The outlook for the citizens broadband radio service band appears uncertain, with some wireless carriers looking at the spectrum for full-powered licensed use and CBRS advocates defending it as an important band for sharing and unlicensed use. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has had little to say about CBRS since he took over the helm at the commission.

A group of American manufacturing companies and rural broadband providers on Monday announced the launch of the 5G American-Made Coalition to defend the continued use of the citizens broadband radio service band as a shared band. “For the first time in decades, American companies are designing and building 5G equipment here at home, strengthening our supply chains, and further enabling the reindustrialization of our country,” said John Puskar, the coalition's CEO. Among the members listed on its website are Abside Networks, Cambium Networks, Keysight Technologies, Nextlink, Skylark Wireless and Tarana.

As the subject of two FCC probes, EchoStar has received backing from various industry groups and others, but it also faces new questions about how well it's complying with the terms of its 5G network buildout. That's according to docket 25-173 and 22-212 comments, which were due Tuesday in a pair of public notices: one on whether EchoStar is using the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite service (MSS), consistent with its authorizations, and the other seeking further comment on VTel Wireless' recon petition regarding an extension of EchoStar's 5G network buildout deadlines (see 2505130003).

Wireless carriers stressed the importance of spectrum to 6G in response to a May request for comment on the state of 6G development (see 2405230010). Comments were due Aug. 21. NTIA posted them this week. Some groups released their comments when they filed them (see 2408220043).

NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson announced on Tuesday the agency is making available $420 million in funding to build radio equipment needed to spur open radio access networks in the U.S. and abroad, under Phase 2 of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. Plans are to make the first grants in the fall, he said. Applications are due July 10. Davidson spoke during a Center for Strategic and International Studies event.

The FCC should make inventory spectrum available for free to “non-dominant” carriers to promote competition, EchoStar, the parent of Dish Wireless, told the FCC (see 2404090045). “Non-incumbent carriers (more specifically, every carrier other than AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon) should have a ‘right of first refusal’ to all Inventory Spectrum,” EchoStar said. The company also urged the FCC to address the lower 12 GHz band, as advocated by the 12 GHz for 5G Coalition (see 2312270045): “Substantial evidence in the record shows that fixed 5G services can provide broadband to tens of millions of Americans, while fully protecting existing non-geostationary orbit Fixed-Satellite Service and Direct Broadcast Satellite customers.” In another filing this week in docket 24-72, electric utilities said the approaches the FCC is examining don’t provide the certainty they need. “Currently, utilities have very few options for accessing spectrum -- particularly spectrum with the certainty provided by licensed exclusive-use -- and those limited options are increasingly insufficient in bandwidth,” they said. “The ability to access Inventory Spectrum presents one potential solution to the problem of spectrum availability.” The filing was signed by the Edison Electric Institute, the Utilities Technology Council, the Utility Broadband Alliance, FirstEnergy, Southern California Edison and the Southern Co. The Blooston Group of small and rural carriers said the best approach would be site-based licensing, which “would provide a simpler and lower cost way to promote access to spectrum in rural areas, and by entrepreneurs and smaller operators.” Third-party coordinators and licensee-to-licensee coordination “could be relied upon to minimize harmful interference between operators,” Blooston said. NCTA said the Lower 3, 7, Lower 37 and 12.7 GHz bands would be “perfectly situated -- both spectrally and technologically” for licensed-shared and unlicensed spectrum access frameworks. “A coexistence-based approach in each band would allow for efficient and cost-effective spectrum use by a diverse set of users, offer the fastest method of putting this spectrum in the hands of businesses and consumers, and enable federal and non-federal incumbents to continue providing critical services without disruption,” NCTA said.

Industry groups welcomed the FCC's inquiry on improving its broadband data collection (BDC) process. The agency sought feedback as part of a report to Congress about data collection and whether tools are needed to improve the data's accuracy (see 2401190071). Comments were posted Tuesday in docket 19-195.

Former NTIA acting Administrator Diane Rinaldo and other witnesses set to testify during a Wednesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing say in written testimony that smart, expedited use of funding from NTIA’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Wireless Innovation Fund), among other actions, will help supercharge innovation in U.S. open radio access networks. Several witnesses also urge accelerated development of ORAN standards, ensuring equipment interoperability. The hearing is set to begin at 2 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn, the House Commerce Committee said Tuesday.