Burns & McDonnell, an engineering and consulting firm, received permission to participate in the federal court proceeding in which Dish Network is asking for more time to buy T-Mobile’s 800 MHz licenses. “As a potential alternative purchaser of the spectrum that DISH is apparently unable to purchase by the already-extended deadline, Burns & McDonnell has a critical interest in both the underlying controversy and the outcome of DISH’s motion, and no other party adequately represents that interest,” the company said in a pleading last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. “Burns & McDonnell’s brief will thus meaningfully assist this Court in understanding the full context of DISH’s request -- including the significant interests of parties not currently before the court -- in adjudicating the pending motion,” Burns & McDonnell said. Judge Timothy Kelly granted permission to the company to file a brief opposing Dish’s motion for relief from judgment. The spectrum was part of a complicated set of arrangements allowing T-Mobile to complete its buy of Sprint. Dish was required to pay $3.6 billion to buy the licenses, with a $72 million fee for walking away from the deal (see 1907260071).
NTIA raised concerns on an April petition by the Shortwave Modernization Coalition (SMC) urging the FCC to launch a rulemaking to amend its eligibility and technical rules for industrial/business pool licensees to authorize licensed use of frequencies above 2 MHz and below 25 MHz for fixed, long-distance, non-voice communications (see 2305010053). “Numerous federal entities” including the Commerce, Transportation and Homeland Security departments, the Air Force, the Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, the FAA and the National Science Foundation “are greatly concerned by the regulatory changes contemplated in the Petition,” NTIA said, in a Thursday filing in RM-11953. “To the extent the Commission considers initiating a responsive rulemaking, NTIA respectfully requests that the Commission recognize that much more information would be needed to ensure protection of the significant number of incumbent federal operations in the 2-25 MHz band,” NTIA said. The FCC could also consider excluding bands “where federal incumbents and safety missions are operating,” the agency said. NTIA warned that “some 28 Federal agencies hold over 120,000 frequency assignments in the 2-25 MHz frequency band, including safety-of-life operations such as the aeronautical mobile service where no interference can be tolerated.” NTIA attached comments by the Coast Guard laying out specific concerns. ARRL, NCTA and others oppose a rulemaking, which the SMC defended, in recent comments (see 2308180033).
Rural Wireless Association officials urged the FCC to accelerate reimbursements for removing unsecure equipment from carrier networks, in a meeting with Wireline Bureau staff. “RWA encouraged the FCC to find ways to expedite the reimbursement process” and “reported that at the rate invoices are being processed, it will take approximately 17 years to finish the Reimbursement Program,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-89. RWA detailed what it claims are problems with the rip-and-replace program. “When a modification request is submitted, the entire application is locked, even when the modification is unrelated to certain aspects of the application,” the group said. “There have been significant delays in reviewing submitted invoices, with instances of over 30 days before an invoice even gets picked up for an initial review” and carriers are having difficulty getting questions answered, RWA said: “It appears to RWA’s members participating in the Reimbursement Program, that the Fund Administrator is severely understaffed and needs more help to administer this complex program in a timely fashion.”
Aura Network Systems CEO Bill Tolpegin and others from the company met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on the company’s request for a rulemaking to expand use of air-ground radiotelephone service channels between 454.675-454.975 MHz and 459.675-459.975 MHz for voice and data communications, including by drones (see 2109230049), said a filing posted Friday in RM-11912. Aura executives have been making the rounds at the FCC (see 2308210044).
The Utilities Technology Council asked the FCC to refrain from doing more to liberalize rules for the 6 GHz band, in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The FCC is reportedly moving closer to approving proposals in a 2020 Further NPRM (see 2308070060). “Numerous real-world studies submitted on the record in the proceeding have concluded that commercially available low power indoor devices authorized by the Commission and operating in accordance with the rules will cause harmful interference to licensed microwave systems that utilities, as well as public safety and other critical infrastructure entities use for mission critical communications,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295: “Given the imminent threat of interference posed by these unlicensed operations, UTC and other incumbent stakeholder organizations have formally requested that the Commission develop new rules and issue a temporary stay.”
Representatives from the ATIS Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force met with FCC staff urging action on an agency waiver sought by the group (see 2304060053), following up on a July meeting (see 2307260036). “All recommendations of the HAC Task Force -- including the pending Waiver Request to authorize an interim approach to testing volume control while the current testing standard is revised -- have been achieved via a consensus process that included consumer and advocacy groups,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-285. They spoke with staff from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs and Wireless bureaus and the Office of Engineering and Technology.
CTIA officials urged a cautious approach on robotext rules (see 2305090047) in meetings with FCC staff for all commissioners, except Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Wireless providers and their messaging ecosystem partners continue to build on years of front line efforts to protect consumers from spam text messages,” said a filing Wednesday in docket 21-402. “Solutions that work in the robocall context are unlikely to be effective for text messages” and “current efforts to identify and block spam texts are better equipped to address bad actors’ ever-changing and increasingly complex tactics than the ‘block upon notice’ or caller ID authentication proposals” in the Further NPRM, CTIA said.
T-Mobile is cutting its workforce by nearly 7%, as it plows more money back into attracting new customers, CEO Mike Sievert said in an email to staff Thursday. “Starting this week, and over the next five weeks, we will be making changes to our organization that will result in the reduction of some positions at the company,” Sievert said: “These shifts will impact close to 5,000 positions, a little under 7% of our total employees in locations across the country, primarily in corporate and back-office, and some technology roles. The retail and consumer care experts who take care of our customers will not be impacted. After this process is complete, I do not envision any additional widespread company reductions again in the foreseeable future.” The CEO said most of the positions cut are duplicative “or may be aligned to systems or processes that are changing, or may not fit with our current company priorities.” Sievert said attracting and retaining customers has become “materially more expensive than it was just a few quarters ago.” T-Mobile has outrun that trend by “accelerating merger synergies, and building our high-speed Internet business faster than expected, and out-performing in a few other areas.” But it’s clear more needs to be done, he said. T-Mobile said in its latest earnings report the Sprint integration of is now “substantially complete” ahead of schedule (see 2307270064). The email was filed with the SEC.
Representatives of the Rural Wireless Association asked aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel about the status of a “5G Fund for Rural America” and raised questions about the broadband data collection’s broadband maps and challenge process, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-32. “RWA is concerned that the 5G Fund, as currently constructed, will undermine efforts of RWA members to deliver mobile service to rural customers that are not served by the nationwide providers,” the group said: “While RWA understands that the FCC is waiting for the BDC maps to be further revised, RWA members need certainty from the Commission on how and when this 5G Fund will be implemented, if at all.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment due Sept. 6, replies Sept. 13, on Jotron's request for a waiver to permit the authorization and use of a personal locator beacon not in compliance with FCC rules. Jotron said the device is in compliance with a recently published Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services standard for PLBs, the bureau said. Jotron claims the Tron SA 20 “complies with this new standard but does not comply with the PLB standard currently incorporated by reference in part 95 because the latter makes no provision for Return Link Service functionality,” the bureau said in a posting Wednesday in docket 23-292. The device operates at 406.0-406.1 MHz.