The FCC’s notice of inquiry on offshore spectrum issues is expected to be approved 4-0 at the commissioners' meeting Wednesday with few changes to the draft circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2205180065), industry and FCC officials said. Industry experts said it makes sense for the FCC to ask questions, but market interest in licenses for offshore areas is likely to be low.
Howard Buskirk
Howard Buskirk, Executive Senior Editor, joined Warren Communications News in 2004, after covering Capitol Hill for Telecommunications Reports. He has covered Washington since 1993 and was formerly executive editor at Energy Business Watch, editor at Gas Daily and managing editor at Natural Gas Week. Previous to that, he was a staff reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Greenville News. Follow Buskirk on Twitter: @hbuskirk
IEEE is taking a broad view of how 5G and the path to 6G are affected by broader trends in its International Network Generations Roadmap (INGR), speakers said during an IEEE webinar Wednesday. The program featured leaders of several of the working groups developing the road map. Experts agreed there are no easy answers and the challenges will require years of work to resolve.
Canada’s government prohibited the use of equipment from Huawei and ZTE, calling it a security threat and requiring removal from networks over a phased-in period. “The Government of Canada is ensuring the long term safety of our telecommunications infrastructure,” said a statement Thursday by Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of Innovation, Science and Industry: “As part of that, the government intends to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE products and services in Canada’s telecommunications systems. This follows a thorough review by our independent security agencies and in consultation with our closest allies.” The statement directs companies to end the procurement of 4G and 5G gear and associated services by Sept. 1. Existing 5G equipment and managed services must “be removed or terminated by June 28, 2024,” the statement said. Existing 4G equipment and managed services must be removed or terminated by Dec. 31, 2027. The government also plans “to impose restrictions on Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) equipment used in fibre-optic networks.” This is "an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cybersecurity or any of the technologies in question,” a Huawei Canada spokesperson emailed Friday. “Huawei equipment, including both hardware and software, has been routinely and closely scrutinized by the government and its security agencies according to stringent quality standards. There have been zero security incidents caused by Huawei equipment throughout this entire period. We are proud of our security record in Canada.” Huawei said the ban “will lead to significant economic loss in Canada and drive up the cost of communications for Canadian consumers” but is “beyond our control as a business.” Huawei plans to do what it can “to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our customers, partners, and ourselves,” the spokesperson said. ZTE didn't comment.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appears likely to put less spectrum in play for 5G and unlicensed use during her tenure than did her predecessor Ajit Pai, but she seems determined to address the process for reallocating bands, industry officials said. Rosenworcel shifted much of her attention to changes to process, and that will likely be a theme for the next few years.
FCC Commissioners approved modernizing telecom service priority (TSP), wireless priority service (WPS) and government emergency telecommunications service (GETS) rules 4-0 Thursday, largely as circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, as expected (see 2205170068). The changes weren't controversial, with no ex parte filings when they were before commissioners. Public Safety Bureau Chief Debra Jordan confirmed on a call with reporters there were no substantial changes to the draft.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel isn’t proposing rules on improving how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders but instead is seeking a record refresh. A notice of inquiry casts a wide net on what the FCC should do to address offshore needs for spectrum. Also on tap is an NPRM on channel 6 TV stations, which primarily broadcast an audio signal receivable on FM radios. Drafts for all three were posted Wednesday, for votes at the June 8 commission meeting.
Two wireless items and a broadcast NPRM make up a short agenda for the June 8 commissioner meeting. A notice of inquiry looks at wireless needs of offshore operations, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Tuesday in a note from the chairwoman. “From the construction of new windfarms to generate renewable energy to the expanded use of wireless communications by cruise ships, there are many signs of growing demand for spectrum to support offshore operations,” she said: The NOI looks at “how best to meet our offshore spectrum needs. Smarter offshore spectrum policies could help make sure we are using our scarce spectrum resources efficiently, while facilitating new environmental, business, recreational, and scientific endeavors.” A second wireless item looks at improving mobile calls to 911. “In 2018, the Commission launched an inquiry to explore why some wireless 911 calls are misrouted to the wrong call center," Rosenworcel said. “Over the past four years, enhancements in location-based routing of 911 calls have mitigated the problem of misrouted calls, but they haven’t eliminated it,” she said: “The Commission will vote to update the record in this proceeding and seek comment on improvements that would help to reduce misrouting of 911 calls and improve emergency response times.” The FCC will also take up an NPRM on channel 6 TV stations, which primarily broadcast an audio signal receivable on FM radios and are sometimes called “Franken FMs.” Due to the digital TV transition, such stations had to cease broadcasting their analog signal in 2021. The agency “will consider a proposal to allow the broadcasters to continue their existing FM6 radio service, provided they meet certain conditions, including interference protection and the provision of a synchronous TV service to consumers,” Rosenworcel said. Channel 6 broadcasters had proposed a solution wherein they offer digital video and audio signal using 3.0 while continuing to transmit their analog audio as an ancillary service, and the Media Bureau granted a station special temporary authority to use that setup in June (see 2106100067). NPR has been a vocal opponent of channel 6 stations continuing to broadcast. Rosenworcel said Tuesday the proceeding is about “preserving established local programming for radio audiences.”
Supporters of a proposal to reallocate the 12 GHz band for 5G think the proposal will likely move forward in coming months, buoyed by responses by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr to members of Congress last week, as a follow-up to the recent House hearing. Meanwhile, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen offered a candid assessment of the future of DBS spectrum in a presentation to analysts.
A report and order updating telecom service priority (TSP), wireless priority service (WPS) and government emergency telecommunications service (GETS) rules is expected to be approved by FCC commissioners Thursday with minimal changes from the draft circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2204280059), FCC and industry officials said. No group or company reported meetings at the FCC to discuss the item since it was circulated. The order casts the changes as needed “to account for changes in technology.” It notes the current rules date to the establishment of the TSP system in 1988 and WPS in 2000. There are no current commission rules for GETS, which operates via contractual arrangements with the Department of Homeland Security. “These rules were originally developed when communications networks were primarily based on circuit-switched technologies,” the draft says: “As such, the rules do not address the advanced capabilities of next-generation communications technologies that support data and voice services, or the ability of users at different priority levels to share network capacity and resources.” The FCC sought comment in 2020 (see 2007160045) and, in response, Verizon and T-Mobile urged light-touch regulation (see 2011190036). The agency should “continue affording wireless providers sufficient flexibility to voluntarily offer WPS services that are negotiated with the government for public safety users through private contract,” CTIA said.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr proposed Monday that wireless carriers be required to participate in the wireless network resiliency cooperative framework rather than a voluntary program, and that roaming arrangements be required before disasters. Carr urged quick action, noting ongoing wildfires and the approach of the Atlantic hurricane season, on an APCO webinar and in a news release.