CTIA President Meredith Baker said wireless is being undervalued by policymakers in some cases as they look at broadband across the U.S. Industry deserves a “5G-focused public policy,” she told a CTIA 5G virtual event Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the federal government wants more network equipment to be made in the U.S.
Wireless Spectrum Auctions
The FCC manages and licenses the electromagnetic spectrum used by wireless, broadcast, satellite and other telecommunications services for government and commercial users. This activity includes organizing specific telecommunications modes to only use specific frequencies and maintaining the licensing systems for each frequency such that communications services and devices using different bands receive as little interference as possible.
What are spectrum auctions?
The FCC will periodically hold auctions of unused or newly available spectrum frequencies, in which potential licensees can bid to acquire the rights to use a specific frequency for a specific purpose. As an example, over the last few years the U.S. government has conducted periodic auctions of different GHz bands to support the growth of 5G services.
The House Communications Subcommittee plans an Oct. 6 hearing on the newly filed Spectrum Innovation Act (HR-5378), Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act (HR-2489) and 10 other telecom-centric bills aimed at “strengthening” U.S. networks, the House Commerce Committee said Wednesday. Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., filed HR-5378 Wednesday as a vehicle for enacting language to authorize an FCC auction of at least 200 MHz on the 3.1-3.45 GHz band separately from the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation. Commerce advanced its portion of reconciliation earlier this month with the spectrum language, plus $10 billion for next-generation 911 and $4 billion for the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund (see 2109140063). Doyle’s office touted support from the Competitive Carriers Association, NCTA, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge. The other bills on Communications’ hearing docket: the Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act (HR-1042), Federal Broadband Deployment in Unserved Area Act (HR-1046), Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act (HR-1049), Wireless Resiliency and Flexible Investment Act (HR-1058), Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act (HR-1218), Spectrum Coordination Act (HR-2501), Communications Act Section 331 Obligation Clarification Act (HR-4208), Information Sharing and Advanced Communication Alerting Act (HR-5028), Broadband Incentives for Communities Act (HR-5058) and Preventing Disruptions to Universal Service Funds Act (HR-5400). The partly virtual hearing begins at noon EDT in 2123 Rayburn.
T-Mobile supports a thorough exam of the 12 GHz band and selling licenses in an auction “if the Commission determines, after a careful evaluation of the technical issues presented in the record, that the spectrum should be made available for terrestrial mobile services,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-443. T-Mobile slammed what it says is Dish Network’s approach -- that the FCC “should instead simply gift those rights to existing incumbents.” Dish argues that in wireless communications service, the FCC allowed terrestrial use of that band absent an auction, T-Mobile said. In WCS, “incumbents were already permitted to provide terrestrial mobile services, and licensees acquired those rights at auction,” the filing said: “In this case, incumbent licensees would obtain entirely new rights to provide terrestrial mobile services.” A Dish spokesperson declined comment, except to point to an August filing.
Competitive Carriers Association member executives said they're interested in emergency broadband and other subsidies being made available by the federal government to build out their networks, warning that new market entrants may not have viable plans. Nsight is working with about 500 governments in its service territories on broadband grants, CEO Mark Naze said during a panel Tuesday. Rural broadband “is not a cookie cutter, it’s not a one size fits all,” said Eric Woody, Union Wireless chief technical and operations officer: “It’s not even a one size fits most. … Wireless is key to getting the last mile and sometimes that middle mile done.” There “are a lot of new parties coming to the table to participate in this industry,” said Maureen Moore, GCI chief customer experience officer. “There’s a tremendous focus on building and maybe not enough on operating,” she said: “What happens once you fund something and it’s built, then how do you maintain it going forward?” Woody agreed, saying his company is in the Rocky Mountains where “things break and you have to fix them.” For too many years, the focus was “we need to reduce funding … and now look at our infrastructure,” Woody said. Too much focus at the federal level is on fiber, said Cellular One CEO Jonathan Foxman: “The amount that looks like it’s heading to wireless to us seems really insufficient.” Naze agrees with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr that big tech should have to pay into USF (see 2109150055). “It was very encouraging to see" Carr "say last week that he supported that as a solution to the problem,” Naze said. The executives said they're deploying spectrum as they move to 5G but have concerns about FCC auctions. Nsight is adding spectrum to about 25% of its cellsites this year, Naze said: “For us to continue … we need to have more affordable spectrum.” The large license sizes sold by the FCC don’t work “west of the Mississippi” because “they’re too big,” Woody said: “They don’t [match] the existing licenses that we have today. It’s screwed up.” The execs said their companies weathered this pandemic. At the peak, his company had more than $800,000 past due on its books, from 2,700 customers, Foxman said. “I was a little freaked out -- are we going to collect any of that?” The company had to write off only about $10,000, he said. Union offered Wi-Fi outside schools and in less affluent areas, so kids could go to school remotely, Woody said. Union never closed stores and continued to do in-premise installations, he said. The discussion was streamed from CCA’s annual show in Phoenix.
