The FCC will provide the opportunity for a single practice auction and hold one mock auction before the forward part of the TV incentive auction, the Incentive Auction Task Force and Wireless Bureau said in a public notice in docket 12-268 Tuesday. More information will be released in a notice after the July 1 deadline for receipt of upfront payments, the PN said. “The practice and mock auctions will allow qualified bidders to become familiar with the Auction System and to ask Commission auction and technical support staff questions about the system and auction conduct,” it said. “The Task Force and Bureau strongly recommend that all qualified bidders participate in the practice and mock auctions for the forward auction.” The practice sessions will start no earlier than 15 business days after release of the qualified bidders PN, the FCC said. “To allow qualified bidders to experience the transition to the spectrum reserve split … we will set a hypothetical benchmark price and hypothetical clearing costs at a relatively low amount, which will ensure satisfaction of a hypothetical final stage rule within a few rounds of bidding,” the FCC said. “After the split has occurred, bidding will continue for at least one round to allow bidders to familiarize themselves with bidding after the split.”

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and staff met with Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and others at the company’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, last week to discuss high-frequency spectrum, said a filing posted Saturday in docket 14-177. “Intel representatives restated many of the positions set out in Intel’s comment and reply comment filed in the above referenced proceeding. In particular, they voiced strong support for expeditious action on the FCC’s proposed 5G mmWave allocations, emphasizing that granting 5G full access to the 28, 37-40 and 64-71 GHz bands would spur development in the U.S and other countries.”

CTIA and some members took their opposition to too much experimentation in high-frequency spectrum to the FCC (see 1606170050). The association reported on a meeting with staff from the Wireless and International bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology. “Given the importance of these bands to support next-generation wireless products and services, as well as the nascence of the technologies at issue, the Commission should not undermine innovation by adopting unproven sharing frameworks for these bands,” CTIA said in a Monday filing in docket 14-177. “Such regulatory experiments have the potential to introduce uncertainty and prevent licensees from using their spectrum when and where they need it.” AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Sprint were represented at the meeting.

The FCC should “provide flexibility for wireless providers and equipment manufacturers to develop and implement the necessary network and handset standards and capabilities to support" the transition from the text telephone (TTY) technology to real-time text (RTT), CTIA said during a panel at the M-Enabling Summit in Arlington, Virginia, recounted a filing posted Friday in docket 16-145. As deaf, hard of hearing, and speech-impaired consumers “increasingly adopt innovative wireless services, including Text-To-911, CTIA said it supports the Commission affirming the wireless industry’s ability to transition toward solutions like real-time, which may better meet the needs of today’s consumers." The FCC approved an NPRM on the transition at its April 28 meeting (see 1604280055).

The Obama administration is about halfway to meeting its target of providing 500 megahertz of additional spectrum for broadband in 10 years, said an interim progress report released by NTIA Friday. It covers FY 2015, which ended Sept. 30. The 245 MHz of spectrum repositioned for wireless broadband is exactly the same figure offered by NTIA a year ago in a blog post by Associate Administrator Paige Atkins (see 1507080035). Activities since the last progress report in July 2015 “have focused on making spectrum already studied available for commercial wireless services, and on continuing studies of additional spectrum toward meeting our 500 megahertz goal,” the report said. NTIA lists 140 megahertz of spectrum from federal or shared bands and 105 megahertz from non-federal bands. The administration set the 10-year target in 2010.

The FCC should impose simple licensing rules for high-frequency bands targeted for 5G, said CTIA President Meredith Baker and executives from Verizon and T-Mobile on a CTIA video released Friday. “For us to succeed, we’re going to need simple rules,” Baker says on the video. “It’s not time to experiment with new spectrum sharing.” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler promised in May the FCC will vote on final rules opening some high-frequency bands for 5G at its July meeting (see 1605030056). New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge, in particular, argued the agency should extend sharing rules developed for the 3.5 GHz band to some of the spectrum the agency is examining for 5G (see 1603010017). The 44-second video was posted on YouTube.

The FCC should ignore arguments by NAB that the agency must impose a 20-minute recheck rule for white spaces devices, as part of TV white spaces (TVWS) rules, Google said in a letter to the FCC. The letter tracks arguments Google made to the agency in March (see 1603140047). NAB clarified that under its proposed implementation of the 20-minute rule, a device that’s in power-saving mode and not transmitting wouldn't need to contact a TVWS database, Google said. “This is a sensible and important clarification that the Commission should adopt,” Google added. “This point does not, however, materially advance NAB’s argument for subjecting all unlicensed channels to a 20-minute requirement. Google has shown that such a rule would be unreasonably burdensome and not justified by broadcasting requirements.” If NAB’s proposal is adopted, it would be impossible “to use TVWS devices that may have only intermittent Internet access when operating, such as remote controls or devices used on agricultural equipment or watercraft that routinely travel within a defined area such as farm or lake,” Google said. The letter was posted Friday in docket 14-165. “It is ironic that Google’s letter discusses the need for compromise and a balancing of interests," a NAB sokesman said in response. "The commission has taken significant steps to relax the rules for white spaces operations while providing, for the first time, white spaces in the most congested markets in the country. All NAB asks is that the FCC take steps that will actually work to protect licensed users. Google’s proposal does not meet that standard.”

Last week’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research meeting (see 1606070037) helped move FirstNet closer to launch, said Jeff Bratcher, FirstNet chief technology officer, in a Thursday blog post. “One take away from the conference was the important work PSCR is now transitioning into,” Bratcher wrote. “As part of the same legislation that created FirstNet, NIST was allocated specific funding in the amount of $300 million to further and accelerate research and development for public safety broadband technologies. There was much discussion last week on how industry, public safety, and academia will be able to participate in the upcoming prize and challenge competitions.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau extended the deadline for comments on a proposed Amended Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (NPA) for the Collocation of Wireless Antennas until June 27, said a notice to be published in Friday's Federal Register. The bureau proposed the amendments last month and the original due date was June 13 (see 1605120046). The notice proposes an exclusion for small wireless antennas and associated equipment mounted on buildings or non-tower structures or in the interior of buildings that are more than 45 years old if they aren't historic properties and are outside of historic districts and not subject to concerns the collocation would otherwise affect a historic structure. The current exclusion requires reviews for all facilities on buildings more than 45 years old. The FCC released the initial collocation NPA 15 years ago.

High-band spectrum, available in spectrum blocks that are 200 MHz or larger, will be critical to successful 5G deployment, CTIA said in a paper released Thursday. “These larger blocks will enable operators to carry significantly more traffic in a single channel, at higher speeds, and in support of many more wireless devices.” The wireless association said these high-frequency channels extend only 200 meters or so, equivalent to city blocks. “Carriers will need to deploy thousands of small cells and other infrastructure to take advantage of the new spectrum and provide users with service,” CTIA said. The group urged the FCC to approve rules for high-band spectrum this summer. “By moving swiftly to make high-band spectrum available for 5G, and adopting a regulatory framework for these bands as close as possible to the rules used for the record-setting AWS-3 auction, the FCC can establish a spectrum environment conducive to 5G investment,” the paper said. “Wireless operators are ready to invest in new infrastructure to introduce 5G in high-band spectrum under rules that are proven to support mobile broadband services.” Timing is critical, CTIA said: “Acting this summer can ensure the U.S. remains the global mobile leader.”