No one should feel entitled to citizens broadband radio service licenses, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told a Schools, Health & Libraries Association conference Thursday. O’Rielly told us he sees little room for additional compromise on the order headed into the Oct. 23 commissioners' meeting, though he is open to new ideas. “I’ve been working on this for a year, I’ve talked to all the parties multiple, multiple times,” O’Rielly said in an interview: “We’ve found" a place "I’m very comfortable with.” If anyone has new ideas, O’Rielly said, he will take a look.
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.
The FCC Wednesday released the names of companies that filed applications to bid in the agency’s first high-band auctions. Among those with applications to bid in the 28 GHz auction, which will occur first, are AT&T Spectrum Frontiers, Verizon, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Frontier Communications and Windstream. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Cox, Starry Spectrum Holdings, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Windstream headline those with applications to bid in the 24 GHz auction, which will follow.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has big concerns about the 3.5 GHz order set for a vote by commissioners Oct. 23, aide Umair Javed said at an FCBA event Wednesday. Erin McGrath, aide to Mike O’Rielly, defended the order's approach.
Public interest groups, wireless ISPs and some industrial players are expected to make a push at the FCC over the next two weeks for changes to the revised geographic sizes for priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. Chairman Ajit Pai last week circulated revised rules, as crafted by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly (see 1810020050). The draft would auction PALs on a countywide basis rather than by census-tracts, the approach of Obama-era rules.
ORLANDO -- Smaller providers at the Competitive Carriers Association are likely to pursue priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band when they become available, as early as next year, based on interviews at CCA’s meeting. They are more dubious on the outlook for high-band spectrum in their mostly rural markets. Attendees expect a PALs auction as early as the last quarter of 2019, though maybe not until early 2020.
The FCC invited input on Connect America Fund Phase II auction winner requests to become eligible for high-cost support to fixed broadband and voice services Comments are due Oct. 17, replies Oct. 24 on the eligible telecom carrier petitions of Commnet Wireless, Fond du Lac Communications, Hankins Information Technology, Northern Arapaho Tribal Industries, Red Spectrum Communications and Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium (for five parties), said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 09-197 in Thursday's Daily Digest.
Bipartisan interest in federal broadband funding mechanisms and criticism of FCC coverage data collection practices dominated Thursday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on rural broadband, as expected (see 1810030055). The panel also became a forum for Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other committee members to tout broadband-related legislation eyed for potential combination into a package bill (see 1807250056).
ORLANDO -- Competitive Carrier Association executives expressed some concerns about T-Mobile’s proposed buy of Sprint, on a Wednesday panel at the group's annual convention. Members remain very focused on spectrum, including high band and the 3.5 GHz band, said CCA President Steve Berry, speaking to members. Spectrum remains a big issue, the executives agreed.
Since the original estimate of the broadcast station 600 MHz repacking price tag was off, there's no reason to think the predicted time frame for completion is any more accurate, said NAB Associate General Counsel Patrick McFadden Wednesday at the Americas Spectrum Management Conference. There was also a clash over the 6 GHz proceeding on October's FCC member-meeting agenda. "This is a big step forward," said 6 GHz Coalition counsel Paul Margie of Harris Wiltshire.
ORLANDO -- High-band spectrum is the "wave" of the future, industry officials told the Competitive Carriers Association Tuesday. A 28 GHz auction starts Nov. 14 and a 24 GHz auction about one month after completion of the 28 GHz auction (see 1809180056). Verizon launched the first commercial 5G network Monday using millimeter-wave spectrum (see 1810010028).