FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn remains strongly opposed to any changes to the rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio services band, which would lead to larger license sizes for priority access licenses (PALs), said Louis Peraertz, her wireless aide, at a panel hosted by General Electric Wednesday. A GE executive said the band is critical to U.S. leadership of the industrial IoT. Tuesday, advocates of larger license sizes spoke at an AT&T-sponsored event (see 1802130041).
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.
Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who has led the FCC push to change 3.5 GHz communications broadband radio service rules, said Tuesday he's not convinced the agency should significantly reduce the geographic size of the priority access licenses (PALs) that will be sold in an auction. It was always clear the 3.5 GHz band has “great potential, but I do not believe we have the solution quite right yet,” said Joan Marsh, chief regulatory and state external affairs officer at AT&T, which held the event.
A modified Lifeline draft NARUC resolution urging the FCC to continue allowing resellers to receive low-income USF subsidies cleared the telecom committee unanimously Tuesday. The panel added recommendations from a rival draft backing FCC proposals to eliminate stand-alone Lifeline broadband provider designations and reinstate state regulatory authority over eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designations. It also added language to support firming up a $2.25 billion FCC annual Lifeline budget, and it OK'd a nationwide number portability (NNP) draft resolution, but withdrew a draft pole-attachment overlashing draft. The cleared drafts are expected to be approved by NARUC's board Wednesday.
SES' signing onto the joint Intelsat/Intel plan for clearing portions of the C-band downlink spectrum for sharing with terrestrial mobile operations (see 1710020047) greatly increases the likelihood of that proposal moving forward at the FCC, satellite industry insiders told us. Citing a "duty and mission" to protect satellite C-band operations from disruption, SES CEO Karim Sabbagh said Friday the aim is to "ensure that the expansion of the C-band ecosystem in the U.S. will protect the interests of hundreds of established services and millions of American end-users, while at the same time paving the way for the creation of next-generation 5G terrestrial services.”
House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Leonard Lance, R-N.J., and ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., filed the House version of the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act Wednesday. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., filed the Senate version (S-1682) in August (see 1708010069). The legislation aims to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via a future FCC auction. The Airwaves Act “is the kind of bill that will make a difference in the lives of Internet users,” Lance said in a news release: “By opening up more federal spectrum for commercial usage we are helping lay the groundwork for 5G.” It “would establish a reliable pipeline for licensed and unlicensed spectrum,” Doyle said in the news release. “The pipeline will provide spectrum for robust and competitive deployments of 5G wireless broadband networks, which will build on the success of Wi-Fi by making additional, much needed, unlicensed spectrum available.” The legislation “demonstrates that Congress supports -- on a bipartisan, bicameral basis -- firm spectrum deadlines and auctions for key bands,” said FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. Many industry entities lauded the Airwaves Act's House debut, including the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Mobile Future, Public Knowledge, WifiForward and Verizon.
The FCC Media Bureau circulated an NPRM Monday seeking comment on creating a new C4 class of FM stations, said Chairman Ajit Pai in his address to a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council event Tuesday. “This reform could allow hundreds of Class A FM stations to broadcast with increased power.” There was "a lot of talk during previous administrations about trying to take action to promote ownership diversity -- but there was little to nothing done,” Pai said. “I am determined that the FCC on my watch will take concrete steps to create a more diverse communications industry.”
Starry CEO Chet Kanojia, meeting with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, updated its U.S. deployment plans and its Marvell collaboration on fixed wireless technologies aimed at 5G, said a docket 14-177 ex parte filing posted Monday. Starry urged agency progress on setting a spectrum frontiers auction timeline and promulgating coordinated sharing rules for the lower 37 GHz band.
Chairman Ajit Pai proposed an NPRM on flexible rules for spectrum above 95 GHz, what the FCC calls “the outermost edge of usable spectrum,” for a vote at the Feb. 22 commissioners' meeting. That and other items on a tentative agenda Thursday were expected (see 1801310065). Pai blogged that February is “innovation month” at the agency. It would also examine rules implementing Section 7 of the Communications Act, which requires the FCC to respond to petitions or applications proposing new technologies and services within a year, and resolve petitions to reconsider USF Mobility Fund rules. Three other draft items aim to roll back "outdated and unnecessary regulations" on broadcasters, cable companies and payphone service providers, Pai said.
While staffers for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai aren’t signaling yet what he will recommend on the contentious question of what to do about priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band, growing industry speculation is Pai will propose a compromise. Rather than auction all the PALs on a census-tract basis, or as much larger partial economic areas, the FCC would take a varied approach. It would offer some of the seven PALs in each market as census tracts or a similarly small license size and others as PEAs or possibly county-sized licenses.
The FCC Incentive Auction Task Force and Wireless Bureau approved grant of 600 MHz licenses bought in the broadcast incentive auction by four additional bidders. The licenses cleared were bought by the Iowa RSA 2 L.P., Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, SAL Spectrum and Smith Bagley. The FCC has been working through license applications after approving the grant of the first licenses in June to national players (see 1706140048).