The Competitive Carriers Association has major concerns about an NPRM set for a vote at the April 17 commissioners’ meeting proposing to prevent use of money in any USF program to buy equipment or services from companies that “pose a national security threat” to U.S. communications networks or the communications supply chain, President Steve Berry told us Tuesday. “The FCC has injected uncertainty at a time when carriers need certainty most,” as they are getting set for the Connect America Fund Phase II and Mobility Find II auctions and “building out 600 and 700 MHz spectrum,” Berry said. “This will most certainly impact the United States’ efforts to win the global race to 5G.” The Rural Wireless Association and NTCA also expressed concerns (see 1804020054). CCA was preparing for its spring meeting last week when FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated the draft NPRM. “CCA and its members care about national security and support prosecution of those who violate known national security policy,” Berry said. “Nevertheless, the FCC’s proposal to prohibit the use of USF to purchase any equipment or services produced or provided by any company posing a national security threat is incredibly broad and could impact every aspect of the communications supply chain with or without ever taking USF or purchased Chinese or Russian equipment and/or services.” Berry conceded the NPRM raises complicated issues. “CCA members care deeply about the security of their customers and the country and are focused on working towards comprehensive solutions,” he said. “I would hope any action taken by the FCC will move our nation to a broad solution and not a half measure that unduly paralyzes consumers in rural America.” Many smaller carriers have cut deals with Chinese equipment makers Huawei and ZTE, which worked hard to penetrate the U.S. market (see 1803260037).

Europe is lagging behind the U.S. in 5G preparedness now, but it doesn't have to, GSMA officials and others told us. There are many ongoing 5G-related activities, including a strategic focus on the technology by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) and Body of Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC), and there's strong political will to push Europe to the forefront, they said. But the 5G killer application remains elusive, EU efforts to boost investment in new networks have become bogged down, and political will is being sapped to some extent by more pressing issues such as Brexit and other world events, they said.

President Donald Trump signed the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services (Ray Baum's) Act FCC reauthorization and spectrum legislative package (HR-4986) and other tech and telecom policy provisions included in the $1.3 trillion FY 2018 omnibus spending bill (HR-1625) Friday, despite a last-minute threat to veto the measure. The Senate passed the omnibus early Friday 65-32, after behind-the-scenes "begging, pleading and cajoling" to assuage objections from Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the floor.

T-Mobile agreed to help accelerate the repacking of KXAS-TV (NBC) Fort Worth to more quickly have access to 600 MHz spectrum bought in the incentive auction, the carrier said Wednesday. KXAS will move to its new frequency in late May, more than a year earlier than its FCC repacking deadline of June 21, 2019, it said. “This agreement also enables T-Mobile to enhance LTE coverage and capacity in the area more quickly.” The deal will let T-Mobile accelerate improved wireless service to the Texas cities of Paris, Sulphur Springs, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls, plus Durant, Oklahoma, the company said.

T-Mobile is pleased the FCC is allowing the early repacking of some Puerto Rican broadcasters, T-Mobile executives said in a meeting in San Juan last week with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who was on a trip there and to the U.S. Virgin Islands (see 1803120056). The early transition of the TV stations there “serves the dual policy objectives of repurposing spectrum for wireless broadband use while ensuring continued vitality of the television broadcast industry,” the carrier filed in docket 17-344. T-Mobile has 50 MHz of 600 MHz spectrum in Puerto Rico “and the early repack of broadcasters there allows us to deploy this spectrum far sooner than would otherwise be possible, including for 5G service, as equipment is available.” The executives backed a more aggressive timetable for selling high-frequency licenses. “The public interest can be even better served by the Commission moving quickly to auction all of the millimeter wave bands allocated for terrestrial mobile use in the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding, including multiple (if not all) of those bands together in the initial millimeter wave auction. These include the 24 GHz, 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz bands.”

Use of artificial intelligence and other evolving technologies will be critical to managing the airwaves and handling the spiraling demand for data, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told the Mobile World Congress Tuesday. At the conference this week in Barcelona, the emphasis has been on 5G, during streamed keynote panels and in announcements made by companies there (see 1802260047). The conference is the last MWC before carriers start to deploy 5G later this year.

At Dish Network, “we obviously have concerns” about Disney’s proposed $66.1 billion buy of much of 21st Century Fox (see 1712140003), said Chairman Charlie Ergen, much as he previously expressed worries about AT&T/Time Warner (see 1711090004). Ergen, on a Wednesday earnings call, implied strongly that he thinks DOJ should challenge Disney/Fox in the courts, as it’s doing with AT&T/TW.

A modified Lifeline draft NARUC resolution urging the FCC to continue allowing resellers to receive low-income USF subsidies cleared the telecom committee unanimously Tuesday. The panel added recommendations from a rival draft backing FCC proposals to eliminate stand-alone Lifeline broadband provider designations and reinstate state regulatory authority over eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designations. It also added language to support firming up a $2.25 billion FCC annual Lifeline budget, and it OK'd a nationwide number portability (NNP) draft resolution, but withdrew a draft pole-attachment overlashing draft. The cleared drafts are expected to be approved by NARUC's board Wednesday.

President Donald Trump’s administration again proposed to cut federal funding to CPB in its FY 2019 budget proposal, placing it among the 22 entities it’s aiming to zero out for federal funding in a bid to “bring Federal spending under control, and reduce deficits by $3.6 trillion over the budget window.” The administration also proposed Monday expanding FCC authority to do spectrum auctions and eliminating accrued interest on future deposits in the Rural Utilities Service borrowers’ cushion of credit accounts. The budget largely maintains the funding levels the FCC, FTC and NTIA proposed in the Trump administration’s FY 2018 request, all of which are down from the year’s funding levels under continuing appropriations (see 1705230041). The White House also released its infrastructure legislative proposal, which would streamline the permit review process for small cells and Wi-Fi deployments (see 1802120001).

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment on a waiver request by Sensible Medical Innovations for a system that uses ultra-wideband (UWB) medical imaging to obtain lung fluid measurements for congestive heart failure patients in a noninvasive way. Rules restrict such systems to operations between 3100 MHz and 10,600 MHz, OET said. Sensible said its system "must operate in the range of 1005 MHz to 1709 MHz, because accurate lung fluid detection requires frequencies that can penetrate the body, which it claims is not technologically possible” with the higher frequencies, OET said. The company also sought a waiver of testing procedures and of a requirement that users of UWB imaging devices coordinate deployment with NTIA through the FCC. Comments are due at the FCC March 12, replies March 27, in docket 18-39.