Carr Not Concerned by Carrier Suits Challenging September Infrastructure Order
All indications are the FCC September wireless infrastructure order is speeding deployment of small cells and 5G, Commissioner Brendan Carr said Thursday at a Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy event. Carr said he made no decision about possible next steps for the FCC and isn't concerned about legal challenges by two carriers. Members approved the declaratory ruling and order over partial dissent by Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and protests by state and local government groups (see 1809260029).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
The local siting process “is not something we can micromanage from D.C.,” Carr said. “It’s going to take good-faith discussions and negotiations both on the private sector/carrier side and on the state and local side to get these deployments,” he said. “We did exactly what we were required to do under the [Communications Act] in terms of providing high-level clarity,” he said. “These are relationships that the carriers are going to need to develop.”
Verizon Chief Financial Officer Matthew Ellis recently appeared to downplay the significance of the order, saying it “doesn't necessarily increase the velocity that we see.” Ellis said Verizon appreciates the guidance, but the important thing is the carrier’s relationships “with municipalities across the country.” Local governments seek a stay (see 1810310056) and AT&T and Sprint are challenging it (see 1810290049).
Cities were clear in opposition to deemed granted, Carr told us. “Neither side got 100 percent of what they were asking for and that’s perfectly fine,” he said. “It just shows that we tried to strike a balance.” That both sides are suing is “further evidence” the FCC tried to strike a balance, he said.
Asked about the Verizon comments, Carr said he has “seen a couple different statements” from the telco on the September infrastructure order. Sprint officials said Wednesday during a financial call they are installing small cells at an accelerated pace (see 1810310051), he added. Information filed in one affidavit in the challenge to the March infrastructure order speaks to faster deployment of small cells, he said. Verizon didn't comment.
“We’re doing 5G to make our lives better,” said panelist Amitava Ghosh, head of the Radio Interface Group at Nokia Bell Labs. “Everything from manufacturing to healthcare to IT will be affected by 5G.”
Fifth-generation wireless is “the next step” to “pervasive computing, which is everything always, everywhere, connectable,” said Derek Johnston, head-marketing and 5G business development at Samsung Networks. Robots, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles all will require 5G, he said. Johnson predicted 2019 will be a “build year.” The following year will see “broad availability of 5G for mobile applications,” he said. “It still will not be out in your rural areas yet. … It will start in dense, urban areas.”
It's not “a 100-meter dash,” said Jeff Stewart, AT&T assistant vice president-global public policy. “It’s more of a triathlon kind of race with multiple phases and a very long time period.”