The FCC should ignore the “renewed push” for...
The FCC should ignore the “renewed push” for a “regulatory mandate” to solve interoperability problems in the lower 700 MHz band, said AT&T Vice President Joan Marsh in a Monday blog post. A mandate “would require carriers like AT&T that…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
own only B and C block licenses to support a band class that they don’t need and won’t use, a Dual Band mandate would fall far short of solving the interoperability challenge and raises a host of new problems,” Marsh wrote (http://bit.ly/12EPQIH). “At the outset, such a requirement would needlessly add material extra cost and complexity to devices. A Dual Band mandate would require AT&T to equip every device we offer with both Band 12 and Band 17 components. The result: inferior performance, form factor limitations and more cost -- which would adversely affect competitiveness and user experience -- all to enable operations on a block of spectrum that we don’t own.” Marsh said handsets are already complex. “AT&T is already pushing the envelope on how many bands we can accommodate in our devices,” she said. “Devices today are tightly engineered to achieve the small form factor that consumers desire, and even the smallest change in components can have substantial impacts on form factor and performance.” Steve Berry, president of the Competitive Carriers Association, fired back. “Instead of addressing the feasibility, pricing and consumer benefits of interoperability, AT&T again revisits false and long-settled allegations of harmful interference in the Lower 700 MHz band and ignores the economic, technical and practical evidence in the record in this proceeding,” Berry said. “In addition, AT&T has misconstrued Lower A Block licensees’ ask. The ask is simple. Restore interoperability to Band Class 12. As its first action towards restoring interoperability, the Commission could require a dual band solution as a transitional step. During the transition, as CCA and its members have long-stated, the costs of incorporating Band Class 12 into a Band Class 17 device are minimal. If AT&T does not think there is a need for a transition period -- they should let everyone know. It is in the interest of all stakeholders to work quickly towards a unified band class for the Lower 700 MHz band. This will finally eliminate an unnecessary additional band class among a growing number of LTE bands and simplify device production while increasing support for roaming for years to come."