The FCC approved a request by AT&T to use the Galileo satellite system to improve the reliability of its enhanded-911 location services. “We find that AT&T satisfies the conditions for Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers to integrate foreign satellite signals into E911 services,” the Public Safety Bureau said in a Wednesday order in docket 07-114: “Granting AT&T’s Request would serve the public interest by improving mobile device location determination, thus improving emergency response and saving lives, without increasing the exposure of AT&T devices to harmful interference.”

Though most of the media and entertainment industry is focused on using the 5G network for content distribution and delivery, the technology’s “superior capacity” makes it tailor-made for content production, reported ABI Research Wednesday. It’s forecasting 5G network coverage will support more than 35% of the global mobile user base in 2024, and video is “a key application that will drive mobile data consumption.” Video production trials over the 5G network have started in some markets in Asia, Europe and North America, said ABI. The 5G network can support the higher bandwidth and lower latency capability for video production, but network performance “can be challenging when it is shared by multiple users and applications,” it said. That’s why 5G networking slicing is expected to play a “critically important” role to deliver better bandwidth and latency performance, “which is required for high-value content production such as sports,” it said.

MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett said wireless industry trends all tie back to a charging T-Mobile. “Whether it is Verizon buying spectrum, or the Cable operators attempting to reduce costs in order to (eventually) lower price, everyone is chasing T-Mobile,” Moffett told investors Wednesday: “Only three months into the merger, it is already becoming clear that T-Mobile is poised to pull away from an otherwise uninspiring wireless sector.” Moffett said cable operators, eager to cut their costs, are likely among the biggest bidders in the citizens broadband radio service auction. Based on numbers from BitPath, prices are as high as 91 cents MHz/POP in Orange, California, and 68 cents in San Diego, he said. “Cable needs CBRS to bring their costs down, particularly if they are to eventually have the ability to price competitively versus T-Mobile,” he said: “Verizon wants CBRS to augment their LTE network.”

AT&T raised concerns similar to those raised by Verizon and T-Mobile (see 2008180021) on additional parameters for broadband maps beyond those adopted in last month’s order (see 2007160062). An accompanying Further NPRM asks about standardizing “additional propagation model parameters such as signal strength and fading statistics data,” AT&T said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-195: “Carriers set their propagation model inputs that are suitable for their unique network capabilities. It is not possible for all carriers to use the same parameters and produce maps that accurately predict their individual network performance.” Don’t ask for additional maps requiring “completely different parameters,” such as speed, cell edge probability or cell loading values, or a separate challenge evaluation map, AT&T said: “Producing such additional maps would be costly and administratively difficult.” AT&T representatives spoke with staff from the Wireless and Wireline bureaus and the Office of Economics and Analytics.

The FirstNet board approved a $213 million budget for FY 2021 Tuesday. They OK'd an $83.5 million operating budget, with the same amount held in reserve. The spending plan includes $46 million for “investments in support of FirstNet network enhancement.” It “provides steady funding for the FirstNet Authority and continues our momentum for investing back into the FirstNet network,” said Chairman Edward Horowitz.

Don’t adopt additional parameters for broadband maps, Verizon representatives told the FCC. The parameters adopted in last month’s order (see 2007160062) fully satisfy the requirements of the March broadband data law (see 2003240049), Verizon said. “Standardizing additional parameters such as [a reference signal received power] value or fade margin would make the maps less, not more, accurate,” the carrier said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195: “The Order’s link budget and propagation model reporting requirements, together with the audit, crowdsourcing, third-party data, and challenge process provisions, already satisfy the Broadband DATA Act’s requirement for a verification process. At most, speed test data and infrastructure data should be used for case-by-case verification in small areas, when other verification methods have identified a potential issue.” The Verizon officials spoke with staff from the Wireless and Wireline bureaus and Office of Economic and Analytics. T-Mobile also raised concerns about the July order in calls with FCC staff. The carrier cited “the lack of confidential treatment of link budget information for mobile wireless providers while presuming that link budgets should be confidential for fixed wireless providers” and the requirement of a second set of maps for in-vehicle mobile usage. “Link budgets are highly proprietary and commercially sensitive,” T-Mobile said: The order “lacks any justification for arbitrarily treating mobile link budgets differently than fixed wireless link budgets.”

DOJ, FAA, the Department of Homeland Security and the FCC issued an advisory Monday on federal laws and regulations “that may apply to the use of capabilities to detect and mitigate threats” posed by unmanned aircraft systems. “As the number of drones in our airspace continue to rise, it is unsurprising that the availability of counter-drone technologies has likewise increased,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen: “Because these technologies may be presented for sale without a full discussion of important legal requirements, this Advisory steps forward to provide an outline of the relevant legal landscape.”

Granting SpaceX use of the 12 GHz band for its non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) mega constellation would limit FCC options as it considers the best use of that band, multichannel video and data distribution service licensees Go Long Wireless, Cass Cable TV, Story Communications and Vision Broadband said in an RM-11768 posting Monday. They said the record makes clear the commission should grant the MVDDS 5G Coalition rulemaking petition and get comments from stakeholders for "a reasoned decision." SpaceX doesn't need the 12 GHz band, they said, noting approval of Amazon's NGSO constellation Kuiper not including 12 GHz spectrum. The satellite company didn't comment. SpaceX argued 5G in the band could jeopardize NGSO operations (see 2008070028).

The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on the future of the 4.9 GHz band. The new group was formed “to support public safety’s use of that spectrum,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 07-100. The alliance's goal “is to raise awareness in the FCC, Congress and the White House about what broadband public safety communications needs are, including use of 4.9 GHz and the continued enhancement of the FirstNet Authority,” the group said.

Public Service Towers agreed to pay $16,000 to resolve an FCC Enforcement Bureau investigation into claims the company “constructed a wireless facility without complying with the Commission’s environmental and historic preservation rules.” Those include the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act, the EB said Friday. PS Towers “admits that it violated the Commission’s environmental and historic preservation rules” and “will implement a robust compliance plan,” said the order.