Almost two years after FCC commissioners approved a Further NPRM allowing more widespread use of the 6 GHz band, the agency hasn’t finalized the rules. To some industry experts, the delay has been a surprise. The agency appeared close to acting at the end of the Trump administration (see 2012180057). Later speculation was that an order would have to wait for a ruling on a challenge to the broader order before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2104160053).
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
The move toward open radio access networks for 5G is accelerating, though questions remain about buy-in from major operators, speakers said at a two-day virtual forum by LightReading, which ended Thursday. Industry officials said making ORAN fit with legacy networks remains a challenge. Strand Consult's John Strand said in a Thursday report ORAN continues to underperform and reality doesn’t match the hype.
Network testing and measurement are becoming more complex in a 5G world, speakers said during an RCR Wireless forum Tuesday. The size and speed of the 5G build worldwide makes keeping up technologically more complicated, speakers said.
AT&T and T-Mobile executives defended their work on policing 10-digit long codes (10DLC), during an FCBA webinar Tuesday. The codes allow businesses, charities and public interest groups to text customers or members using regular 10-digit phone numbers. Proposed carrier rules requiring high-volume text senders to register with a campaign registry, and to impose higher messaging fees on all that don’t file, or potentially block them, have been controversial (see 2109230068).
The FCC could face a tough challenge in looking at possible standards for receivers, as part of a notice inquiry teed up for a commissioner vote April 21 (see 2203310065). Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, working with Commissioner Nathan Simington, circulated a draft NOI last week. Receiver problems figured prominently in recent spectrum fights, most notably the C band, but industry officials said there’s no easy approach for the FCC. In the C band, the FAA and airline industry fought to protect altimeters operating in spectrum more than 200 MHz away.
Carriers have advantages against a growing list of other providers as the edge becomes more important in a 5G world, speakers said at the Telecom TV Edgenomics Summit Friday. Speakers said the reality of what 5G will offer is only coming into view.
Industry experts expect the FCC to act, probably this summer, on an enhanced competition incentive program (ECIP) now that reply comments are in docket 19-38. Several predicted the agency may wait for a third Democrat to be confirmed to the commission. Commissioners approved a Further NPRM 4-0 in November (see 2111180071) following up on a provision in the Mobile Now Act, which became law in 2018.
A draft notice of inquiry on receiver performance notes that looking at receivers now is important, as spectrum becomes increasingly congested. A draft Further NPRM on wireless emergency alerts proposes a mechanism for providers to file reports on the effectiveness of the alerts. The FCC released both Thursday, three weeks before the commission’s April 21 meeting (see 2203300072).
The FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council working groups reported on their progress during a virtual meeting Wednesday, CSRIC’s first since December. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel reshaped the council last year (see 2104150056), with more emphasis on 5G security and open radio access networks.
FCC commissioners will tackle a notice of inquiry on receiver standards at their April 21 meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday. The only other item she discussed is a Further NPRM on wireless emergency alerts. The NOI wasn’t a surprise -- Rosenworcel told the Mobile World Congress in a recent speech it was on the way (see 2203010070).