Howard Buskirk

FCC commissioners approved a report and order 4-0 Thursday on rules for the 60 GHz band and new call blocking requirements addressing robocalls, a recurring focus of the commission. Both items had minimal changes from drafts circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2304270077), FCC officials said.

An FCC draft NPRM, released Thursday, on the 42 GHz band seeks comment on three versions of a shared licensing approach. A proposed NPRM on facilitating the launch of next-generation 911 is a follow-up to a National Association of State 911 Administrators' petition seeking a rulemaking or notice of inquiry to fully implement NG911 (see 2110190066 and 2201200043), a draft makes clear. The FCC also released a draft NPRM proposing to strengthen robocall and robotext rules. All are scheduled for commissioner votes at the June 8 meeting. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel unveiled the agenda Wednesday (see 2305170059).

The FCC will take on next-gen 911, the 42 GHz band and robocalls and robotexts at its June 8 meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced Wednesday. Rosenworcel notes many states and local governments are investing in NG911, which is expected to be more resilient than legacy networks. “Completing the NG911 transition will also require operating service providers to do their part to make sure emergency calls are formatted to be compatible with the new IP-based system,” she said: “To speed this transition, the Commission will vote on a proposal to ensure that service providers connect to new NG911 networks on a timely and compatible basis.” Comments were mixed last year on a National Association of State 911 Administrators' petition for a rulemaking or notice of inquiry to fully implement NG911 (see 2110190066 and 2201200043). The 42 GHz band has gotten limited attention in the past, including in a 2018 notice (see 1809110040). Rosenworcel proposes tests. “With ever-increasing demand for wireless services and a finite supply of airwaves, it’s more important than ever that we make sure spectrum is being used as efficiently as possible,” she said. The FCC will consider a proposal to test “several innovative, non-exclusive spectrum access models” in 500 MHz of greenfield spectrum in the band, “which is ideal for experimentation due to the lack of incumbent licensees,” she said. “In addition to developing a record on how best to support efficient, intensive use of these airwaves, this proposal specifically seeks solutions on ways to increase access to spectrum for smaller and emerging wireless operators,” Rosenworcel said. The third item is on unwanted robocalls and robotexts. “The Commission will consider a proposal to strengthen the ability of consumers to decide which … they wish to receive,” Rosenworcel said: “Specifically, it would make sure guidance on consumers’ rights to control consent to be contacted is more apparent and easily accessible. It would also propose to close loopholes that allow certain callers to make robocalls and robotexts without consent and without the ability for the consumer to opt out.” Commissioners will also consider a Media Bureau adjudicatory item.

The FCC’s multipart draft on the 12 GHz band is expected to be approved Thursday with limited changes, said industry officials tracking the proceeding. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a draft order, Further NPRM and NPRM on the broader band (see 2304270077) addressing both the lower and upper parts of the band.

The U.S. wireless industry’s rapid growth in recent years, adding as many as 9.5 net million postpaid phones per year during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains hard to explain, said T-Mobile Chief Financial Officer Peter Osvaldik Wednesday at a MoffettNathanson investor conference. “There's still an element I think that's hard to really pin down,” he said. Core connectivity became more important than ever, with businesses and consumers adding lines, and stimulus money helped, Osvaldik said. It remains “hard to explain the totality of the industry growth with just those factors, and that's a question that I think we can't answer either,” he said. T-Mobile now has 40% market share in many top 100 U.S. markets “and we arrived there over time because of the customer value proposition,” he said. Earlier, people switched to T-Mobile because of lower costs, but the network has become a bigger factor, he said. T-Mobile’s goal is to hit 20% share by the end of 2025 in the next 775 markets, he said. T-Mobile is also getting an almost 60% penetration rate in 5G devices, he said. Customers are upgrading so they can “actually experience what true 5G is,” he said. Osvaldik said T-Mobile isn’t worried about Verizon’s new service offerings, unveiled Tuesday (see 2305160056). T-Mobile adopted new rate plans in April (see 2304200056).

