Terrestrial wireless interests, think tanks and others formed the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition to push for opening the band to terrestrial mobile service, they said Wednesday. Members include Incompas, Public Knowledge, Dish Network, RS Access, New America's Open Technology Institute, Federated Wireless and the Rural Wireless Association. Incompas CEO Chip Pickering and Joe Lockhart, who was President Bill Clinton's press secretary, are co-chairmen.

FreedomFi and IoT network Helium announced an agreement Tuesday to use citizens broadband radio service spectrum. With Helium, users mount a radio device on their roof, connect it to the network using an app and help create a wireless network. Under the agreement, Helium will use FreedomFi gateways, which "augment the existing capacity of macro-cell tower operators,” said CEO Boris Renski: “We’re able to use CBRS small cells in urban areas to rapidly add density to the network at no expense to the operators.”

Smith Bagley Chairman Kevin Frawley defended the carrier’s December petition for reconsideration urging the FCC to rethink 5G Fund rules for tribal areas, in a call with an aide to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Not creating "an opt-in plan for remote Tribal lands in the Continental United States, similar to that afforded carriers serving Alaska, was in error,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-32. The proposed $680 million over 10 years won’t be enough, the company said: Smith Bagley “is often quoted a fiber installation price of over $120,000 per mile.”

The FCC will begin accepting 900 MHz broadband segment applications May 27, the Wireless Bureau said Tuesday. “This transition of this band will enable next generation, mission-critical applications not available via current narrowband systems and will help to meet the evolving technological needs of industries that provide crucial services." Commissioners approved an order 5-0 last May allowing broadband in 900 MHz (see 2005130057).

Zebra sought FCC action on its waiver request to operate its Dart positioning system in the 7.125-8.5 GHz band, in a call with an aide to FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The need is urgent due to the growing use of unlicensed devices in the 6 GHz band “requiring immediate alternate solutions,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 20-17. The request was filed in December 2019, the company said. The system is primarily used to track balls and players at NFL facilities.

The FCC sought comment on implementing decisions of the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference on the 24.25-27.5 GHz band. Comment dates will come in a Federal Register notice. “We seek comment on modifying the Commission’s rules in response to the unwanted emission limits and international allocation table footnotes adopted” by the WRC, said the Office of Engineering and Technology and Wireless Bureau in a Monday notice: “These rule changes could include, for example, adding footnotes to the United States Table of Frequency Allocations or aligning the Commission’s technical rules.”

Support is broad on a proposal for smaller, lighter antennas in the 70/80/90 GHz bands, said 5G Americas Monday in a filing in FCC docket 10-153. This “would facilitate deployment of 5G,” and similar antennas are widely used in Europe, the advocacy group said: “The public interest would be served by granting these proposed amendments immediately, independent of the Commission’s continued consideration of more complex proposals to add new services to the band.”

The FCC text-to-988 Further NPRM adopted unanimously Thursday (see 2104220036) cites somewhat different legal authority to justify the proposed rules, per our side-by-side comparison of the draft and the approved FNPRM released Friday. The draft cited the Communications Act Title III and Section 251(e). The adopted version cites Title III and the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.

The Government Wireless Technology & Communications Association urged the FCC to “restore its traditional role in spectrum management” and reconsider 2020's order reallocating the band to the states (see 2009300050), in a call with a Public Safety Bureau staffer. “Prioritization of commercial broadband technologies and companies ... has been detrimental to the public safety communications industry,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 07-100. If the FCC “elects to retain its decision to assign 4.9 GHz licenses to the various states, and provide the states with authority to lease this spectrum to any entity, it must do so only after implementing a series of rules and policies to protect public safety licensees.”

The FirstNet board and committees will meet virtually May 5 at 11 a.m. EDT, says Thursday's Federal Register.