NTIA posted comments Wednesday on the national spectrum strategy, many of them released by those who wrote them during the prolonged federal shutdown (see 1901230028 and 1901250040). Apple and Facebook were among additional companies offering advice. Comments are here.
Wireless Spectrum Auctions
The FCC manages and licenses the electromagnetic spectrum used by wireless, broadcast, satellite and other telecommunications services for government and commercial users. This activity includes organizing specific telecommunications modes to only use specific frequencies and maintaining the licensing systems for each frequency such that communications services and devices using different bands receive as little interference as possible.
What are spectrum auctions?
The FCC will periodically hold auctions of unused or newly available spectrum frequencies, in which potential licensees can bid to acquire the rights to use a specific frequency for a specific purpose. As an example, over the last few years the U.S. government has conducted periodic auctions of different GHz bands to support the growth of 5G services.
House Communications Subcommittee leaders diverged on approaches to net neutrality legislation, during the State of the Net conference Tuesday. Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., staked out a partisan agenda on that and other telecom policy issues. Ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio, emphasized the need for continued bipartisanship on the House Commerce Committee as the GOP settles into its new role as the minority party. Their comments came ahead of House hearings on net neutrality and T-Mobile's proposed purchase of Sprint, which also got attention Tuesday (see 1901290040).
Despite relatively low bids in the first U.S. high-band spectrum auction ended Thursday (see 1901240034), it was a success, regulators and industry officials said. The next step is the start of the 24 GHz auction, which the FCC will announce this week. It plans an auction of the 37, 39 and 47 GHz bands later in the year. “This will allow Americans to see even faster, more competitive, & next-gen broadband services,” Commissioner Brendan Carr tweeted Friday.
The FCC’s partial reopening of the equipment authorization system, announced Friday (see 1901180040), will provide only limited relief, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel again warned Tuesday. The federal shutdown could slow FCC work on 5G in general, particularly on clearing mid-band spectrum, she said. Rosenworcel spoke at an Internet Innovation Alliance session on a potential incentive auction for the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service band, with a goal of raising money to close the “homework gap.”
Google remains hopeful the 3.5 GHz band citizens broadband radio service band will open for business in the first half of 2019, said Andrew Clegg, spectrum engineering lead, at the Next Century Cities conference Tuesday. Clegg predicted sharing will remain a key theme under President Donald Trump and will hit new heights with use of the 3.5 GHz band. The CBRS band will benefit rural and urban consumers, Clegg said: “It’s going to add a lot of fill-in capacity for urban systems. It’s a great complement to 5G.” In rural markets, wireless ISPs now have access to 50 MHz in the band and will be able to use up to 150 MHz, he said.
Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit appeared skeptical of the FCC’s position on a 15-year-old defaulted debt by former C-block spectrum licensee GLH, during oral argument Wednesday. Courts are operating during the shutdown (see 1901080004) but FCC attorneys were able to proceed only because the hearing concerned a spectrum auction, and spectrum auction matters are funded independently of other commission operations, the agency said.
With 2019 dubbed the year of 5G and companies vying to compete in the new citizens broadband radio service and other bands, the federal shutdown comes at a bad time, industry officials said last week. Every cellphone, TV, computer or other device sold in the U.S. emits a unique RF signature and must be cleared by the FCC. With the agency mostly shuttered as of Thursday, those clearances can no longer take place.
The FCC will continue to make key systems available to the public, even as staff are sent home starting mid-day Thursday, said a detailed announcement (see 1901020043). Many, including staff, feared systems would be taken offline as they were in 2013 (see 1812280021). Staff held an all-hands meeting Wednesday afternoon to be briefed on the details before release of the public notice, agency and industry officials said.
Many in the communications policy world have battle scars from the last prolonged federal shutdown, 16 days in 2013 when former Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was acting chairwoman. Then, the FCC, unlike some other federal agencies, largely shuttered its website, leading to widespread complaints. The FCC has been funded for the first days of this closure, but that ends Wednesday. The agency isn’t saying at this point if it will take its electronic comment filing and other licensing systems offline, with a public notice planned for Wednesday. The expectation among industry and FCC officials is that the 28 GHz auction won't reopen Thursday as planned and the website will be largely shuttered.
The Wireless ISP Association and the Utilities Technology Council jointly told the FCC the record shows overwhelming support for their joint request asking the FCC to waive requirements that 3650-3700 MHz licensees complete the transition to Part 96 citizens broadband radio service rules by April 17, 2020 (see 1812040002). Reply comments were due at the FCC Friday. CTIA and NCTA were among the commenters opposing a blanket waiver.