Spectrum

Digging In for the Long Haul

As we continue our important work directly related to COVID-19, the Federal Communications Commission will also continue our work confronting the longer-term challenges that have been highlighted by pandemic. In particular, at our upcoming meeting on April 23, we will be voting on major initiatives to expand wireless connectivity and further close the digital divide.

T-Mobile Absorbs Sprint After Two-Year Battle

T-Mobile closed its takeover of Sprint after a nearly two-year battle with federal and state authorities. The merger, worth about $31.8 billion based on T-Mobile’s closing stock price March 31, marks the end for Sprint as a company and a brand. The once-thriving network operator spent most of the past decade losing customers after a string of engineering and marketing missteps gave the upper hand to rivals, T-Mobile chief among them. The combination turns the US’ third and fourth-largest wireless carriers into a far more substantial third place competitor to Verizon and AT&T.

FCC Acts to Support Connectivity on Tribal Reservation in New Mexico

The Federal Communications Commission has granted an emergency Special Temporary Authority request filed by A:shiwi College & Career Readiness Center to use unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum to provide wireless broadband service over the reservation of the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico in light of increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The A:shiwi College and Career Readiness Center, formerly the University of New Mexico Gallup-Zuni Campus, was established by the Zuni Tribe in 2016.

FCC Grants WISPs Temporary 5.9 GHz Spectrum Access for Rural Broadband

The Federal Communications Commission granted temporary spectrum access to 33 wireless Internet service providers serving 330 counties in 29 states to help them serve rural communities facing an increase in broadband needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Temporary Authority (STA) allows these companies to use the lower 45 megahertz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for 60 days.

‘White Space’ Internet Could Connect the US’s Isolated Places

The digital divide in the most isolated parts of the United States is reinforced by risky economic propositions and geographic barriers to connectivity, but a technology in its infancy — TV white space broadband — may help communities clear these hurdles. “The attractiveness of it was this was prime spectrum that was not being used, and it opens up a second Wi-Fi band with significant improvements in coverage, range and bandwidth,” said James Carlson, CEO of hardware manufacturer Carlson Wireless Technologies. 

FCC Grants AT&T and Verizon Temporary Spectrum Access During Pandemic

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has granted requests from AT&T and Verizon for Special Temporary Authority to use additional spectrum to help meet Americans’ wireless broadband needs across the country during this national emergency. AT&T was granted authority for 60 days to operate in AWS-4 Band spectrum licensed to DISH. Both AT&T and Verizon were granted similar authority to use AWS-3 spectrum currently held in the FCC’s inventory. 

FCC Should Rethink The 6 GHz Proceeding Given The COVID-19 Crisis

The Federal Communications Commission’s unprecedented proposal to giveaway 1200 MHz of unlicensed spectrum for millions of disparate devices to be laid over critical uses in the 6 GHz band should be reconsidered. It could be disastrous to introduce millions of divergent devices and users on top of critical infrastructure networks with different traffic patterns next to these organized channels. Moreover, it creates a dangerous precedent against the proven market-based auction for licensed spectrum in favor of advocacy get spectrum for free.

Pledge to Stay Together

Highlighting some efforts to keep us all connected in what is a very scary time. We look at the Keep America Connected Pledge, other voluntary efforts by broadband providers, and actions by the Federal Communications Commission to waive program rules and increase the capacity of wireless carriers. But even with all this activity, we're seeing too many stories about too many people who are not connected during this pandemic. 

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Praises FCC’s ‘Unprecedented Effort’ to Ensuring Connectivity During Coronavirus

Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr praised the FCC’s emergency efforts to bolster connectivity in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Carr said that “every reform is on the table” – particularly with regard to the agency’s Lifeline program – to ensure that American have adequate connectivity at this time.

Wireless Spectrum Lending is the Latest Trend in COVID-19 Response

With wireless use set to spike as more people work from home during the coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic, wireless spectrum holders are working together to most efficiently use the available spectrum. That has led carriers and spectrum holders to temporarily put competition aside and enter wireless spectrum lending arrangements. The goal is to expand voice, video and data capacity where it is needed as work, as education and as commerce shifts to the home from the office, school and store.

Dish lends spectrum to AT&T during COVID-19 pandemic

Dish said it will be lending 20 MHz of its AWS-4 (Band 66) and all of its 700 MHz spectrum to AT&T, starting immediately. Dish will provide the spectrum to AT&T at no cost for 60 days. AT&T will be able to deploy the AWS-4 spectrum quickly and easily using its AWS-1 and AWS-3 equipment. In addition, AT&T can use Dish’s 700 MHz E-Block in conjunction with the D-Block that AT&T has started deploying in some markets.

Analysts are speculating that these loans during a time of crisis might later be turned into ongoing leases.

