NTIA sent a letter to the FCC Monday providing “more refined geographic parameters” for proposed cooperative planning areas (CPAs) and periodic use areas (PUAs) provided by DOD, tied to an eventual 3.45-3.55 GHz auction. NTIA urged the FCC to release rules and auction the band “as expeditiously as practical.” It's seen as a top priority under acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2102190046). The areas aren’t exclusion zones, but “military systems require protection from harmful interference from new non-federal operations, either indefinitely (in CPAs) or episodically (in PUAs), in support of national security missions and to meet readiness requirements,” NTIA wrote. More information will be released as the auction approaches, the letter said: “NTIA and DoD will provide supplemental information to potential bidders similar to the DOD AWS-3 Workbook and NTIA recommends issuing a joint Public Notice, like with AWS-3, with more details on federal notification and coordination.” NTIA reported Monday incumbent informing capability (IIC) time-based sharing holds promise for making more federal spectrum available for commercial use. The sharing system will likely be federalized, “run and administered by NTIA,” the paper said. “NTIA expects that IIC will be deployed over the next few years to support mid-band spectrum sharing predominately between federal systems and broadband wireless carriers using 4G and 5G technology,” it said: “IIC is expected to be a long-term project with iterations that will ultimately allow federal agencies to populate and update in realtime a database with frequency, location, and time-of-use information for systems they deploy.” First steps for testing in the citizens broadband radio service band in this effort are updating the previously developed CBRS portal to a DOD scheduler 11 participating test ranges “and identifying the data collection and security requirements and considerations,” NTIA said. “If successful, NTIA will next evaluate expanding IIC functionality to other 5G mid-band spectrum and ultimately transition the capability to an NTIA operation, allowing us to potentially apply IIC to all federal operations in other bands.” The letter to the FCC said IIC will play a role in 3.45 GHz.
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.
UScellular may have spent $1.46 billion in the C-band auction, suggested a footnote in its Friday investor presentation accompanying Q4 results. Executives on a quarterly call declined to comment, saying the footnote was intended only to provide “context.” After Dec. 31, “UScellular committed to purchase wireless spectrum licenses for approximately $1,460 million inclusive of associated costs, subject to regulatory approval,” the footnote said. Companies are barred from commenting on auction results until 10 business days after they're announced by the FCC. Winners must make 20% deposits. A UScellular spokesperson didn’t comment.
An order establishing rules for a 3.45-3.55 GHz auction appears to be one spectrum item moving under acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. She's reluctant to plow into other bands while acting chief, but 3.5 GHz is teed up, and timing is an issue, with an auction having to take place this year, said FCC and industry officials. The big question is whether the FCC will approve a model based on the adjacent citizens broadband radio service or a more traditional licensed model.
The FCC approved 4-0 an NPRM proposing revised rules for a program to pay for the replacement of equipment from Huawei and ZTE in U.S. networks, as expected (see 2102110053), at the commissioners' meeting Wednesday. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stressed that even more than the previous administration, she's emphasizing coordination with other parts of the federal government in her approach to supply chain risks. Commissioner Brendan Carr said the U.S. must stay tough on China.
A House Communications Subcommittee hearing Wednesday appears likely to focus on promoting $7.6 billion in E-rate funding included in Commerce Committee-advanced language to be added to a coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation package (see 2102120066), plus other measures to improve broadband access during the pandemic. House Commerce Republicans unveiled an alternative broadband policy agenda Tuesday, which largely draws on bills they first filed last summer (see 2102120066).
NCTA and its members urged adopting 3.45-3.55 GHz rules consistent with those in the citizens broadband radio service band, in a call with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “NCTA noted the successful outcome of the 3.5 GHz CBRS auction, and the role that the service rules for that band played in attracting a diversity of auction participants … and encouraging the widespread deployment of the spectrum,” said Tuesday's posting in docket 19-348. Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox and CableLabs participated.
President Claude Aiken and others from the Wireless ISP Association laid out its positions on spectrum bands in a call with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington. In 2.5 GHz, WISPA seeks a “single-round, sealed bid auction.” Move forward with the opening of 5.9 GHz for unlicensed use, WISPA said: “We noted the benefits that consumers are receiving from more than 100 Special Temporary Authority grants to deploy” there. WISPA members are “very interested” in the 4.9 GHz band, said a filing posted Monday in 19-348 and other dockets.
Adopting final service rules for the 12 GHz band will probably take the FCC at least 18 months, with more engineering and other study needed, experts said Monday during an Incompas webinar. Commissioners approved an NPRM 5-0 in January (see 2101130067) at the last meeting under then-Chairman Ajit Pai. Experts said comments will help the FCC decide what action to take.
Comcast likely wasn't a big participant in the C-band auction, judging by the money it plans to plow into stock repurchases, analysts said. In a Q4 call Thursday, CEO Brian Roberts didn't directly address the FCC C-band or citizens broadband radio service. He said the company's "capital-light" mobile model, led by mobile virtual network operators, "is the right one for us." The stock closed up 6.6% at $51.60.
The assignment phase of the C-band auction starts Feb. 8, the FCC said Tuesday. Bidders that won at least one generic block of spectrum in a single partial economic area in the clock phase are eligible, not required, to bid in the assignment phase for frequency-specific licensing blocks. Rules prohibiting communications by each party that filed a short-form application apply until the end of the auction, said the Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics. A mock auction is Feb. 4.