Google didn't seek eligibility to buy spectrum in the incentive auction, a company spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. "Like all those interested in improved connectivity and equitable access, we'll be following the upcoming spectrum auction closely," she emailed. "That said, we have not filed to participate." The FCC deadline to file an auction application was Wednesday last week, according to the auction's website. In a Tuesday blog post titled "The Best Things in Life Are Free (Even When You’re Worth More Than Half a Trillion Dollars)," an NAB spectrum official critiqued Google. Noting the company has "expressed an interest in 'low band' spectrum" such as the up to 100 MHz that will be sold in the incentive auction, this "would be a perfect opportunity for Google to acquire spectrum usage rights," wrote NAB Vice President-Spectrum Policy Patrick McFadden. "Google’s participation would have the added benefits of raising billions in auction revenues for the government and helping to ensure the auction’s success." Now, the company is effectively saying, "Sorry, Congress. Sorry, FCC. No dice," said McFadden. "Rather than bid in the auction, Google believes it has found access to free spectrum it can monetize." The company has backed three usable channels for unlicensed use in the broadband bands and repurposed 600 MHz band, in past filings in docket 12-268 (such as here and here). "For the past year, Google has helped lead the charge behind the scenes to push the FCC to simply reallocate spectrum during the auction process for Googley purposes," wrote NAB's McFadden. "If Google can keep pulling favors from the government to add to its $548 billion bottom line, more power to it. It’s up to all of us -- most of all the FCC -- to not keep giving things to Google for free." The company didn't comment on NAB's critique. The FCC proposal "preserving continued access to unlicensed spectrum in the post-auction TV band is the subject of a substantial record that remains open for public comment," an agency spokesman responded to NAB.

Mexico and the U.S. reaffirmed their commitment to common standards for repacking TV stations to clear 600 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband use and pledged to finalize an agreement for implementation of positive train control railroad collision avoidance technology in the border area, said FCC International Bureau Chief Mindel De La Torre in a blog Friday on a two-day bilateral spectrum coordination meeting. She said the FCC met with Mexico's Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation. Meeting outcomes also include an agreement on a path to rebranding the 800 MHz band along the border "to reduce interference to U.S. public safety licensees" and development of plans to tackle coordination in such bands as 400 MHz, 700 MHz, 2500-2686 MHz, 3.4-3.7 GHz, 5.9 GHz, and the PCS and AWS bands, De La Torre said.

Only 57 days remain until broadcasters must make “binding” commitments on whether they will offer their licenses for sale in the TV incentive auction, said Gary Epstein, chairman of the FCC Incentive Auction Task Force, at the Spectrum Management Conference Tuesday. Epstein indicated the FCC will likely stick with the current post-auction time frame, which requires stations to move in 39 months. The time frame was adopted by the commission, he said: “We believe it to be sufficient but we recognize that there are going to be challenges.”

The failure of the recently concluded World Radiocommunication Conference to work out any agreements on the future of the 600 MHz band, which the FCC will offer in the TV incentive auction, and its shortcomings on the 28 GHz band raise real questions about the viability of the entire process, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said Friday in a blog post. O’Rielly, who spent most of the opening week in Geneva at WRC (see 1511050041), praised the efforts of the U.S. delegation under Decker Anstrom. “For a number of reasons, other countries prevented a global 600 MHz allocation, even going so far as trying to block any discussion of the band at WRC-15,” O’Rielly said. “They also barred the 28 GHz band from inclusion in the 5G feasibility studies. It is incomprehensible that even doing studies should be a non-starter or off the table. Science should dictate the efficient allocation of spectrum, not politics or international protectionism.” Making matters worse in the 600 MHz band was a decision that individual nations could support a mobile allocation in the 600 MHz band through a footnote only upon the approval of neighboring countries, he said. “Ultimately, this de facto veto power led to a domino effect of countries blocking other countries at the end of the conference,” he said. “Therefore, many governments that supported the U.S. position were forced to sit on the sidelines.” O’Rielly said the failures of WRC-15 raise big questions about the ITU and the entire process. “There is a real possibility” that some of the practices at the WRC “undermined the value of future WRCs and increased the risk that the ITU will become a tool for governments and incumbent spectrum users to halt spectral efficiency and technological progress,” he wrote. “Global spectrum harmonization for future services will be difficult, if not impossible, or, at a minimum, be years behind innovation if such practices are allowed to occur.” O'Rielly "raises some important and legitimate concerns," an administration official said in response to the blog post. "Important progress was made, however, at WRC-15 for the future use of 470-698 MHz for mobile broadband, helped by Commissioner O'Rielly's very effective advocacy. In the Americas, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Colombia and some Caribbean countries will move ahead, with no restrictions." The debate also revealed, as O'Rielly noted, that "many other countries supported the U.S. position and are clearly interested in using this band for mobile, particularly once they finish their digital transitions," the official said. "Much like the movement that started in 2007 and culminated at WRC-15 to globally harmonize the 700 MHz and 3400-3700 MHz bands for mobile broadband, WRC-15 has stimulated a similar process that will occur over the next decade for the lower UHF bands."