DOD is focused on making 3.1-3.45 GHz available for 5G, but doing so won’t be easy, said Vernita Harris, director-spectrum policy and programs, at the virtual NTIA Spectrum Policy Symposium Tuesday. Others said after the fights during the last administration, the Biden administration is improving coordination on sharing between federal agencies. The 3.1-3.45 GHz band is widely viewed as the most promising mid-band spectrum on the horizon for 5G.
With C-band deployments starting this year, aviation concerns about protecting radio altimeters aren't expected to be an initial big impediment, experts said in recent interviews. Aviation safety advocates expect the FCC and the FAA to continue watching closely for any issues. The FCC’s record-setting C-band auction was of licenses at 3.7-3.98 GHz; altimeters are at 4.2-4.4 GHz.
House GOP lawmakers want to place additional limits on China’s access to U.S. networks via amendments to the Armed Services Committee-cleared FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-4350). House Armed Services advanced HR-4350 earlier this month with language that would improve DOD implementation of its October 2020 spectrum strategy and the department’s adjustment of its systems before the FCC’s planned auction of spectrum on the 3.45-3.55 GHz band (see 2108250075). Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., wants to attach language to HR-4350 from the Defending America’s 5G Future Act, which would codify the Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security's placement of Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei to its export entity blacklist. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., proposes barring exports of telecom equipment “that would serve the primary purpose of assisting, or be specifically configured to assist, the People’s Republic of China in acquiring the capability to carry out censorship, surveillance, or any other similar or related activity.” Other tech and telecom-focused amendments include one from Rep. Van Taylor, R-Texas, to create a White House-led Technology Competitiveness Council aimed at keeping the U.S. competitive on tech issues. Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., wants to attach her American Freedom and Internet Access Act (HR-5123), which would require the Air Force to implement Operation Starfall, which would give other countries wireless access via balloons and satellites. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., wants the State Department to report to Congress on the “national security implications” of open radio access networks. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, wants to bar DOD from spending money with tech companies DOJ or the FTC determines have an “unlawful monopoly.” Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., seeks to prohibit federal agencies from requiring or supporting tech companies’ efforts to add backdoors or other security vulnerabilities to their products and services. The House Rules Committee will meet Monday at noon to consider which proposed HR-4350 amendments will get floor votes.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell of Washington and other chamber Democratic leaders told us they haven’t signed off on the House Commerce Committee’s portion of the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package because of what they consider an underwhelming amount of money for broadband. Senate Republicans we spoke with appeared unified with their House colleagues in opposition to the language.
Telecom and consumer protection language in the House Commerce Committee’s portion of the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package got limited attention Monday, the first day of the committee’s markup. Democratic leaders highlighted potential benefits, including the proposed $10 billion for next-generation 911 tech upgrades, $4 billion for the FCC emergency connectivity fund and $1 billion to fund a new FTC privacy bureau. Some GOP leaders criticized the additional ECF money, as expected (see 2109100063).
House Commerce Committee Republicans are unlikely to make the $4 billion in broadband money included in committee Democrats’ portion of the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package a centerpiece of their opposition to the measure but are expected to file at least some amendments to it, Capitol Hill aides and lobbyists told us. The legislation includes $10 billion for next-generation 911 tech upgrades, $1 billion to fund a new FTC privacy bureau and authorizes an FCC auction of at least 200 MHz of spectrum on the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, as expected (see 2109090067). House Commerce said it will begin marking up the measure at 11 a.m. EDT Monday in 2123 Rayburn.