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.
Motorola Solutions “strongly supports” an FCC proposal to open the 3.45-3.55 GHz band for shared use. Base rules on those in the citizens broadband radio service band, the company urged in a filing posted Friday in docket 19-348: “Such opportunistic use would significantly increase overall spectrum utilization and ensure that this highly valuable spectrum resource is quickly put to use in more areas, while fully maintaining dynamic incumbent and licensee rights."
Dell’Oro Group sees a slightly less rosy outlook for the citizens broadband radio service band, forecasting $2 billion in investments between last year and 2025, said a Friday report. Fixed wireless and network capacity augmentation dominate investments, the report said. “We remain optimistic about the CBRS opportunity, but we have revised the outlook downward over the near-term to reflect the slower than expected CBRS uptake,” said Stefan Pongratz, vice president-analyst: “This downward adjustment does not change the long-term vision -- we continue to believe that there is an opportunity to improve spectrum utilization while at the same time stimulating innovation for both public and private networks across various industry segments.”
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.
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.
Adopt aspects of sharing rules in the citizens broadband radio service band in 3.45-3.55 GHz rules, cable interests asked an aide to acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Ensure the rules “provide adequate protection to adjacent CBRS operations,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-348.
Charter Communications ended 2020 with 19,000 more video customers than it had a year earlier, and it expects to do better in its video trends this year than the MVPD industry overall, CEO Tom Rutledge said during an analyst call Friday as the company announced Q4 results. Rutledge said the growth was driven in part by its broadband connectivity growth. He said industry growth will continue to decline "at a moderate pace," while Charter "won't have quite the internet growth … we had in 2020." Charter ended 2020 with 15.6 million residential video subscribers. It also ended the year with 27 million residential broadband subs, up 2.1 million year over year; 9.2 million residential voice subs, down 228,000; and 2.3 million residential mobile subscriptions, up 1.2 million. Rutledge said this year should have a return to pre-pandemic trends in internet subscriber additions, plus a full recovery of the advertising business as the economy also fully rebounds. He said that during Q4, Charter's minimum broadband speed offering of 200 Mbps went from being available in about 60% of its footprint to 75%. Rutledge said the 210 citizens broadband radio service priority access licenses that Charter bought for $465 million will be used on targeted 5G small cells. He said that over the next four to five years, up to a third of Charter's traffic might end up on the CBRS spectrum. The stock closed down 7.2% at $607.56.
NCTA urged aides to FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington to adopt parts of the citizens broadband radio service rules in the framework for the 3.45-3.55 GHz band. There's “concern expressed by many commenters in the record regarding the coexistence of deployments in the CBRS band with new adjacent 3.45 GHz operations,” said Tuesday's posting in docket 19-348.
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance warned the FCC that all states may not be ready to move forward with new rules for the 4.9 GHz band, approved 3-2 in September (see 2009300050), under which states will assign use of the spectrum. APCO raised concerns about the FCC’s order in general, in comments due Wednesday in docket 07-100. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks dissented to the order, and experts say its future is in question (see 2012300047). The proposal is “novel,” EWA said: “It will require states to take on spectrum management and leasing duties for which some have little or no experience, and perhaps limited interest. While there are parties with expertise available to help guide them, this is not an undertaking that will proceed smoothly and at the same pace in all states, whether or not a State Band Manager also is involved.” The FCC will need to stay involved and oversee the process, the alliance said. Reconsider the order, APCO said. “The new approach to expanding use of the 4.9 GHz band is unlikely to promote public safety or the Commission’s spectrum utilization goals,” APCO commented: “Continuing with this ill-conceived model for fragmented state-by-state spectrum leasing would be a mistake.” Lift the 4.9 GHz freeze, urged the California Department of Transportation. Freezing incumbents in place is “severely disruptive to state and local entities that have operational needs requiring continued access to the 4.9 GHz spectrum and prevents system expansions for months and possibly longer,” the department said. Protect 4.9 GHz incumbents “against interference and signal degradation as states enter into lease arrangements,” it said. Federated Wireless called for a spectrum management system comparable to what’s in place in the citizens broadband radio service band. Similar to CBRS, “the 4.9 GHz band currently supports operations by disparate users, including radio astronomy, naval training operations, public safety and critical infrastructure operations,” Federated said: “As the Commission expands access to the band to include non-public-safety, flexible-use lessees, the number of users and uses will continue to grow.” Make use of the sharing technologies used in other bands, said Nokia. “Encourage cross-jurisdictional cooperation, whether between states or on a regional basis,” it advised: “While we believe that the band could be useful for small-scale enterprise deployments, certain critical infrastructure providers (such as railroads and utilities) and carriers could span multiple states.” The Wireless ISP Association said its members are interested in the spectrum. More use of the band “will trigger investment and promote public safety use,” WISPA said: The band “has commercial value to WISPs even if it isn't 5G spectrum. For evidence, the Commission need look no further than the nearby 5 GHz U-NII bands, where commercial investment and deployment have flourished because the Commission’s rules do not dictate particular standards, uses or users.”
The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee unanimously approved, with no debate, a proposed memorandum of understanding Thursday between NTIA and the FCC (see 2101130054) on how they cooperate on spectrum. The current CSMAC is scheduled to meet one more time, during the new Joe Biden administration, to vote on a report on spectrum for drones.