Democratic Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel dissented Tuesday on an order creating a new Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) within the FCC, which was approved 3-2 (see 1801230066). Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said the order was strengthened since it was circulated to ensure the office plays a major role in policy formation. Officials told reporters after the meeting the office likely would have under 100 staffers.

T-Mobile officials met with FCC Wireless Bureau staff on antenna standard rules for the 70 and 80 GHz bands. “Since the conclusion of the incentive auction, T-Mobile has been rapidly expanding and strengthening its LTE network and laying the groundwork for a nationwide 5G network using its 600 MHz spectrum,” T-Mobile said in a filing in docket 10-153. “Critical to the success of these efforts is access to gigabit backhaul.” T-Mobile said it has found that the bands, with their light licensing approach and 10 GHz of available spectrum, are “ideally suited to providing rapid access to these essential links which will provide high speed connections between access points and T-Mobile’s core network.”

AT&T’s decision to sell 600 MHz licenses it bought in the incentive auction (see 1801080017) doesn’t have negative implications for T-Mobile, the top bidder in the auction, Wells Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche emailed investors Friday. “After reviewing T’s [AT&T’s] bidding activity, it is clear to us that T made a strategic decision to stop bidding on 600 MHz licenses during Stage 1 Round 22,” Fritzsche said. “We suspect this was driven by T’s confidence it was going to win the FirstNet contract, along with 20 MHz of 700 MHz and $6.5 [billion] that came with it, and opted to deemphasize its auction bidding activity.” The outlook remains bright for T-Mobile, she wrote. “Based on our conversations with spectrum experts this past week -- we remain even more enthused about [T-Mobile’s] spectrum portfolio and the opportunity it has to run with the 5G message.”

The FCC needs "to make both mid- and high- band spectrum available to enable the full suite of 5G services," said T-Mobile, which said it would launch 5G in the 600 MHz band. In meetings with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly and aides, "We discussed actions and plans by countries around the world to provide mid-band spectrum, including in the 3.5-4.2 GHz range for 5G services and the need for the Commission to move rapidly to make spectrum in this range available in the U.S.," said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-258. "To preserve U.S. leadership in wireless technologies, we urged the Commission to complete the rulemaking proceeding intended to update the regulations governing 3550-3700 MHz band and to initiate steps to auction Priority Access Licenses in that band in 2018." T-Mobile sought an NPRM "covering, and [to] otherwise accelerate its consideration of, the use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band for terrestrial mobile broadband networks," the company said. "We discussed the need to move quickly to auction the millimeter wave bands allocated for terrestrial mobile use in the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding. ... Auctioning all bands together will result in a more robust and competitive auction."

The FCC Incentive Auction Task Force and Wireless Bureau approved the long-form applications for 600 MHz licenses bought in the broadcast incentive auction, said a public notice Tuesday. Licensees of the 75 new licenses included Spectrum Financial Partners, with 23 licenses, and Tstar 600, with 12. The agency approved the first grants of licenses bought in the auction in June (see 1706140048).

Columbia Capital’s acquisition of 16 incentive auction licenses in 11 cities from AT&T wasn’t a surprise since AT&T likely got caught buying licenses it didn’t want or need, industry officials said Monday. AT&T already had low-band spectrum from the original 700 MHz auction, and picked up access to 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum nationwide through its FirstNet contract. The two companies didn’t comment Monday and haven't disclosed the purchase price. AT&T bid just $910 million for 23 licenses in the auction, which ended last year (see 1704130056). AT&T filed a document at the FCC indicating it would transfer its 600 MHz holdings to LB License Company, an affiliate of Columbia Capital, an Alexandria, Virginia-based investment firm, which specializes in wireless. Earlier, Facticia reported that LB was trying to raise $928 million for undisclosed expenses. Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America tweeted “@ATT now has access to public safety spectrum nationwide (700 MHz 'D Block').” He said “600MHz was insurance, but [AT&T] has plenty of pricey low-band spectrum for coverage; will put it's [sic] focus now on lower-cost, higher-bands for capacity.”

Sinclair’s proposed buy of Tribune is a threat to competitive wireless carriers, the Competitive Carriers Association said in a series of meetings at the FCC. “CCA described the concrete, transaction-specific injuries to mobile broadband competition that would ensue if the transaction were approved,” said a filing in docket 17-179. “Sinclair has a demonstrable incentive to exploit its position as a 600 MHz incumbent to deny wireless carriers the nearly $20 billion worth of spectrum they have purchased unless Sinclair’s preferred ATSC 3.0 technologies are incorporated into wireless handsets.”

The FCC approved for filing the long-form applications for additional 600 MHz licenses bought in the TV incentive auction, a key first step toward deployment. A total of 26 licenses were involved -- 24 by New Level and two by the Iowa RSA 2 Limited Partnership. “The Commission may return or dismiss any application if it is found, upon further examination, to be defective or not in conformance with the Commission’s rules,” said a public notice by the Incentive Auction Task Force and Wireless Bureau. The agency approved the first grants of licenses purchased in the auction in June (see 1706140048).

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the agency’s Technology Advisory Council Wednesday he appreciates its work on such issues as risk-informed interference analysis. It was the first TAC meeting Pai addressed as chairman. He noted he had been on the road other times when TAC met this year. It approved reports looking at ATSC 3.0 and the proliferation of satellites.

Dish CEO Charlie Ergen, in meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai and the four FCC members, said the company is on track for 2018 deployment of its narrowband (NB) IoT network. In a docket 17-183 ex parte filing posted Thursday, the company said it finalized development contracts with radio access equipment vendors and expects to sign a chipset vendor within weeks. It said it's negotiating with vendors to provide the core for its NB IoT network and last month issued a request for proposals to tower companies to start negotiating lease agreements. It said ultimately all its terrestrial spectrum, including its 600 MHz licenses, will be part of a 5G network. The company urged the commission to act on a MVDDS 5G Coalition petition (see 1604260068) to initiate a rulemaking designed to permit multichannel video distribution and data service licensees to use their 12.2-12.7 GHz spectrum to provide a two-way 5G mobile broadband service.