Wireless Telecommunications

FCC Commissioner O'Rielly 'Inclined' to Approve T-Mobile-Sprint Deal

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O'Rielly tweeted:

While I generally withhold all comments regarding pending or prospective mergers, I find it necessary to clarify, at this time, that I am inclined to support T-Mobile/Sprint proposed merger, even if not convinced of the need for all the newly announced conditions being proposed.

Huawei and the Homefront

Some lawmakers say the federal government should help small US wireless providers rip out and replace their existing Chinese network equipment. The Rural Wireless Association puts the collective price tag at $1 billion. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said he would raise the issue with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and push for a solution in the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We need to provide support to those small and rural communities who have already installed some of this equipment and will need help in covering the costs of removing and replacing it,” he said.

Presidential announcement ignores core question: What is leadership in 5G?

Recently, President Donald Trump and Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai held a news conference to announce “two new steps” that together would position the United States as a leader in deploying 5G wireless networks. There were three distinct problems with the announcement: the steps were not new, they did not advance critical 5G deployments, and they did nothing to help American leadership in driving and benefiting from the next big transition in wireless communications.

Remarks of Commissioner O'Rielly Before the ACA International Washington Insights Conference

Speaking in defense of credit and collection professionals probably isn’t the politically savviest or safest move.  I am here to join with [ACA International] as your members continue to face untenable legal risk and uncertainty in your efforts to reach out to borrowers. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we get the rulemaking done, and ensure that honest businesses can call their customers without being threatened by bankruptcy. Repeat after me: “robocall” is not a bad word.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Warned Lying to Congress Is Bad

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai asking if he would like to correct his testimony delivered to the House Commerce Committee at an oversight hearing May 15. Warning FCC Pai that “lying to Congress is a federal crime,” Rep Eshoo wrote there existed a “chasm” between what Chairman Pai told the committee and what Rep Eshoo herself heard from other FCC officials following the meeting.

Here’s why your internet may be delivered by a drone someday soon

SpaceX’s plans are set to jump forward May 16 with a launch of 60 internet-beaming satellites. But don’t count out solar-powered, high-altitude drones — or giant balloons. Advances in solar-cell and battery technology have made those technologies more feasible. In April, Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank said it would partner with Simi Valley drone maker AeroVironment Inc to build a drone capable of flying to the stratosphere, hovering around an area for months and serving as a floating cell tower to beam internet to users on Earth.

Commissioner Rosenworcel Releases Responses to Call for an Update on the Sale of Real-Time Location Data

Earlier in May, Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel sent letters to major phone companies asking for an update on their progress toward halting the sale of customers’ real-time location information. A series of press reports over the past year revealed that geolocation data collected by phone companies was being made available to hundreds of bounty hunters across the country. However, the FCC so far has not provided the public with any details, despite the ongoing risk to the safety and security of American consumers.

5G Has a 'Not In My Backyard' Problem

For 5G boosters, the benefits of installing the wireless technology are obvious: It allows delivery of super-fast internet speeds. But to hook up the “small cells” that power 5G grids, wireless providers have to install thick wires and poles and antennae on nearly every block they want to cover, outfitted with equipment that is about the size of a large backpack. It’s not just that 5G requires a lot of gear, which alone can provoke the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) backlash that puts a stop to all sorts of projects. It’s also that some people really don’t like it when they see it.

President Trump signs order to protect US networks from foreign espionage, a move that appears to target China

Amid a deepening trade war with China, President Donald Trump declared a “national emergency” to protect US communications networks in a move that gives the federal government broad powers to bar American companies from doing business with certain foreign suppliers — including the Chinese firm Huawei. President Trump declared the emergency in the form of an executive order that says foreign adversaries are exploiting vulnerabilities in US telecommunications technology and services. It points to economic and industrial espionage as areas of particular concern.

Remarks of FCC General Counsel Thomas Johnson at the Media Institute

My topic for this afternoon: How difficult it is for regulators to predict how technology will develop and transform markets, and why that difficulty demands humility from our regulators. This is a particularly important lesson for the Federal Communications Commission, which stands at a unique crossroads between technology and innovation. Regulators are not good futurists.  And what predictive powers regulators have are weakening as technological progress quickens and becomes even less predictable.

The FCC Must Abandon Its Plan to Disconnect Low-Income Families

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a package of fatally flawed plans that would fundamentally undercut Lifeline. May 15's FCC oversight hearing is an opportunity for Congress to hold the agency accountable for its disastrous proposals. 