Electric utilities, wireless ISPs and others asked the FCC to allow broader use of the 4.9 GHz band, beyond public safety agencies, in comments on an FCC Further NPRM (see 2305160065). Utilities said the FCC limiting use to critical infrastructure industry (CII) entities can protect public safety users. CII companies “have a record of co-existence with public safety licensees in other bands,” the Edison Electric Institute said: “To foster local control, public safety entities should directly lease 4.9 GHz spectrum to CII entities, and where public safety entities do not need 4.9 GHz spectrum, CII entities should be able to obtain primary licenses in the band.” The FCC should develop criteria for public safety licensees to work directly with CII companies on preemption, EEI said in docket 07-100. “The Commission has long acknowledged that the 4.9 GHz band is underutilized,” said Florida Power & Light. CII entities “use spectrum in ways that complement traditional public safety users, especially in response to emergencies and natural disasters,” the utility said. The American Petroleum Institute, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance and the Utilities Technology Council jointly said CII and enterprise users are the most likely users of the band beyond public safety agencies. They said it's “telling that no national or regional commercial carrier or organization representing such operators has filed comments indicating an interest in leasing 4.9 GHz spectrum under the conditions, including public safety protections, adopted by the FCC.” The FCC should "reject any argument that there is not a need for access to the 4.9 GHz band by commercial users, that commercial use of the 4.9 GHz band would interfere with public safety operations, and that the public interest would be served by expanding eligibility to certain users while excluding commercial interests,” the Wireless ISP Association said. WISPA proposed use of a dynamic spectrum coordination system to allow public safety to preempt other users. That model will “ensure reliable and immediate preemption and will provide non-public safety users with confidence that they will be able to access the 4.9 GHz band with sufficient certainty that they will only be preempted when technically necessary,” WISPs said. WISPA also opposed a petition by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials asking the FCC to reconsider part of revised rules for the spectrum (see 2303300060): “AASHTO’s Petition, which among other things requests that the Commission continue to prohibit non-public safety use of the band, provides no adequate basis for reconsideration under the Commission’s Rules and should be denied.”

Verizon announced Tuesday it's simplifying consumer price plans and will have only two unlimited offerings starting Thursday. The Unlimited Welcome plan is for the carrier's slower 5G network, with no hot spot data, at $65 for one line. The Unlimited Plus plan offers 30 GB of high-speed hot spot data per line plus the ability to connect to Verizon's faster 5G networks, at $80 per line. Per line charges drop for those with multiple lines -- the Unlimited Welcome plan comes at $55/line for two lines. Customers can add “perks” at $10 per month, including bundles from Apple, Disney and Walmart. “Others talk about phone ‘freedom,’ but in reality they’re just pushing customers into their most expensive, bloated plans -- which are limiting, don’t allow for changes, and where customers end up paying for things they don’t want or need,” Verizon said. T-Mobile and AT&T added net postpaid phone customers in the last quarter, but Verizon lost 127,000 (see 2304250073). Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO-Verizon Consumer Group, unveiled the plan at a MoffettNathanson investor conference Tuesday. “We went back to our fundamental roots” and asked “what irritates customers the most,” Sampath said. Subscribers want flexibility, control and value, he said: “And we said, you know what, we are going to give them 100% of all three.” Sampath said the U.S. wireless industry added as many as 9.5 net million postpaid phones per year during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a more natural number is 5 million-6 million. Verizon has another 100 MHz of C-band spectrum to deploy in its network and more than half its sites have fiber connections, he said. “When people talk about planning in the network” the radio access network “is not the only thing that is congested -- it's also the back haul,” he said.

The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) urged the FCC to change course on the 4.9 GHz band and issue a single national license, in reply comments in docket 07-100. PSSA had some support, but most commenters who commented on that want the band to remain independent of FirstNet. Comments were due Monday in docket 07-100.

Companies face a complicated landscape in dealing with FCC outage reporting rules, speakers said during an FCBA webinar Monday. Last year, FCC commissioners approved rules to improve the delivery of outage information to public safety answering points, but speakers said that’s just part of what the FCC is doing on outage reporting (see 2211170051). More recently, the FCC has looked at 988 outage reporting obligations, the subject of a January NPRM (see 2301040056).

Lobbying continued up to the sunshine notice period on the FCC’s proposed draft on the lower and upper 12 GHz bands, set for an FCC commissioner vote Thursday (see 2304270077). Representatives of Intelsat, SES Americom and New Skies Satellites met with staff for all four commissioners seeking revisions. The satellite operators asked for language in the NPRM “to more accurately reflect current and immediately deployable potential future satellite use of the 12.7-13.25 GHz band.” They warned “continued erosion of access to spectrum for satellite services -- particularly when demand is increasing rapidly -- will impede the United States competitiveness in the global space economy,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-443. CTIA representatives met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, also on the upper part of the band. CTIA supports “proposals to allocate flexible, exclusive-use licenses in the 13 GHz band, and enable providers to transmit at high power levels, which would be key to unlocking the benefits of the … band,” the group said. Doing so is important to a spectrum pipeline, CTIA said. CTIA also expressed support for requiring broadcast auxiliary service licensees “to certify the accuracy of their licenses and confirm whether their facilities are operating as authorized, and suggested extending this requirement to Cable Television Relay Service licensees in order to further efforts to free up the band for more efficient and intensive use.” Go Long Wireless President Tim Meyer spoke with aides to the four commissioners about “the promise of fixed wireless in the 12.2-.12.7 GHz Band.” Go Long “has been working for some time on deployment options, including the development of proprietary, two-way radio equipment” and “appreciates and looks forward to the opportunity to comment on the issues posed in the Further Notice portion,” the company said. The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance asked for tweaks, including “crisper” language on unlicensed use of the spectrum “to make it consistent” with the commission’s 2020 6 GHz order.