Wireless Telecommunications

FCC Grants Auction 108 Licenses

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) announced the grant of two long-form applications and issuance of nine licenses for Auction 108. WTB finds the applications for the licenses to be complete and in conformance with the FCC's rules. Granting the applications for the licenses serves the public interest, convenience, and necessity.  Furthermore, the FCC has received full payment for the licenses.

Update on February 22 Network Outage

On February 22, 2024, our network partner, AT&T, experienced a broad outage that impacted public safety users of FirstNet. Based on initial reviews, the network outage occurred in the early hours of the morning on Thursday. The FirstNet network was restored by around 5:00 a.m. CST — about 3 hours since service was initially affected for some FirstNet subscribers across the country. AT&T says the outage was due to the application and execution of an incorrect process used while expanding its network; AT&T stated it was not the result of a cyberattack.

AI brings us a new kind of bug

Generative AI is raising the curtain on a new era of software breakdowns rooted in the same creative capabilities that make it powerful. Every novel tec

Buckle up, cable—AT&T just gave FWA fresh legs

First, cable and fiber companies dismissed fixed wireless access (FWA) completely. Then, they passed it off as a temporary fad. Subscribers, they said, will return to their wireline providers when wireless bandwidth inevitably runs out.

Joint Statement Endorsing Principles for 6G: Secure, Open, and Resilient by Design

The Governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom concur on these shared principles for the research and development of 6G wireless communication systems; and recognize that by working together we can support open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, resilient, and secure connectivity. We believe this to be an indispensable contribution towards building a more inclusive, sustainable, secure, and peaceful future for all, and call upon other governments, organizations, and stakeholders

Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Response to Members of Congress Regarding Starlink’s Application for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

On January 10, a group of lawmakers wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to express concern about the FCC's decision to revoke SpaceX’s Starlink 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) award. In her February 6 response, Chairwoman Rosenworcel explained that RDOF featured a two-part application process, and that in the second phase of the process, winning bidders from the first phase were required to share technical and financial information with the FCC.

How Antarctica’s history of isolation is ending—thanks to Starlink

“This is one of the least visited places on planet Earth and I got to open the door,” Matty Jordan, a construction specialist at New Zealand’s Scott Base in Antarctica, wrote in the caption to the video he posted to Instagram and TikTok in October 2023. In the video, he guides viewers through an empty, echoing hut, pointing out where the men of Ernest Shackleton’s 1907 expedition lived and worked—the socks still hung up to dry and the provisions still stacked neatly in place, preserved by the cold. Jordan, who started making TikToks to keep family and friends up to date with his life in Ant

AT&T's big network fail was a remote work triumph

The big AT&T network outage was a productivity catastrophe for commuters across the country, but remote workers were totally fine. Without

March 2024 FCC Open Meeting Agenda

Here’s what to expect at the Federal Communications Commission's March Open Meeting.

Another Fixed Wireless Acquisition for EarthLink

EarthLink has acquired QX.net, a fixed wireless access provider specializing in business customers in Kentucky. QX.net has operated in the state since 1997. According to EarthLink, it built the state’s largest dedicated wireless internet network. The provider offers internet, voice, data center and SD-WAN services to businesses in different industries. Earthlink plans to expand in other markets in Kentucky. QX.net employees will be retained, EarthLink said. 

Another BEAD Mapping Mess

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration made a monstrous mess of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program maps when they decided to allow licensed fixed wireless to be counted as reliable broadband. This has a huge ramification for the BEAD grants. It has made maps into hodgepodges of served and unserved homes.

UScellular grapples with cable's rise in wireless

The good news is UScellular ended 2023 with 114,000 fixed wireless access (FWA) customers. The bad news? The company lost about 53,000 postpaid phone customers, exacerbating a string of previous losses. Besides competing with the Big 3 mobile carriers, UScellular, a regional wireless carrier, is grappling with the rise of cable companies in wireless.

