PCIA Panelists Cite Regulatory Delays for Slow Wireless Infrastructure Growth
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More spectrum is essential to meet growing consumer demand, but inefficient management by federal regulators, including the slow approval process of Dish Network’s proposed new wireless network, is keeping infrastructure lagging behind demand, panelists at the PCIA show said Tuesday. “The technology is ahead of the regulations,” said Associate General Counsel Edward Roach of SBA Communications. Several panelists said both consumers and the market will benefit from Dish’s spectrum, including lawyer Alison Minea of Dish. “We're new to this, but we see a lot of opportunity for the S-band, so stay tuned,” she said.
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The FCC should finish work this year on the order letting Dish start a wireless network with 40 MHz of available spectrum, Minea said. She said she didn’t know whether it will be on the commission’s November meeting schedule. The tentative agenda for October’s meeting doesn’t include such an item. The company is frustrated by the delay, and believes it’s time for the FCC to establish some certainty on issues associated with developing the network, she said. Issues that still need to be worked out include Dish’s concerns about a 5 MHz shift for its uplink, interference from the neighboring H block and a potential restart of standards work for hardware already conducted by the company, Minea said. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen are scheduled to speak to the PCIA show Wednesday.
There are still many emerging obstacles that could slow wireless infrastructure deployment, Roach said: One is ambiguity over how challenges based on migratory bird patterns will be addressed. Other environmental regulations, as well as zoning issues, are also hampering buildouts, he said. Wireless infrastructure improvements are also slowed by local jurisdictions that are “tight for money” and see the towers as an opportunity to boost revenue, he said. In one case, tower registration fees went from $100 to $2,000, he said. “As each day passes, it’s harder to site a tower, and as each day passes, people want to do more with their wireless devices."
Spectrum is being mismanaged by federal regulators, with one issue being uncertainty in merger and acquisition guidelines, Cusick said. Too many small carriers are creating inefficiencies in spectrum deployment, he said. “There are three excess 4G networks. It’s insane.” One or two of these networks will need to “go away” through merger or liquidation, he said. Consultant John Kneuer, a former NTIA administrator, said the White House needs to clarify the governing policy on tower relocation to resolve confusion between the policy guidance laid out in an executive memorandum and from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Dish believes it will have some advantages over competitors, Minea said, including the prospect that it could be the first company to be able to offer voice, video and data to consumers in both fixed and mobile formats. Since it has no legacy customers using older technology, it will be able to offer a pure LTE service, she said. Analyst Phil Cusick of J.P. Morgan said Dish won’t be in a position where its new services cannibalize existing revenue streams, but success will depend on how soon Dish can get into the market, as other carriers are also building out their LTE networks. “It could be an interesting product, and it will be good for consumers for Dish to get into the market, but timing will be important,” Cusick said.