Sprint isn’t looking to merge with another carrier, and it wouldn’t do so until it achieves “the right level of operating performance,” said Chief Financial Officer Tarek Robbiati at a Citigroup conference in Las Vegas, where CES occurred. Sprint also believes it’s better to focus on deploying its “densified network” over existing spectrum than bidding on broadcast 600 MHz band spectrum in the incentive auction that won’t be available in big enough chunks and could take longer to use, he said Thursday. Earlier, other carriers (see 1601060059) and tower operators (see 1601070038) said they see potential for the auction, and Internet backbone companies said relations with ISPs improved after the FCC net neutrality order (see 1601070047).

LAS VEGAS -- FCC Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Ajit Pai told CES there are no guarantees the TV incentive auction will be a success. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged the FCC to release data on broadcaster participation. Earlier at the show, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler projected confidence, saying all indications are broadcasters will offer spectrum for sale in every major market (see 1601060048). At the last CES a year ago, commissioners other than Wheeler discussed whether it was prudent for the agency to pause the auction, now set to start March 29 (see 1501080032).

Google, Microsoft and the Wireless ISP Association separately sought changes to the FCC’s rules for white spaces devices, in petitions for reconsideration filed at the agency just before a Wednesday deadline. GE Healthcare (GEHC) also sought reconsideration. The FCC approved the rules in August, but they weren't published in the Federal Register until November, which established the deadline for recon petitions. The petitions were posted Wednesday and Thursday in docket 14-165.

The FCC Wireless Bureau plans a pre-auction process tutorial for the forward part of the TV incentive auction before Jan. 19, the bureau said in a notice. The tutorial will offer “additional information concerning access to the Commission’s bidding system,” the bureau said. The forward auction will offer the 600 MHz spectrum made available by broadcasters for sale to carriers and other potential bidders. The bureau reminded potential bidders they must have an FCC-provided SecurID token to access the auction system to place bids in the reverse or forward auctions or to participate in any mock auction. The tokens “will be distributed to applicants for the reverse auction prior to the deadline for initial commitments, and to forward auction applicants prior to the announcement of qualified bidders, to enable applicants with complete applications to practice with the Auction System,” the bureau said Monday.

The Competitive Carriers Association asked the FCC to hold the TV incentive auction as planned and ignore broadcaster arguments for a transition period beyond the 39 months in the current rules. “The FCC’s planned 39-month transition period is more than enough time for broadcasters to relocate off the 600 MHz spectrum,” CCA President Steve Berry said in a Tuesday news release. “In fact, by the time the 39-month period ends, broadcasters will have had more than seven years to prepare for the introduction of new wireless broadband services that consumers crave. … Instead of asking for more time, broadcasters should be making plans now to relocate.” Patrick McFadden, NAB vice president-spectrum policy, said at the CCA convention in October that forcing all broadcasters off their spectrum by a given date makes little sense and will be unworkable (see 1510080026). “NAB supports a successful incentive auction that is voluntary and realistic in its deadlines," an NAB spokesman said in response. "It is not realistic to think that upwards of 1,000 stations can be repacked into a shrunken TV band in 39 months. Rather than setting an arbitrary 39-month deadline, the FCC should wait until the auction is over to set an end date for when stations turn in their licenses.”

AT&T will participate in the TV incentive auction but still has questions about how big it will go in the auction, CEO Randall Stephenson said Tuesday at a UBS financial conference. Stephenson said one big question is whether AT&T will be able to acquire the 2 x 10 MHz blocks that make deployment economically feasible. Executives from Verizon and T-Mobile sounded similar notes at the UBS conference Monday (see 1512070047).