehicular radars and airport operations areas radars operating within the band,” the guide says.
Representatives of MidWave Wireless spoke with staff of all the FCC commissioners about the 1.4 GHz band and FCC's supplemental coverage from space framework draft order (see 2402220059), set for a March 14 commissioner vote. “MidWave holds all licenses for the 1.4 GHz band (1390-1395 MHz and 1432-1435 MHz) across all Geographic Independent Areas,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-65. “MidWave is presently focused on developing productive flexible use services to support a range of potential services including public safety and utility management, and will ensure those services protect the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service.”
Last month's Super Bowl demonstrated the importance of wireless mics, Shure said in a filing at the FCC posted Monday in docket 21-115. “Wireless microphone technology was, again, key to bringing to viewers the excitement and thrill of the much-anticipated 2024 championship game as well as a world-class halftime performance, pre-game and post-game performances,” Shure said: “There simply is no room for failure when the National Anthem and the Super Bowl Halftime Show are being viewed by record-setting audiences worldwide.” Shure noted the importance of a recent FCC order allowing the use of wireless multichannel audio system technology (see 2402150037).
Seventeen cable companies and other Wi-Fi advocates, spectrum sharing advocates, and defense and aeronautics companies Monday released a letter sent to NTIA about implementation of the national spectrum strategy. It warned against “anti-competitive efforts, modeled after China’s goals, to clear the 3 GHz and 7 GHz bands for exclusive licensing to a small handful of legacy carriers.” NTIA is set to release the plan March 14 (see 2402090059). “The decisions made … will directly affect the nation’s ability to maintain and promote our global competitiveness, national security, and national security technology leadership with our allies,” the letter said: “We urge the NTIA to adopt an Implementation Plan that is aggressive in expanding the pie for a wide variety of public, commercial, and national security uses.” The plan should focus on “accelerating the development and adoption” of spectrum sharing technologies and coexistence frameworks, the letter said. It noted the success of sharing in the 6 GHz band and the citizens broadband radio service band. Signers included the American Library Association, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, Federated Wireless, Deere & Company, Lockheed Martin, NCTA, the Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, Midcontinent Communications, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Spectrum for the Future, WifiForward and the Wireless ISP Association.