FCC Grants Verizon Temporary Spectrum Access During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted Verizon’s request for Special Temporary Authority (STA) to use additional spectrum to help meet increased customer demand for broadband during the coronavirus pandemic. This STA will allow the company to operate for 60 days in spectrum licensed to Northstar Wireless LLC and SNR Wireless LicenseCo in the AWS-3 Band in order to provide additional capacity to Verizon customers across the country. The FCC has granted similar requests by T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular in recent days.

FCC Must Act Quickly As COVID-19 Threatens Healthcare, Education

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition asked the Federal Communications Commission to expedite affordable broadband solutions for unconnected Americans. The novel coronavirus is driving schools to online learning and increasing healthcare providers’ reliance on telehealth solutions.

T-Mobile herds 600 MHz spectrum from other providers for COVID-19 response

T-Mobile worked with a variety of other providers to rustle up additional 600 MHz spectrum to help it meet increased customer demand for wireless broadband, as people are forced to work and learn from home. The companies that have agreed to contribute spectrum are Dish, Comcast, NewLevel, LB License Co, Channel 51, Omega, Bluewater and TStar License Holdings.  

Science and Tech Spotlight: 5G Wireless

Although 5G is mainly being deployed by industry, governments and other organizations will decide how to use public resources, such as spectrum, and what obligations network operators will have to their users. Among the questions they will face are the following:

Chairman Pai's Response to Senators Thune, Fischer, and Moran on 6 GHz

On Dec 20, 2019, Sens John Thune (R-SD), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging the FCC to take action regarding unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band while protecting existing users of the band. 

FCC Grants T-Mobile Temporary Spectrum Access During Coronavirus

The Federal Communications Commission granted Special Temporary Authority to T-Mobile U.S.A. to use additional spectrum in the 600 MHz Band to help it meet increased customer demand for broadband during the coronavirus pandemic.

5G Millimeter Wave $7.5 Billion Auction 103 Winners Announced

The Federal Communications Commission released the winners in Auction 103 of 5G millimeter wave spectrum in the 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz bands, and it looks like the nation’s largest mobile carriers won the vast majority of the spectrum. The auction raised a total of more than $7.5 billion. The largest winner was Straight Path Spectrum LLC, which won 4,940 out of 14,142 licenses won and which appears to be a bidding name for Verizon. The second largest winner was Fiber Tower Spectrum Holdings, LLC, which won 3,267 licenses and which appears to be a bidding name for AT&T.

FCC Concludes Largest Ever Spectrum Auction

The Federal Communications Commission announced the conclusion of bidding in Auction 103, which made 3,400 megahertz of millimeter-wave spectrum available in the Upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands. The auction had a total of $7,558,703,201 in net bids, with 28 bidders winning a total of 14,142 of 14,144, or more than 99.9%, of available licenses. “The successful conclusion of Auction 103—the largest amount of spectrum offered in an auction in US history—is one more significant step the FCC has taken toward maintaining American leadership in 5G,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

State And Local Coalition Calls For Federal Broadband Investment

A coalition of organizations representing state and local governments released the following statement in response to hearings on the FY 2021 Budget Request for Federal Communication Commission before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on March 10 and before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on March 11:

Telecom Fights Tech Over FCC Plan to Open Airwaves to Wi-Fi

Big Tech and Big Telecom are wrangling over a Federal Communications Commission plan that would open up an unprecedented amount of airwaves to meet the nation’s Wi-Fi demand. The FCC is expected to vote before the end of April on a plan that may quintuple the amount of spectrum available to handle data from millions of Wi-Fi-connected smartphones, laptops, and other devices.

Chairman Pai Remarks to the International Association of Firefighters

This past Nov, a bipartisan majority at the Federal Communications Commission adopted a vertical, or “z-axis,” location accuracy metric of plus or minus 3 meters for wireless 911 calls. That means that in the coming years you will be able to more accurately identify the floor-level for most 911 calls and reduce emergency response time.

Sponsor: 

Communications and Technology Subcommittee

House Commerce Committee

Date: 
Tue, 03/10/2020 - 15:00

The Communications and Technology Subcommittee will consider:

H.R. 451, the “Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act,” was introduced by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Al Green (D-TX) and Peter King (R-NY).  The Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act would repeal the requirement on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reallocate and auction the 470-512 MHz spectrum band, also known as the T-Band. 



Microsoft’s Airband live in 25 states at midpoint of rural broadband project

Halfway through its 5-year rural broadband project, Microsoft said its Airband Initiative is now in 25 states and Puerto Rico. Started in mid-2017, the Airband Initiative aims to eliminate the rural broadband gap and Microsoft said it's on track to meet its target of expanding high-speed internet to 3 million Americans living in unserved areas by 2022.