FCC Seeks Comment on Multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts

The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau seeks comment on specific mechanisms to implement multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Through these measures, the Bureau advances the priority that WEA serve as an effective and accessible life-saving tool for many, including the millions of people living in the United States who do not primarily speak English or Spanish and the estimated one-in-four adults in the United States that have some form of disability who remain at risk for not being able to receive and understand the potentially life-savi

What Comcast really means when it talks about ‘convergence’

The message that emerged from Comcast Converge was that everything the company does—mobile, video, sports streaming, security and, of course, broadband—relies on the performance of its network infrastructure. By extension (given the fact that no one has plugged anything into a router to connect to the internet in ages), that means Wi-Fi. The way Comcast is thinking about convergence is probably best exemplified with this statistic: The first NFL playoff game which was exclusively streamed on its Peacock service in January accounted for a whopping 30 percent of all US internet traffic.

WIA and WWLF Launch Telecom Trailblazers Initiative to Inspire Girls in Telecom

The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) and the Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF) announced the launch of Telecom Trailblazers, an initiative to encourage STEM learning, teach young women about digital infrastructure and inspire them to pursue careers in telecommunications. Telecom Trailblazers’ programming will be carried out in partnership with IGNITE Worldwide, a non-profit dedicated to achieving gender equity in STEM by connecting girls with STEM opportunities during the school day.

FirstNet Authority, AT&T announce 10-year investment to transform America’s public safety broadband network

The FirstNet Authority and its network partner, AT&T announced a major investment in the future of public safety communications. The FirstNet Authority’s 10-year, $8 billion investment initiative will evolve and expand FirstNet—America’s public safety network. The FirstNet Authority plans to invest $6.3 billion through its network contract with AT&T and anticipates an additional $2 billion for ongoing investments in coverage enhancements for public safety, which is currently under discussion by the parties.

Biden-Harris Administration Awards $42 Million For Wireless Innovation

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded $42 million in the final award from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s first Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Trump dreamt of a ‘Huawei killer.’ President Biden is trying to unleash it.

As President Biden met with heads of state around the world these past couple of years, he’s been repeating a curious phrase.

Is T-Mobile facing static over its latest 5G spectrum purchase?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it's going to more carefully look at the "competitive effects" of T-Mobile's plan to purchase more 2.5GHz spectrum for its 5G network.

Congress poised to gift billions to internet service providers

Legislation currently wending its way through Congress could extend 100 percent bonus depreciation of property for US businesses.

Consumer groups seek unlocked phone condition as part of T-Mobile/Mint deal

Consumer advocates want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to impose a phone unlocking condition on T-Mobile’s proposed acquisition of Mint Mobile, the operator made famous by part owner Ryan Reynolds. T-Mobile struck an agreement in 2023 with Ka’ena Corporation to acquire Mint Mobile and its affiliate brands, Ultra Mobile and Plum, for up to $1.35 billion.

In mobile, ACP's downfall would weigh heavier on MVNOs and wholesale

Mobile operators will feel a financial twinge if the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is shut down this spring, but the cut won't cause extreme bleeding when it comes to subscribers, revenues and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

Total by Verizon makes 5G Home Internet more affordable with new national offering

Total by Verizon, a fast-growing prepaid no-contract wireless provider from Verizon, announced the launch of its unlimited 5G Home Internet service. The brand’s new Home Internet plan starts at $45/month with Auto Pay for current and new mobile wireless customers, making high-speed home internet available for customers who want the financial flexibility of no-contract, no-credit-check, pay-in-advance service.

T-Mobile’s network chief awaits remaining 2.5 GHz

T-Mobile has yet to take possession of the 2.5 GHz spectrum that it acquired via auction in 2022 to fill holes in rural territories across the US, but it’s ready to roll when the spectrum does become available. Congress passed legislation requiring the Federal Communications Commission to release the 2.5 GHz spectrum from Auction 108 and President Joe Biden signed the 5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement (SALE) Act into law in December 2023.