Howard Buskirk

An expected FCC order on the 2020 Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band likely won’t go as far as Wi-Fi advocates hoped (see 2308070060). Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is now expected to seek changes only permitting very-low-power (VLP) devices to operate anywhere without location awareness or automated frequency control, industry experts said. The order is expected to delay a decision on a second part of the FNPRM, on increasing the power at which low-power indoor (LPI) access points may operate.

AT&T Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches and Verizon CFO Tony Skiadas said at a Bank of America financial conference the companies continue to test soil under the lead-laden wires in their networks and so far have found no evidence of a public health threat (see 2307210004).

Telecom carriers are still figuring out which of their operations should be moved to a cloud-native architecture and which will remain longer on legacy networks, experts said during a TelecomTV summit Thursday. Speakers agreed the process will be messy.

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) Wednesday published a “Cloud Native Manifesto,” a document aimed at getting operators on the same page on the move to the cloud. Experts said at a TelecomTV cloud native summit the move to the cloud is happening, but there is still confusion about the reasons for the shift.

T-Mobile will be able to deploy service immediately on some of the 600 MHz spectrum it’s buying from Comcast, in a deal announced Tuesday (see 2309120076), T-Mobile Chief Financial Officer Peter Osvaldik said Wednesday at a Bank of America financial conference. Markets where Comcast hasn’t deployed the spectrum aren't subject to the “clawback” that’s part of the deal, “but the operating markets potentially are,” he said. The deal encompasses all of Comcast’s 600 MHz licenses except Philadelphia, he said. “It’s structured in the form of a long-term lease, so we can go and deploy that 600 immediately for the benefit of consumers with the option, of course, then to purchase it in 2028,” Osvaldik said. T-Mobile doesn’t need the spectrum, per se, but also didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to add its portfolio, he said, noting 600 MHz is a “great spectrum band” able to penetrate buildings. Osvaldik also touched on the dispute with Dish Network, which is asking for additional time to buy 800 MHz spectrum from T-Mobile. T-Mobile and parent Deutsche Telekom oppose the extension (see 2308280055). The license purchase agreement, which was part of T-Mobile’s buy of Sprint, is “fairly clear from our perspective as to what Dish’s opportunities are,” he said. Dish could either purchase the spectrum by the Aug. 11 deadline or pay the termination fee, he said: “The ball is in their court.” Jon Freier, T-Mobile president-Consumer Group, said with the unveiling of Apple’s iPhone 15 this week “this is always an exciting time for us in our space.” During parts of the year, carriers promote their plans more than in others times, he said: “This is one of those periods … over the last couple of years, where it's been a little bit more promotional on devices.” While the wireless market is “a competitive space,” T-Mobile views it as being “very, very stable,” Freier said. The industry showed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting “economic turmoil,” that wireless is “a tremendously resilient industry, because connectivity is becoming more and more central to people's lives, how the economy works,” Osvaldik said.

The administration’s selection of Steve Lang to replace Anna Gomez as head of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference (see 2309120069) didn’t come as a surprise to WRC watchers. Lang was viewed as the most likely choice. An email went to members of the U.S. delegation Tuesday confirming the change. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told us before the email went out she would raise “concerns” with the State Department if this far into preparations it replaces Gomez as WRC delegation lead. The potential leadership shift was the chief reason Blackburn voted against Gomez’s confirmation both within the Senate Commerce Committee (see 2309070081) and on the chamber floor. “This is an important conference” with implications for U.S. spectrum policymaking in the years ahead, Blackburn said Tuesday. “The preparation is important,” as is “representation” of the U.S. delegation head given that person needs to be “able to respond quickly” to developments. “It should not be taken lightly or haphazardly,” she said. Lang, an economist, has been deputy assistant secretary of state-international information and communications policy since November and has held numerous postings in the department. He is expected to be designated as ambassador, which doesn't require Senate confirmation. The other potential choice, unless the State Department tapped an outsider, was Erica Barks-Ruggles, a veteran diplomat who has headed the U.S. delegation to other recent ITU meetings, including last year's plenipotentiary conference, but is nearing retirement and currently heading the U.S. delegation to UNESCO in Paris, industry officials said. Gomez was widely seen as facing a major challenge serving both as a commissioner and also as the eventual ambassador to the WRC, which starts Nov. 20 in Dubai (see 2309080060). Industry officials said they expect Gomez to remain active on WRC matters and likely attend parts of the conference as an FCC commissioner. One former delegation member said that while Gomez has led recent meetings with other nations headed into WRC, she is always joined by staff who will play the same role under Lang.

Disagreements remain about whether the upper 12 GHz band can be reallocated for exclusive-use licenses, as carriers hope, in reply comments in docket 23-352. Some wireless commenters ignored the proceeding on the lower 12 GHz band (see 2309110061) and filed only on what is also called 13 GHz. Broadcasters and the satellite industry continue to raise objections (see 2308140046).

Steve Lang will replace Anna Gomez as head of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference, numerous industry officials confirmed. An email went to members of the U.S. delegation Tuesday confirming the change. Gomez, whose nomination to the FCC was confirmed last week, was widely seen as facing a tough challenge trying to serve as a commissioner and also as the eventual ambassador to the WRC, which starts Nov. 20 in Dubai.

Officials with the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition still hope for FCC rules allowing use of the lower 12 GHz band for fixed-wireless by the end of the year, in time for the spectrum to be used as part of projects approved under of the broadband equity, access and deployment program. But SpaceX and DirecTV, in particular, which opposed mobile use for 5G, are giving no ground. Replies were posted Monday in docket 20-443.

Industry continued to raise concerns on an FCC proposal on rules to speed a move to next-generation 911 and to call for flexibility, while public safety groups generally supported the agency’s proposed approach, per reply comments posted Monday in docket 21-479. The replies were consistent with initial comments last month (see 2308100025).