Howard Buskirk

With preparations well underway for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference, starting Nov. 20 in Dubai, officials from the State Department, FCC and NTIA said they must work together, especially on issues on which industry disagrees, like use of the 7-15 GHz band for international mobile telecommunications (see 2304240049). Officials warned the COVID-19 pandemic complicated work on the technical studies that are critical to WRC, during an FCBA webinar.

The administration views open and interoperable networks as “the way of the future” and the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund will "help put the U.S. and its partners at the forefront of that innovation,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said Thursday at a public session where officials took questions and explained the fund. Timing is tight: Applications are due June 2 and NTIA plans to make the first awards in August, Davidson said. Another round of funding will come next year.

The FirstNet Authority Board held its first meeting Wednesday under new Chair Richard Carrizzo and new Executive Director Joseph Wassel. The meeting was over in 35 minutes.

Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan on Wednesday urged Congress to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2304210069). Carriers, consumers “and the millions of Americans that roam on these networks must not be negatively impacted by insufficient funding,” Donovan said at the start of the group’s spring show in Pittsburgh.

Officials with 5G for 12 GHz Coalition didn’t get everything they wanted from the FCC in the item teed up for a vote at the May 18 open meeting. But they're pleased with what was proposed and see it as the next step on the way to use of the band for fixed wireless, and potentially to be used as part of broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program applications.

Dynamic sharing and the citizens broadband radio service are a model for the future, NTIA said Monday in a blog post and new report by the agency’s Colorado lab, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS). The support for CBRS comes as the administration moves forward on a national spectrum strategy. Last year, CTIA, which favors exclusive-use licenses where possible, questioned how well CBRS is working and the extent of deployment (see 2211140062). CTIA isn't backing down.

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert shot down a question during the company’s analyst call Thursday (see 2304270079) on whether Dish Network will soon be in a position where it has to sell its spectrum to the highest bidder.

The Chips and Science Act offers $39 billion to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, but many applicants could come away empty-handed, said Michael Schmidt, director of the Commerce Department’s CHIPS Program Office, at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation conference Wednesday.

A draft order, Further NPRM and NPRM on the broader 12 GHz band includes, as expected (see 2304260072), asking about fixed-wireless use in the lower part. It also asks about possible unlicensed use. The FCC also released a draft order on the 60 GHz band and a robocall order and FNPRM. All are proposed for votes at commissioners' May 18 open meeting. The proposed title of the 12 GHz draft is “Optimizing Spectrum for Services from 6G to Satellite.”

The FCC’s Section 214 international authorizations order and NPRM, approved by commissioners 4-0 last week (see 2304200039), got a number of changes in approach and language between the draft and final version, based on a side-by-side comparison. The item was posted in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. The order authorizes a one-time collection of foreign-ownership information from holders of international Communications Act Section 214 authorizations and seeks comment on rules requiring carriers to renew these authorizations every 10 years, “or in the alternative,” periodic updates.