The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a fine of $24,000 against Philip Beaudet, an amateur operator in Burney, California, for allegedly intentionally interfering with the radio communications of the Western Amateur Radio Friendship Association (WARFA). “The Commission has received numerous complaints alleging that Beaudet caused intentional interference to other amateur radio operators using frequency 3.908 MHz and failed to transmit his assigned call sign,” the bureau said Tuesday: Last year, a bureau investigator monitored Beaudet’s station "for approximately one hour … and heard Beaudet playing recordings on 3.908 MHz causing interference to the ongoing WARFA net without providing his assigned call sign.” Based on “the nature of Beaudet’s transmissions and the playing of a recording, we find that Beaudet’s transmissions appear to have been made deliberately to prevent other amateur radio operators from conducting legitimate communications,” the bureau said. Beaudet couldn’t be reached for comment.

Rural Wireless Association representatives raised concerns about a proposed 5G Fund in a meeting with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-32. “We discussed concerns with the framework adopted by the prior administration, and how it could undermine the vital role played by RWA members in delivering mobile service to rural customers that are not served by the nationwide providers,” RWA said. Competitive eligible telecommunications carriers getting legacy high-cost support for mobile wireless, “whose support will be disaggregated by the 5G Fund, are required to use all of their legacy high-cost support received this year, and in subsequent years, toward the deployment, maintenance, and operation of voice and broadband networks that support 5G,” the group said: “RWA members are concerned that their investments could be stranded in the face of the 5G Fund reverse auction as currently structured. … RWA members need certainty from the Commission on how and when this 5G Fund will be implemented, if at all.”

Sennheiser representatives met with aides to all four FCC commissioners seeking FCC action on wireless multichannel audio system (WMAS) rules, which the agency took comment on more than two years ago (see 2104220056). “Sennheiser urged the Commission to adopt final rules in the WMAS proceeding in the near-term,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-115. Sennheiser discussed “that it filed its original Petition for Rulemaking … in 2018 solely to lift the wireless microphone bandwidth limit, and the Commission’s WMAS NPRM has been pending since April 2021.” WMAS has been authorized in other countries, Sennheiser noted: The U.S. “prides itself on being a global leader for spectrum innovation and development. Without the Commission finalizing rules in the WMAS proceeding, the United States will be unable to benefit from this revolutionary technology.”

CTIA weighed in at the FCC against an April filing by the North Dakota Public Service Commission requesting authority to implement a trial of individual telephone number (ITN) pooling in an attempt to avoid relief in the 701 area code. The PSC’s “comments disagree with the findings” and recommendations in a February North American Numbering Council report, which said the “significant technical and operational effort required” means an “ITN pooling trial is just not practical or fiscally responsible” and “there are alternative numbering conservation strategies,” CTIA said, posted Friday in docket 99-200. CTIA urged the FCC “to continue to pursue proven national policies for numbering resource optimization and reject ITN pooling.” The PSC “should begin implementing established conservation measures within its jurisdiction to further delay the need for area code relief planning in North Dakota,” CTIA said.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is looking at unlicensed spectrum within higher bands, including 6 GHz, the group told the FCC. “We have started this effort with the intention of utilizing a low-power, narrowband frequency hopper (with channel bandwidths [less than] 20 MHz) that can use these bands effectively as possible while coexisting with other technologies using this spectrum,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. The SIG raised concerns about the FCC’s longstanding NPRM on very-low power (VLP) operations in 6 GHz. “Wideband regulations, as proposed in the current NPRM aren’t appropriate for Bluetooth (and other narrowband/low-power wireless) operations,” the group said. The Bluetooth proponents urged the FCC to complete work on the current NPRM then issue a second NPRM on rules for narrowband/VLP operations in the band.

T-Mobile told the FCC it negotiated “in good faith” with Lockheed Martin over that company’s continued use of spectrum, under an experimental authorization, to support testing of DOD systems in the 3.45 GHz band, but it can’t find a solution. T-Mobile bid $2.9 billion in the 2021 3.45 GHz auction, and company executives warned about problems using the spectrum (see 2303220059). “The anticipated levels of interference would prevent any meaningful use of the 3.45 GHz band by T-Mobile within the affected partial economic area,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-348. “Some levels of interference would destroy our networking equipment. And T-Mobile’s usual network management techniques that involve, among other things, shifting traffic to one base station when others are unavailable, would not be available because the level of interference would be so high that no base stations could effectively use the 3.45 GHz band.” Lockheed Martin didn't comment. Lockheed said in a recent filing DOD contractors using the band “perform critical research, development, test, evaluation, and sustainment activities for federal systems that perform national security missions.” In a recent filing in the FCC’s universal licensing system, Lockheed offered its version of the discussions with T-Mobile. In an April meeting, “upon starting to address its list of proposed mitigations, Lockheed Martin was told by T-Mobile that none of the potential mitigations would require further modifications to Lockheed Martin’s operations,” said a May 15 filing. Lockheed “reiterated” that its high-power research, development, test and evaluation operations “would be permanently limited to overnight operation -- in the hours that T-Mobile identified as the forecasted least congested hours for its network -- but T-Mobile asserts that these are de minimis restrictions to Lockheed Martin’s operations.” The company “continues to try to understand T-Mobile’s approach for solutioning the situation, particularly when one of the ‘draconian’ mitigation testing techniques Lockheed Martin proposed progressing was previously identified by T-Mobile itself as a potential candidate for real-world mitigation testing,” the company said.

