Wi-Fi proponents have been unable to counter its arguments (see 2006100043) opposing Wi-Fi in the 5.9 GHz band, Continental Automotive Systems told an aide to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “It appears that they have not responded for the reason people often do not respond -- they have no good response,” the company said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138.

Responding to questions from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai (see 2009100010), the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions said it will soon release a paper on wireless emergency alert standards for geotargeting, consistent with revised commission rules. The white paper will outline “different methods to perform cell selection for WEA broadcast in support of WEA 3.0 geo-targeting,” the group said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-91. ATIS asked for clarity on one item: “There are no discretionary parameters associated with, or identified impacts to, the ability of mobile devices to present an alert concurrently with an active voice or data session, based on the addition of device-based geo-fencing.” Qualcomm also responded: “All Qualcomm-enabled 5G chipsets already sold, and those to be sold in the future, in the United States will support WEA enhanced geotargeting capabilities.”

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance said there's no evidence a successful T-band auction is possible, urging the FCC lift the T-band freeze, in replies in docket 13-42. “Bidding in spectrum auctions typically is driven by commercial wireless providers such as nationwide or regional carriers, by cable operators, and by” wireless ISPs, EWA said: “There is no indication that the latter two categories have any interest in this spectrum. Commercial carriers have described in detail why such an auction should not be expected to produce revenue anywhere near the amount needed to fund even [public safety] relocation costs.” Other replies, which were due Tuesday, agreed an auction won’t work, consistent with initial comments (see 2009010023). Los Angeles “continues to hope that Congress will enact legislation to repeal the T-Band Claw back” and would “welcome any relief that the Commission might offer to preserve the … ability to rely upon the T-Band for our public safety needs,” the city said. The band “supports emergency communications for frontline emergency responders in eleven major metropolitan areas,” said the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The FCC released a digest of comments supporting the NPRM and order on opening the 3.5 GHz band for 5G (see 2009210056), set for a vote Wednesday.

The FCC is in a bind and Congress needs to step in, Los Angeles County said in T-band replies in docket 13-42. In initial comments, T-band operators said an auction will fall short of the cost of moving them (see 2009010023). “This proceeding represents an extremely rare occurrence in the Commission’s history, a situation where the Commission and every commenting party agrees that what is proposed is not advisable, nor workable,” the county said: “Despite all of our efforts before the United States Congress, as of this date, the statutory mandate remains. Thus, a situation exists where, in the absence of Congressional action, the Commission is forced to design and conduct an auction for which no commenter has expressed interest.”

The U.S. Department of Labor gave the Wireless Infrastructure Association a contract to be the 5G industry intermediary to develop a wireless workforce, WIA said Monday. WIA is the national sponsor of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program, the group noted. “The contract will enable WIA to assist employers in developing over 600 apprentices in the next year, with multi-year options to renew thereafter,” and $400,000 annually “in incentive funds for employers that adopt registered apprenticeship and serve under-represented populations,” WIA said. Industry needs to invest in the workforce now to be ready for 5G, WIA President Jonathan Adelstein said in an interview. “There’s a real crunch ahead, with all the carriers investing, plus Dish” Network, he said, noting Congress could also authorize funding for infrastructure. “We’ve got to put this effort on steroids” since 5G takes more workers with specialized skills than any previous generation, he said. “There’s never a guarantee,” he said. “You’ll always get people to do these jobs; the question is are they really ready to do it.”

Reject complaints that Clark County, Nevada, is charging rates for access to public rights of way and attachments beyond what the FCC allows, the county said, countering Verizon and Crown Castle in a Thursday posting in docket 19-230. “Because the County took the Commission at its word and sought to reach ‘mutually agreed upon solutions’ not a single party is paying the rates outlined in Ordinance 4659,” the county said: “To advance this matter would be to send the very wrong signal to communities ... that cooperative efforts are not worth the paper on which they are written if the carrier wants to renegotiate" via an FCC petition.

The Competitive Carriers Association had a series of FCC calls to seek action on the proposed 5G Fund. “The record establishes near-universal support for conducting a mapping process to identify unserved areas before allocating funding,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-32. “Ensure that rural areas are on track for 5G deployment by allowing carriers to use 5G Fund resources either to build 5G networks immediately, or to invest in the building blocks towards 5G.” CCA spoke with staff from the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force, Office of Economics and Analytics and Wireline Bureau, and with aides to Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr. The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee was briefed on the fund Friday (see 2009250056).

Consider proposals to relocate cellular vehicle-to-everything signaling “from the unused 5.9 GHz band to the 4.9 GHz band,” New America's Open Technology Institute asked in a filing posted Friday in docket 07-100. The FCC votes Wednesday, but Chairman Ajit Pai may not have three votes (see 2009240039). OTI spoke with aides to Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel. The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance has “concerns about this plan as it relates to the current and future needs of public safety across the nation and their willingness to work with the FCC to determine an appropriate path forward,” representatives told an O’Rielly aide.

The consensus from the FCC’s recent open radio access network forum (see 2009140054) is that ORAN technologies are “showing great promise," and "the public and private sectors should continue to collaborate to help encourage their deployment,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the Prague 5G Security Conference Thursday. Last year, the conference released 5G network security proposals, emphasizing a cooperative approach that's often cited (see 1905030052). “Many carriers building out 5G networks are recognizing that you get what you pay for, and that the long-term costs of using insecure equipment are likely to outweigh any short-term savings,” Pai said now: “Making the right choices early on in the network planning and deployment process is much easier and ultimately cheaper than trying to correct mistakes once network construction and operation is well underway.”