The Phoenix Center supported Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless in their appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit of the FCC’s denial of AWS-3 auction bidding credits to the designated entities. “That the FCC refused to negotiate with Petitioners in accordance with this Court’s express directions is particularly troubling given that negotiations between regulators and the firms they regulate is a long-standing standard practice at many administrative agencies, and the FCC is no exception,” the center said (in Pacer, docket 18-1209) in a filing posted Monday. The FCC’s conduct in the case “raises significant due process concerns,” it said.

Nokia supports open radio access networks for 5G, President Pekka Lundmark told FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Nokia also backs “a broader U.S. strategy that extends support to 5G use case and app development acceleration and foundational 6G R&D in addition to Open RAN,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-63. Nokia also updated Rosenworcel on the global semiconductor shortage, saying “prioritization for the automotive sector has created additional scarcity for fabrication runs, thereby raising longer term risks for disruption to U.S. 5G plans.”

The FCC posted a letter from the National Science Foundation’s Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program Monday, providing details on NSF's request to expand the number of wireless innovation zones, set for a commissioner vote Aug. 5 (see 2107150066). The FCC would expand the zone in New York and add zones in Raleigh and Boston. The Raleigh zone focuses on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and allowing operations beyond the visual line-of-sight (VLOS) between a pilot and the drone, PAWR said. “Cellular networks and advanced wireless technologies will enable beyond-VLOS and autonomous UAS operations, unleashing three-dimensional mobility for UAS,” said a posting in docket 19-257: In this project, researchers will create “a vital national testbed focused on this area.” The Boston zone focuses on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Colosseum wireless network emulator, the filing said: “For the first time, researchers will be able to experience in a single instrument the scale and abstractions of packet-level simulators, the flexibility of software radios, and the fidelity of professional channel emulation.”

U.S. fixed wireless access residential subscriptions are projected to rise at a 16.1% compound annual growth rate the next five years, reaching 5.31 million in 2026, reported GlobalData Friday. The expansion of 5G networks will combine with increasing demand for broadband in the post-COVID-19 era to drive most growth, it said. Fixed wireless access was “gaining traction” pre-pandemic, “thanks to demands for faster broadband with lower latency in unserved and underserved areas, the push for digital inclusion” and growing adoption of digital voice assistants and related smart home devices, said analyst Tammy Parker.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Friday on technical requirements for mobile challenge, verification and crowd source processes required under the Broadband Data Act. “These requirements include the metrics to be collected for on-the-ground test data and a methodology for determining the threshold for what constitutes a cognizable challenge requiring a provider response,” the notice said: The FCC “seeks comment on the technical requirements for these complex issues to assure that the broadband availability data collected in the challenge and other data verification and crowdsource processes serves the important broadband data verification purposes envisioned in the” act. Comment deadlines are to come in a Federal Register notice.

Verizon representatives told FCC Wireless Bureau staff that potential bidders need more information about the licenses that will be offered to have a successful 2.5 GHz band auction, said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-429. “Were the auction to occur under existing conditions, bidders would find it extraordinarily challenging to properly ascribe value to most of the over 8,300 products to be offered,” the carrier said: “Without the ability to correctly value” the band, “some companies may not be able to secure corporate approvals to bid in the auction.” Meanwhile, Competitive Carriers Association officials sought additional data on licenses in the 3.45 GHz auction in meetings with aides to the four commissioners.

U.S. wireless customers spent 110 minutes daily on average on their smartphones in June, five minutes more than the January average, reported J.D. Power Thursday. “Despite the increased usage on everything from streaming audio to browsing content to gaming,” consumers experienced fewer data and streaming problems, it said. There's "a combination of improvements from carriers and manufacturers and an increasing level of sophistication among consumers,” said Managing Director Ian Greenblatt. Findings were based on a January-June canvass of 32,400 U.S. wireless customers across six regions of the country.

T-Mobile representatives told FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington potential bidders need more data before the 3.45 GHz auction on DOD use of the band. DOD is starting to provide “additional information about its current and future use of the band [but] there is still more information that bidders need in order to most accurately assess the value of the available spectrum,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-348. “Not all of that information may be communicated” before July 21, the deadline for short-form applications, the company said. T-Mobile opposed higher power levels in the citizens broadband radio service band, in a letter to the FCC in docket 17-258.

OMB OK'd new information collection requirements for the 5G Fund order, effective Wednesday, said that day's Federal Register. The order was OK’d in October over partial dissents by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel (now acting chairwoman) and Geoffrey Starks (see 2010270034).

The final version FCC NPRM proposing revised rules for short-range radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2107130066) had few changes from the draft, based on our side-by-side comparison. The NPRM Wednesday noted it's based in part on the current European Telecommunications Standards Institute standards, which are under review. The final version noted differences from ETSI in how power levels are measured. “The ETSI standard specifies the conducted output power as a mean (average) limit, rather than a peak limit as our rules do,” the FNPRM said: “We seek input on whether the Commission should consider average transmitter conducted output power limit and what impact this would have on the different types of … devices.” The order was also updated to reflect recent waivers for the band granted last week (see 2107090047). Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publication, replies 60 days after publication.