The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to “act expeditiously” to grant the remaining licenses from last year’s 2.5 GHz auction, said a Thursday letter to Wireless Bureau Chief Joel Taubenblatt, posted in docket 18-120. “Doing so would be consistent with significant legal analysis, facilitate deployment of needed services to consumers in rural and underserved areas, and help avoid a harmful precedent that may chill future participation in spectrum auctions,” CCA said: “Between the challenges deploying C-Band and now 2.5 GHz, wireless carriers are struggling to realize the full value of spectrum won at significant expense. The wireless industry must be able to rely on timely access to spectrum resources won at auction.” Acting now will “help restore wireless industry faith in FCC auctions and promote future participation,” the group said. T-Mobile, a CCA member, has been pressing the FCC for access to the licenses it won in the auction (see 2305180057).

Verizon told the FCC it “continued to take significant steps to enhance its compliance program and internal controls” in the 18 months since it finalized its buy of Tracfone (see 2111220069). Though “certain FCC Conditions have not yet become ripe, Verizon has continued to improve its preventative measures to proactively detect potential issues it might face,” said the required semi-annual report, parts of which were redacted. Verizon noted it created the Verizon Value organization in December 2022, bringing Tracfone, Visible and Verizon Prepaid together under the same business unit: “As of the date of this filing, the leadership team for the Verizon Value organization has been implemented, with a majority of senior leaders in the TracFone organization remaining with the Verizon Value organization in similar roles. These leaders are very familiar with the Merger Order Conditions, having held prior roles with Conditions responsibilities.” In compliance with the merger order, Tracfone offers Lifeline services in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, primarily through its SafeLink brand, the report said. The company “does not intend to withdraw from any jurisdictions in which it provides Lifeline service.” The report was posted Wednesday in docket 22-210.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved Schlage's waiver request for an ultra-wideband locking device that it plans to sell for security use to be mounted on building entryways (see 2207050065). “Schlage’s access control devices would be limited to deployment in residential units,” said a Wednesday order. “We also recognize that Schlage has taken further steps that provide us with added confidence that its system will not cause harmful interference in actual use,” OET said: “The reader uses directional type antennas with beam patterns primarily in the azimuthal plane, directed horizontally towards the ground, therefore reducing any potential interference to satellite receivers operating within the UWB frequency range under evaluation here. Schlage claims that because of the type of antenna being used and its positioning, there would be no ‘bleed over’ effects to signals outside of the area between the access credential and the device.”

5G has been “very hyped for a long time,” but the reality is less dramatic, former tower company executive James Eisenstein said Wednesday during a Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy webcast. Eisenstein is former CEO and chairman of Grupo TorreSur, a Latin America-focused tower company, and a founder of American Tower, the largest U.S. player. The U.S. tower market is “very mature” and “you’re not seeing significant growth,” he said. At this point 80% of growth is coming from existing carriers adding equipment to towers, he said. In each previous generation of wireless “the carriers had something new, conceptually, to sell” and “something that people really wanted,” Eisenstein said: “That doesn’t exist for 5G -- there is no silver bullet. We can talk about smart cities and things like that, and AI, but the reality is the carriers aren’t making any more money.” The carriers have also “painted themselves into a corner” by hyping 5G since 2019, he said. A lot of people still don’t have 5G phones and customers who do “really don’t notice a difference” over 4G, he said. Carriers in reality “are building out 5G more slowly than they hype, or than they talk about,” he said. That means the top-line growth for major tower companies also isn’t as high as expected, he said: “Then you’ve got Dish [Wireless] not building out as quickly as people had thought.” Eisenstein blames in part rising interest rates, which mean less capital available, and adjusted free cash flow and other indicators “have dropped significantly." Carriers worldwide are seeing the same issues and aren’t building out 5G as quickly as expected, he said. The only significant growth is coming in developing nations like India, Eisenstein said. “It all depends on where the tower industry has gotten off the ground,” he said. Despite industry complaints, U.S. carriers have all the spectrum they need for 5G, he said: “It’s not as if they can’t build out”; they’re just choosing not to deploy that quickly.