The launch of the FirstNet network has meant thousands of new jobs and has generated $5.6 billion in salaries so far, the FirstNet Authority said in a report released Thursday. Consulting firm Fors Marsh, which conducted the study, estimated that network development “created an average of 13,877 jobs per year over a seven-year period,” the authority said.

The Ultra Wide Band Alliance supports an FCC proposal expanding parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination and allowing client-to-client operations (see 2403280038), said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. But the alliance opposed increasing VLP power above current levels. “UWB has been operating in the frequency range of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz on an unlicensed basis for over 20 years,” the group said: It's often “misstated” that a 2020 order “opened the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operation” when “the band had been in use on an unlicensed basis for two decades at that time.”

The Maryland Department of Information Technology called on the FCC to require that FirstNet participate in the agency’s disaster information reporting system and network outage reporting system, an issue raised in a January Further NPRM (see 2401250064). The department noted that in 2013, FirstNet opposed reporting real time data to the FCC. “In the ten plus years since that initial opposition, everyone in the public safety broadband space has learned much from actual use in events requiring first responders,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-346: “FirstNet has migrated from a new system reaching out to public safety for subscribers to a mature tool vital to many first responders.”

The Wireless ISP Association met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez on an NPRM proposing a ban on bulk billing arrangements in apartments, condos, public housing and other multi-unit buildings (see 2403050069). “Bulk billing agreements with a competitive carrier can provide a valuable consumer benefit by offering broadband service at up to 60% off retail rates to all multi-tenant environment residents, especially in low-income or public housing developments,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-142: “Competitive providers, especially small providers, benefit from securing a stable and steady customer base in an MTE at a significant reduction in transactional costs.”

T-Mobile answered three series of questions that FCC staff posed about the company’s proposed acquisition of Mint Mobile (see 2303150032), a low-cost prepaid wireless brand, and other assets from Ka’ena. Among the questions: “What are your top 3 risks? Who owns those risks? Who owns the risk management process?” and how will T-Mobile protect customer data as the assets are integrated? The answers were almost completely redacted in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 23-171.

Summit Ridge, which serves as the 3.45 GHz Clearinghouse, updated the FCC on its progress, in a report posted Tuesday in docket 19-348. “Clearinghouse costs, including both accepted hard and soft incumbent clearing expenses and Clearinghouse operating expenses, are as a whole, running close to its initial budget,” the report said. The clearing timeline is delayed some three months “because NBCUniversal has yet to complete its clearing operations and submit its final costs,” the report said. Summit Ridge said there were no disputes so far from new licensees or incumbents.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comments due May 2, replies May 18, on a February petition seeking launch of a rulemaking that authorizes 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band. Petitioners argue that “expanded 5/5 megahertz broadband will support growing demand for wide-area, private, and secure wireless broadband networks for utilities, critical infrastructure, and business enterprise entities, among other benefits,” the bureau said Tuesday. The Enterprise Wireless Alliance, Anterix and electric utilities filed the petition (see 2402290064). “We seek comment generally on the Petition and its request that the Commission provide an option for 5/5 megahertz broadband networks in the 900 MHz band through a voluntary transition process,” the bureau said: “In particular, we seek comment on whether existing rules would be sufficient to protect incumbent narrowband operations from interference, as well as whether those rules would be sufficient to protect operations in adjacent spectrum bands.” Comments should be filed in docket 24-99.

5G technology company Airspan Networks said it crafted an agreement with its creditors to emerge as a private company through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Through an agreement with Fortress Investment Group, Airspan will receive up to $95 million of new equity financing, eliminating existing debt, Airspan said this week. The deal has the support of 97.4% of Airspan’s funded debt creditors, the company said. “We are excited about the Company’s long-term growth opportunities,” said Drew McKnight, Fortress co-CEO and managing partner: “Our significant commitments through this Agreement reflect our conviction that a recapitalized Airspan can further solidify its leadership position within the wireless industry.” The company went public three years ago.

The FCC continues getting pressure to provide an exemption for 5G network slicing under proposed net neutrality rules, expected to be unveiled this week (see 2403290057). “The debate surrounding ‘network slicing’ is welcome because it rather convincingly demonstrates the inherently problematic nature of the proposal to impose public utility regulation on Internet service providers in a technologically dynamic marketplace,” Free State Foundation said in a comment Tuesday. Slicing will “help enable more efficient use of wireless networks, while also enabling capabilities and services that will support investment to deploy and add capacity to next-generation wireless networks,” Verizon said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-320: “Placing unnecessary restrictions on this technology could stifle it in its infancy, to the detriment of consumers and our nation’s leadership position in the mobile economy.” Verizon representatives spoke with aides to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks.

Consumer Cellular requested a waiver from the FCC of a Jan. 22 deadline to file data in the commission’s one-time collection of foreign ownership information from international Section 214 authorization holders. The carrier said it holds one authorization but never received notice of the need to file until “well after the deadline.” In addition, the carrier said it “acted expeditiously to submit the required information but has been unable to do so because the portal for submissions is now closed.” A waiver “would serve the public interest by helping ensure the accurate reporting of the information requested,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 23-134. FCC commissioners agreed to the data collection in April 2023 (see 2304200039).