The U.S. table of frequency allocations can differ from the international table because of variations in U.S. rules, FCC Office of Engineering and Technology officials explained during an FCBA lunch Thursday. Attendees heard from Nicholas Oro, deputy chief of the Policy and Rules Division, and Jamie Coleman, chief of the Spectrum Policy Branch. The U.S. doesn’t adopt all the allocations in the international table and may adopt additional allocations, Oro said. Most parts of the table match, he said. Oro noted as one example the supplemental coverage from space (SCS) framework that commissioners approved two weeks ago (see [2403150045). In each of the bands affected, across the 600-700 MHz frequency range, the U.S. table now shows a secondary mobile service allocation, he said. That allocation isn’t included in the international table. “This is kind of the case of the U.S. getting out ahead of the international community,” Oro said. Another example is 6 GHz, where the international table has an allocation for mobile communications but the U.S. table doesn't, he said. Changes to the U.S. table often come through NTIA or as a result of actions during a World Radiocommunication Conference, Oro said. In addition, changes are made as a result of commission orders, he said. All changes require that the FCC seek public comment. NTIA has its own rulebook, the “Manual of Regulations for Federal RF Spectrum Management” or “Redbook,” which applies to federal agencies. Making changes doesn’t require a rulemaking process, Oro said. Coleman said her team at OET is largely responsible for managing the frequency table, ensuring updates are made, checking footnotes and issuing Federal Register updates when needed. “It’s a lot of work,” she said. Her office also works with other parts of the commission “to make sure that we’re properly analyzing … revisions and their impact on other areas of the spectrum.”

EchoStar notified the FCC that Dish Wireless met the drive test component of its 5G build-out requirements, certifying that the company offers speeds of 35 Mbps or greater to more than 70% of U.S. POPs. Meeting the drive test metric fulfills one of the commitments Dish Network made in 2019 when it asked the FCC to extend the construction deadlines for with its AWS-4, AWS H block and lower 700 MHz E block licenses and committed to an accelerated deployment of its 600 MHz licenses (see 2009110054), said a filing posted Thursday in docket 22-212.

The FCC's supplemental coverage from space framework draft order would see the service operate in select spectrum bands and on a secondary rather than a co-primary basis. The agency on Thursday released agenda items for commissioners' March 14 open meeting. A vote on the framework is expected that day. Also on the agenda are orders for "all-in" pricing disclosures by multichannel video distributors and launch of a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program, initially focused on wireless consumer IoT “products." In addition, Commissioners will vote on a report raising the FCC's broadband speed benchmark to 100/20 Mbps and an NPRM proposing creation of an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered adults.

The FCC released draft items set for votes at the commissioners' Feb. 15 open meeting, including an NPRM aimed at simplifying the process for alert originators to send multilingual emergency alerts over TV and radio. Also released Thursday was a second draft item that codifies some robocall rules while asking about applying protections in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to robocalls and robotexts from wireless carriers to their own subscribers.

Dish Network transferred some spectrum licenses, including AWS-4, H Block, CBRS, 12 GHz, 24 GHz, 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 30 GHz and 47 GHz, to a sister EchoStar subsidiary, EchoStar Wireless, while retaining ownership of other licenses including 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 3.45 GHz and AWS-3, parent EchoStar said Wednesday. EchoStar said the move "optimized strategic and financing flexibility." Spectrum and space consultant Tim Farrar posted on X that the moved spectrum "is mostly peripheral or low in value, and perhaps therefore more readily saleable to raise cash."

The FCC approved Friday a 2022 T-Mobile application to purchase 600 MHz licenses it was leasing from Columbia Capital, dismissing a Dish Network challenge. T-Mobile reported the deal was worth $3.5 billion. Analysts said when T-Mobile filed the application FCC approval was likely, especially since the carrier is already using the frequencies (see 2208090053).

The 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference “has been a clear success for U.S. interests," U.S. delegation head Steve Lang, State Department deputy assistant secretary-international information and communications policy, told reporters Friday, minutes after the four-week U.N. event concluded. He said the U.S. delegation "achieved many important objectives," including further harmonization of 5G spectrum across the Americas with an international mobile telecommunications (IMT) identification in the 3.3-3.4 and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands in Region 2. That creates 500 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 3 GHz band for 5G, Lang said.

Republican condemnation of the FCC’s actions since it shifted to a Democratic majority in late September -- and Democrats’ defense of the commission’s recent record -- dominated a Thursday House Communications Subcommittee hearing on agency oversight, as expected (see 2311290001). The hearing’s slightly rancorous tone signaled a return to more overtly partisan oversight, in contrast to relatively more bipartisan discussion when FCC commissioners testified in front of the subpanel in June, while the commission was still tied 2-2 (see 2306210076).

5G is growing in Europe, but the region is falling behind parts of the Americas and Asia, a GSMA official said during a Mobile World Live webinar Monday. Europe is “lagging in terms of customers willing to upgrade to 5G,” said Radhika Gupta, GSMA Intelligence head-data acquisition.

AT&T Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches and Verizon CFO Tony Skiadas said at a Bank of America financial conference the companies continue to test soil under the lead-laden wires in their networks and so far have found no evidence of a public health threat (see 2307210004).