CHARLOTTE -- Locked in a global race to 5G, the U.S. must be aggressive in lowering state and local barriers to wireless deployment, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told the Wireless Infrastructure Association Tuesday. The FCC should “exercise its authority” to stop “bad actors” in state and local government from slowing deployment of small cells, he said. O’Rielly said he wants to see a “solid mid-band play” for 5G wireless services available in the next two years. In an interview also Tuesday, O’Rielly also discussed net neutrality, 911 fee diversion and Sinclair.
Radio station owners are conflicted over how the FCC should proceed on AM/FM subcaps, and it’s not clear what position NAB will take or which way the agency will go, broadcasters, brokers and industry attorneys told us. “There’s a tremendous difference of opinion,” said outgoing NAB radio board member and Eagle Communications General Manager Gary Exline. “It is more nuanced than just large versus small,” said broker Bob Heymann from the Chicago office of Media Services Group.
Government reaction to AT&T buying Time Warner may provide some lessons on how it might treat T-Mobile/Sprint, analysts and former FCC officials said. More will be known on the companies’ arguments when they make their FCC public interest filing. Some said the deals are different, but parallels are possible. T-Mobile/Sprint even before inked was seen a key test of Trump administration deal policy (see 1804300055).
Wireless industry commenters urged the FCC to move cautiously as it expands rule changes for signal boosters. In March, commissioners approved an order 5-0 lifting the 2013 personal use restriction on consumer cell-signal boosters. They also approved a Further NPRM proposing to eliminate the personal use restriction on wideband boosters and to authorize nonsubscribers to operate boosters, plus other potential changes (see 1803220037). Comments were posted Monday in docket 10-4.
Establishing remote identification standards for unmanned aircraft is essential for addressing national security and privacy standards, lawmakers told us. A lobbyist said senior-level officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA haven't shown any urgency.
More parties asked the FCC to extend comment deadlines or dismiss a USTelecom petition seeking incumbent telco forbearance relief from wholesale network-sharing and related requirements (see 1805040016). State regulatory commissions in California and Ohio, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates and Northwest Telecommunications Association (NTA) sought or supported comment date extensions in recent days. The Wholesale Voice Line Coalition backed Incompas requests to dismiss the petition or at least extend deadlines (see 1805110059).
Preparing poles for broadband lines through the make-ready process can bottleneck state projects and requires great coordination, state broadband officials said. “Make-ready is the real uncertainty,” with the process delaying last-mile projects funded by Massachusetts state grants, said Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) Chair Peter Larkin in an interview. New York set up a formal process to streamline pole attachments for its New NY Broadband Program, while Minnesota avoided pole issues with mostly underground infrastructure, their officials said. FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee Vice Chair Kelleigh Cole said BDAC may help cure such problems in her state of Utah and elsewhere.
The FCC put Sinclair’s amendments to its proposed buy of Tribune out for public comment, said a public notice Monday. With the final deadline July 12, the transaction likely wouldn’t be voted on before August or September, communications attorneys told us. A U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision that could knock down the UHF discount is expected around then.
CTIA, the Millimeter-Wave Coalition (mmWC) and other commenters sought some changes in the FCC’s proposed approach to spectrum above 95 GHz, in replies in a spectrum horizons proceeding. Commissioners launched a rulemaking in February asking about the future of this spectrum (see 1802220048). In initial comments, the wireless industry indicated broad, early interest (see 1805030037).
Sponsors of the American Vision for Safer Transportation Through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies (AV Start) Act (S-1885) will look to attach the bill to a legislation this summer, Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., told us. Meanwhile safety groups continue to warn against a rush to pass America’s first major federal autonomous vehicle legislation.