The FCC won’t extend the June 29 deadline for initial comments on the Further NPRM on 6 GHz rules, as requested by the Ultra Wide Band Alliance (see 2006120019). “The window originally provided for comments and reply comments is adequate to develop complete, fully supported comments and reply comments,” the Office of Engineering and Technology said in Tuesday's order in docket 18-295. OET noted many areas are returning to normal, “which should provide the ability to conduct most, if not all, tests that parties plan.”

The FCC is investigating T-Mobile network outages that extended into Monday evening. T-Mobile had “a voice and text issue that has intermittently impacted customers in markets across the U.S.” through the afternoon and evening, CEO Mike Sievert said Monday. “This is an IP traffic related issue that has created significant capacity issues in the network core throughout the day,” he said: “Data services have been working throughout the day and customers have been using services like FaceTime, iMessage, Google Meet, Google Duo, Zoom, Skype and others to connect.” The outage is “unacceptable” and the FCC is investigating, Chairman Ajit Pai tweeted: “We're demanding answers -- and so are American consumers.” The agency didn't comment Tuesday on the nature of the investigation.

NTIA delayed the deadline for feedback on a national, secure 5G strategy from Thursday to June 25. Comments are due in docket 200521–0144, says Tuesday's Federal Register.

The FCC authorized funding for three wireless carriers in Puerto Rico under the Uniendo fund. AT&T is getting $97.8 million, Puerto Rico Telephone Co. $76.6 million and T-Mobile $59.6 million, over three years. AT&T also got $4 million for mobile support in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A Monday Wireline Bureau order noted the FCC made available $258.8 million in high-cost support over a three-year period “to mobile providers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to restore, harden, and expand 4G LTE and 5G” in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The Open Radio Access Policy Coalition said Friday it added 14 companies, bringing the total to 45. New members include Ciena, Cohere Technologies, Crown Castle, DeepSig, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, JMA Wireless, Marvell Technology Group, Nokia, Pivotal Commware, Quanta Cloud Technology, Radisys and U.S. Cellular.

The Ultra Wide Band Alliance asked for a 30-day extension of the June 29 deadline for initial comments on the FCC Further NPRM on 6 GHz rules approved by commissioners 5-0 in April (see 2004230059). Granting the request “will permit the development of a more complete record in this proceeding, which will allow the Commission to have a better basis on which to consider how to proceed with proposing rules that will make critical mid-band spectrum available for terrestrial wireless use,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295.

Grant SNR Wireless and Northstar Wireless the bidding credits they sought in the AWS-3 auction, said the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council in a Friday FCC filing. “It has been more than five years since the conclusion of Auction 97 and more than two years since the Applicants, two minority-controlled businesses, submitted revised applications, removing all concerns about their independence from their strategic investor” Dish Network, MMTC said.

The FCC won’t allow a wireless emergency alert test Sept. 3 as proposed for Sonoma County, California. Staff denied a waiver to permit commercial mobile service providers to participate because the county failed to explain why it didn’t plan to use the usual state/local WEA test category requiring public opt-in. “Sonoma has sufficient lead time to inform the public how to opt in,” said the Public Safety Bureau Thursday.

The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance asked the FCC to seek comment on possible new uses for the 4.9 GHz public safety band, including transferring intelligent transportation from 5.9 GHz. DSA also suggested tiered sharing, with first tier public safety incumbents, which would be protected from harmful interference. “Since allocating the 4.9 GHz band for public safety use in 2002, the Commission has tried a number of approaches to encourage greater use and investment in the band,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 07-100: “Despite these efforts, a dearth of equipment and lack of widespread use by public safety agencies continues to render the band largely underutilized.” Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and others say the FCC is poised to act (see 2005040061).

The citizens broadband radio service auction, scheduled to start July 23, will likely be active, with bids from some that don’t normally play in FCC auctions, Wells Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche told investors. “Cables' interest here will be significant,” she predicted Tuesday: “The more spectrum cable [companies] actually own, the more traffic they can shift AWAY from the MVNO [mobile virtual network operator] network partner they used to carry … non-Wi-Fi traffic.” She noted Comcast and Charter were among potential bidders on the list released by the FCC (see 2006080048).