Chairman Pai Proposes Robocall Blocking by Default

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is proposing bold action to help consumers block unwanted robocalls. He has circulated a declaratory ruling that, if adopted, would allow phone companies to block unwanted calls to their customers by default. In addition, companies could allow consumers to block calls not on their own contact list.

Sponsor: 

Communications Division

California Public Utilities Commission

Date: 
Mon, 05/20/2019 - 15:00 to 21:45

The communications market is changing rapidly - what began as a statewide, copper-based telephone network of franchise monopoly local exchange companies has evolved into a diverse, multi-provider and multi-technology broadband network that relies on copper, fiber optic, wireless, and satellite infrastructure.

Why Attend This En Banc?

Hear from stakeholders in business, education, government, and non-profit sectors examining questions on issues such as:



Chinese Telecoms Hit Hard in Senate Judiciary 5G Hearing

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he wished US allies could view a copy of May 14's hearing on 5G cybersecurity to see the uncommon bipartisan agreement that Chinese technology is a threat to the safety and security of the Internet of everything next-gen wireless broadband will drive.

Meteorologists Worry 5G Expansion Could Interfere With Weather Forecasts

The Trump Administration’s swift-moving plan to promote 5G networks is running into resistance from the weather-forecasting community. The dispute centers around ultrahigh radio frequencies that the Federal Communications Commission recently auctioned off for use in the country’s next-generation wireless networks.

Connecting the Dots: The Telecommunications Crisis in Puerto Rico

The report condemns the Federal Communications Commission for failing to adequately respond to the September 2017 hurricanes, which knocked out 95 percent of all cell sites, 97 percent of radio stations and all local television stations. The report calls out the agency’s failure to hold wired and wireless carriers to account for neglecting to build resilient networks or respond in a timely or sufficient fashion to restore communications to the islands’ residents.

Apparently, T-Mobile and Sprint are considering concessions to save their merger

Apparently, T-Mobile and Sprint, fighting to win regulatory clearance for their $26.5-billion merger, are considering possible concessions to salvage the deal. Among the top options being discussed is the separation and potential sale of their “prepaid” businesses.

Senate Commerce Committee Leaders Urge Chairman Pai to Speed Deployment of Spectrum for 5G

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging the FCC to redouble its efforts to make mid-band spectrum available for 5G. The Sens wrote, "Currently, the United States lags far behind our competitors in the availability of mid-band spectrum for 5G. While Citizens Band Radio Service will make 70 MHz of licensed spectrum available under a novel licensing scheme, much more is needed.

Your 5G Phone Won’t Hurt You. But Russia Wants You to Think Otherwise.

The Russian network RT America aired the segment, titled “A Dangerous ‘Experiment on Humanity,’” in covering what its guest experts call fifth generation’s (5G) dire health threats. US intelligence agencies identified the network as a principal meddler in the 2016 presidential election. Now, it is linking 5G signals to brain cancer, infertility, autism, heart tumors and Alzheimer’s disease — claims that lack scientific support.

NTIA Director David Redl Resigns

David Redl, assistant secretary for communications and information in the Commerce Department, abruptly resigned, days after criticizing US 5G policy in a speech. Redl, who headed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, had clashed with Trump administration colleagues over a range of issues related to 5G rollout, including federal policy for allocating airwaves. The conflicts within the Administration occasionally had played out on Capitol Hill in recent weeks.

FCC Releases Report on Communication Impacts of Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael demonstrated starkly how some wireless providers in the Florida Panhandle were able to rebound from this devastating storm through foresight and appropriate planning, while others stalled in their efforts to restore full service. Some providers, working in the same area and facing the same challenges as others, were back in service considerably sooner than others. The poor level of service several days after landfall by some wireless providers cannot simply be attributed to unforeseeable circumstances specific to those providers.

FCC Denies China Mobile Telecom Services Application

The Federal Communications Commission denied China Mobile USA’s application to provide telecommunications services between the United States and foreign destinations. The action is the result of a careful review by the FCC and close consultation with Executive Branch agencies having expertise in national security and law enforcement. In the Memorandum Opinion and Order, the FCC finds that China Mobile USA has not demonstrated that its application for the authority to provide international telecommunications services is in the public interest.

Sponsor: 

Senate Judiciary Committee

Date: 
Tue, 05/14/2019 - 15:00


The evolving 5G case study in spectrum management and industrial policy

This paper explains why most nations refused to endorse key United States 5G spectrum allocation proposals at the International Telecommunication Union’s 2015 World Radio Conference. US representatives underestimated the time needed for consensus building, despite increasing demand for wireless video and the evolving Internet of Things.