House Innovation Subcommittee members appeared overwhelmingly supportive of a revised draft version of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act during a Tuesday hearing, though some expressed reservations about imposing a mandate on automakers. The revised draft and earlier version HR-3413/S-1669 would require DOT to mandate AM radio's inclusion in future electric vehicles. S-1669 lead sponsors earlier that day announced a filibuster-proof Senate majority formally back the measure.
Internet service and traditional pay-TV costs rose faster than the rate of inflation in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index unadjusted data released Wednesday. Internet service costs in the U.S. in March rose 4.2% year over year, while cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs were up 3.8%, according to BLS data. BLS said March prices overall rose 3.5% year over year before seasonal adjustment. The agency said residential phone service jumped 3.4% year over year, while wireless phone service costs dropped 2.7%. It said smartphone prices dropped 9%, and computers, peripherals and smart home assistants fell 3.8%. Video purchase/subscription/rental rose 8.1%.
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the redacted version of the Emerging Mid-Band Radar Spectrum Sharing Feasibility Assessment demonstrates the importance of the lower 3 GHz band to U.S. defense. DOD released the report Wednesday (see 2404030052). “Modern equipment vital to our nation’s defense, including aircraft and radar, requires access to the entirety of the lower 3 GHz band,” Fischer said. “To protect this country from adversaries like China, the DOD must retain that access. … NTIA can no longer overlook the facts included in this report.” DOD shouldn’t be viewed “only as the pot of spectrum gold at the end of the rainbow,” she said. “It’s very clear the DOD is still upset that it had to vacate the 3.45-3.55 GHz band,” Reconanalytics Roger Entner told us. But the U.S. military uses its systems globally, Entner said, and the 3.3 to 3.8 GHz band was harmonized internationally for 5G. “I am not sure what the U.S. military is going to do when it operates outside the U.S. territory,” he said. Entner noted there could be problems along the borders with Canada and Mexico if those countries use the spectrum for 5G. “Acknowledging the global coexistence of 5G with these defense systems, we underscore the necessity of exploring effective approaches beyond traditional spectrum sharing, including relocation and optimization of federal spectrum use, to make more spectrum available for commercial services,” a spokesperson of 5G Americas wrote in an email. “The report confirms what experts have been saying all along -- dynamic spectrum sharing in the lower 3 GHz band can unleash U.S. innovation and commercial 5G uses without weakening national security, if the right interference mitigation techniques are applied,” said Spectrum for the Future, a pro-sharing group.
TV and smartphone price tags saw big drops between January 2023 and last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index unadjusted data released Tuesday. TV prices fell 9.7% year over year, while smartphones were down 13.2%. Computers, peripherals and smart home assistant prices fell 2.1%. Wireless phone service costs declined 3.1%, while residential phone service rose 4.5% year over year. Cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs were up 5.7%. The price of internet service increased 3.8%. Video purchase/subscription/rental rose 2.9%. BLS said January prices for all items were up 3.1% year over year before seasonal adjustment.
SpaceX likely saw revenues of $8.7 billion last year, and should hit $13.3 billion this year, Payload Research said Wednesday. It said that growth will likely be driven by Falcon 9 launches and Starlink's user base going from 2.2 million subscribers to 3.8 million. It said Starlink will likely add 600,000 U.S. subs this year, same as it did in 2023, while its international sub base will grow hugely, by 900,000, due to geographic expansion including an impending approval in India. It said SpaceX faces "a jam-packed schedule" for launches, with 148 targeted this year. It completed 96 launches in 2023.
The U.S. scored an important win for Wi-Fi at the recent World Radiocommunication Conference, beating back a move to harmonize the upper 6 GHz band for 5G, speakers said during a CES discussion of unlicensed spectrum late Thursday. Officials said restoration of FCC auction authority is critical, but when Congress will act remains uncertain.
It isn’t possible to eliminate the interference to electric vehicles from AM radio, said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella in a blog post Monday. The techniques for shielding EVs from AM interference add weight to the cars, reduce their range and increase costs to consumers, said the blog post. According to an October Center for Automotive Research report, reducing interference would cost $3.8 billion over the next seven years. Mandating AM in vehicles is not required for public safety, not popular with consumers “and now we know: not cheap," said the post. "It is noteworthy that the impartial Congressional Budget Office estimates the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would necessitate automakers spend a fraction of their estimate to ensure access to local AM radio stations in electric vehicles," emailed an NAB spokesperson. "We hope automakers follow Ford’s lead in reversing their decision to remove AM radio capability from their vehicles to ensure the 82 million Americans who listen to AM radio have access to this local, free service.”
A new paper by the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) urges regulators worldwide to take advantage of dynamic spectrum management systems (DSMS), like one being deployed in the U.S. in the 6 GHz band, and makes recommendations for faster adoption of sharing. “Regulators in a number of countries have authorized automated and even dynamic frequency coordination databases to manage assignments in shared bands,” the paper argues: “These dynamic spectrum management systems have proven they can protect incumbent operations, including military and public safety systems, from harmful interference.” Regulators should “work towards a dynamic shared access approach in any underutilized band (e.g., 6 GHz, 3.8-4.2 GHz) where coordinated sharing is appropriate and practical to implement,” DSA recommends. They should adopt clear rules “but not prescribe particular technologies or standards for DSMS,” the paper advises. Using a representative multistakeholder process “to develop and assist in implementing the DSMS can help to conserve agency resources and leverage industry expertise,” it said. Regulators should consider the adoption of best practices from industry or used elsewhere “particularly when that can speed time to market and promote harmonization regionally or globally,” the report says. Regulators should also “consider the benefits of certifying a private sector entity to manage the DSMS -- or, if demand justifies it, multiple and competing DSMS providers -- but always in strict adherence to agency rules.” Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, wrote the report.
Frontier will relocate its headquarters to Dallas, the company announced Wednesday. The company projected the move will "boost the local and state economy by $3.8 billion" and it will spend about $1 million weekly to "upgrade and improve its fiber-optic network in the Dallas metropolitan area." The move "makes good business sense given the city is already home to hundreds of our corporate employees and sits in the middle of one of our most important fiber markets," said CEO Nick Jeffery. Frontier noted it will still "maintain a strong presence" in Connecticut following its relocation.
Washington awarded $14.5 million in digital navigator grants, the state broadband office said Monday. Digital navigator “programs open equal opportunities for people to thrive, especially community members who may be struggling to reach their full potential,” said Washington Commerce Department Director Mike Fong. The state granted about $10.2 million to the Equity in Education Coalition, about $3.8 million to Community Health Network of Washington and nearly $431,000 to the Nisqually Indian Tribe. Commerce received 26 applications requesting more than $115 million, it said.