Spectrum

A coalition including Charter Communications, WISPA and public interest groups wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to reject proposals to increase power limits in the shared Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band, saying it would favor macro cell deployments only and jeopardize existing deployments. Other signatories voicing strong opposition to changes in the band include the Open Technology Institute, Pu

The House Commerce Committee will delve into a slate of nine bills aimed at securing wireless networks. The bills focus on changes to the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration related to both tech and cybersecurity policy, with an eye toward Chinese dominance in telecoms.

Georgia-based electric utility Southern Company told the Federal Communications Commission  that, based on its testing, the unlicensed Wi-Fi use the agency has voted to allow in the 6 GHz band will disrupt incumbent services that utilities offer.

The Federal Communications Commission is emerging as a key part of the still-murky framework that President Joe Biden and a bipartisan crew of centrist senators rallied around.

Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications (RETAIN GPS) Act (S.2166). The April 2020 Ligado Order from the Federal Communications Commission recognized the likelihood of interference to GPS signals and requires Ligado Networks to pay the federal government the costs for repairs.

The National Association of Broadcasters said a recent appeals court decision has established the precedent for commission authority to levy regulatory fees on Big Tech.

In March 2021, the Federal Communications Commission announced a planned auction of new flexible-use licenses in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band (Auction 110). Auction 110 will offer 4,060 new licenses throughout the contiguous US, subject to cooperative sharing requirements in certain, defined areas where and when federal incumbents require continued access to the band. The FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the Department of Defense (DoD) are working collaboratively towards these goals.

Sens John Thune (R-SD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) cosponsored the Rural Connectivity Advancement Program (RCAP) Act of 2021, legislation that would dedicate a portion of proceeds from congressionally mandated spectrum auctions to be used for the buildout of broadband networks, which would help strengthen connectivity in rural communities throughout the country. The bill would:

Here's what the Federal Communications Commission will consider at its June 2021 open meeting.

The promise of fifth-generation wireless networks has drawn headlines for at least three years, but 5G that lives up to the hype has yet to arrive for most Americans. All of the major US wireless carriers say they have nationwide 5G service, but industry analysts say that service is largely indistinguishable from 4G LTE service.