Representatives of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) met with various FCC offices on the group’s push to use the 6 GHz band (see 2305260032). Members “discussed the progress the Bluetooth industry is making towards developing methods for Bluetooth sharing with other unlicensed devices in the lower 6 GHz band,” the SIG said in a Monday filing in docket 18-295. They discussed standards development work with the IEEE, European Telecommunications Standards Institute and other standards groups. The group is considering filing a petition for rulemaking, the filing said. The group met with Chief Ron Repasi and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology and aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez.
NextNav proposed that the FCC reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band “to enable a high-quality, terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing services. NextNav noted it’s the largest licensee in the band. The undocketed petition for rulemaking was filed and posted Tuesday. “Reconfiguring the band plan and adopting rules that enable flexible use will also provide 15 megahertz of low-band spectrum for use by mobile wireless networks, a significant addition to the low-band spectrum pipeline,” the company said. Without GPS, “essential economic and security functions would be significantly impaired or disabled entirely,” NextNav said: “Yet GPS does not work well indoors or in urban canyons, and GPS signals are subject to jamming, spoofing, and other targeting events.”
The Wireless ISP Association urged the FCC to seek comment before imposing net neutrality rules on broadband internet access service providers with fewer than 250,000 subscribers. “The draft item does not adequately consider the extent of the burdens being placed on small BIAS providers by these compliance obligations,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-320. “We noted that, in addition to the rules and restrictions the draft item proposes, BIAS providers are already spending time and resources to comply with a host of other regulatory obligations -- creating broadband labels, submitting Broadband Data Collections and responding to challenges complying with digital discrimination rules, and responding to State [broadband equity, access and deployment program] challenges -- all in the same calendar year.” The group met with aides to FCC Commissioners Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez.
Ookla raised concerns with FCC Broadband Data Task Force staff about problems entering data into the agency’s database. The company discussed concerns carriers and wireless industry groups have raised “about the rules and requirements that are currently preventing tests from third-party apps, including Speedtest by Ookla, from being utilized to capture data needed for challenging claimed coverage reported to the FCC and included on the mobile view of the National Broadband Map,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 20-32. Ookla noted the submission portal requires “fields that are not commonly in use by apps created by the private sector and may, in fact, be collected by only the FCC’s own speed test mobile application.” Ookla asked about “the need for these uncommon data fields in the collection process, the possibility that other applications, such as those from Ookla, may be able to capture the same information, as well as an interest to investigate whether these uncommon data points were necessary for the task force to fulfill its mission.”
The Open Technology Institute at New America urged the FCC to approve a rule change allowing fixed wireless use of the lower 12 GHz band, but with conditions. In a meeting with Wireless Bureau staff, OTI urged a tribal set aside. “The license rights to all or at least a substantial portion of the 500 megahertz on Tribal lands should be made freely available for broadband deployment at the request of Tribal authorities,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 20-443. The group also said unused spectrum in the band “should be authorized for opportunistic access on a non-interfering basis for fixed wireless services.”
Viya updated the FCC on its work to harden its network in the U.S. Virgin Islands using federal funding (see 2306300024). Work on general hardening is ongoing, though parts were completed last year, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-143. Some of the data was redacted. “Some of the anticipated work for 2023 was pushed to 2024 so the total spending is less than funds received from July through December 2023,” Viya said: “Spending in 2024 will reflect both the remaining 2023 funds as well as the 2024 funding.”
The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition urged the FCC to take a cautious approach in making any changes to power spectral density rules for automated frequency coordination systems in the 6 GHz band, as sought by Broadcom and others. “To ensure transparency in future changes to AFC systems” the group asked the commission to “require operators making changes to their AFC to rerun the test vectors required by the Office of Engineering and Technology’s testing plan public notice and file a copy of the resulting report in the docket for public comment,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-352. The Broadcom letter “raises a crucial question about how changes to AFC systems will be made going forward,” the FWCC said: The OET public notice “did not specify what information would be necessary in future public notices regarding changes to an AFC” and the Broadcom letter “gives the Commission the opportunity to provide clarification on that question now.”
North American Subaru sought a waiver allowing it to make early deployments using cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology in the 5.9 GHz band. The automaker said it was willing to abide by rules approved last year as part of a joint waiver to use the band for C-V2X, as modified in July (see 2307050048). “Safety is our top priority and we have been pursuing Subaru’s overarching corporate goal of zero fatal traffic accidents in 2030,” said a Friday filing in docket 19-138. “Safety applications based on C-V2X will play a critical role in achieving this goal and will contribute to improving public safety.”
T-Mobile told customers they have options if, as expected, the affordable connectivity program ends (see 2404020075). “Existing customers using their ACP benefit with Assurance Wireless will keep their service through August 2024 without any changes to their price or plan,” T-Mobile said Monday: After, “they’ll need to qualify for Lifeline, a free federal assistance program -- if they don’t already have it -- or move to another low-cost T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile plan.” T-Mobile discussed its other low-cost services, including Metro by T-Mobile, Connect by T-Mobile and prepaid 5G data plans.
Reasonable permitting policies are key for a successful broadband equity, access and deployment program, Wireless Infrastructure Association President Patrick Halley said in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The letter outlines WIA’s basic positions as the administration starts evaluating and funding BEAD projects. “A constant refrain from our members is that the unpredictability, costs, and delays associated with obtaining permits and approvals to build -- or even upgrade -- infrastructure create real barriers to deployment,” Halley said: “Ensuring predictable, proportionate, and transparent permitting processes balances the needs of government to meaningfully review applications with the needs of communities to get broadband access quickly.” Halley praised NTIA’s work on streamlining reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, saying it will “have an outsized effect in promoting deployment to the hardest to reach areas.” Halley also called on the department to continue to recognize the importance of work force development, the need for prioritizing spectrum for commercial use and to recognize the importance of fixed wireless access.