Verizon said the FCC doesn’t need a usage rule for Wi-Fi hot spots that the E-rate program funds (see 2401300063). E-rate rules “will require schools and libraries to pay part of the cost of Wi-Fi hotspots, which will discourage" them "from subscribing to unused services,” the carrier told Wireline Bureau staff, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-31. The commission “has found it necessary to apply a usage rule only when the support amount covers the entire cost of a service” including services offered under the emergency connectivity fund, Lifeline and the affordable connectivity program, Verizon said: “If the Commission adopts a usage rule in this proceeding, the rule should be flexible and simple for schools and libraries to apply, and focus primarily on guarding against large-scale warehousing.”

Scott Harris, NTIA senior spectrum adviser and point person on the national spectrum strategy, has left the agency, he said on social media Thursday. The departure was expected (see 2403050048) and comes a week after NTIA released the strategy's implementation plan (see 2403120056). Harris posted photos from his farewell party, at which NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and others wore socks emblazoned with an image of Harris’ face. Harris was the former chief of the FCC International Bureau and founder of the law firm now known as HWG.

J.P. Morgan cut estimates for AT&T's Q1 following last month's nationwide wireless outage (see 2402220058). "In Mobility, despite a 'quick recovery' following the company's network outage … we expect a slight subscriber impact from the outage and lower 1Q postpaid phone net adds to 300K," said analyst Sebastiano Petti. "We also lower 1Q postpaid phone [average revenue per user] to $55.59 to reflect the $5 per account bill credit for consumers affected by the outage."

Time is ripe to examine in a broader context FCC requirements for handset unlocking, Verizon told the agency in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 23-171. Requiring providers to unlock their devices, “which often contain software that prevents them from operating on another carrier’s network … allows consumers to switch providers more easily,” Verizon said. But “an unlocking requirement may discourage a carrier from deeply discounting a phone because it cannot recoup its subsidy if a customer immediately moves to another carrier.” Verizon noted the rules have been inconsistent. The FCC adopted handset unlocking and other open platform requirements on carriers buying licenses in the 700 MHz upper C-block auction, Verizon noted. The carrier bought the 700 MHz licenses in an auction that ended in 2008, giving it low-band spectrum nationwide (see 0803250101). More recently, public interest groups urged handset unlocking requirements as a condition of T-Mobile’s proposed buy of Mint Mobile (see 2402220032), Verizon said: “Regardless of whether the Commission requires T-Mobile to accept some or all of the handset unlocking conditions requested, it should pursue a more considered and uniform approach to unlocking.”

Two retired senior military officials on Wednesday urged collaboration between the wireless industry and the DOD on opening the lower 3 GHz and 7/8 GHz bands for licensed use. While the U.S. “has been the established global leader in wireless, a new technology superpower -- China -- is emerging with astonishing speed,” said Mike Rogers, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former director of the National Security Agency, and Bruce Crawford, retired lieutenant general and former Army chief information officer. “Both our military and commercial sectors need access to spectrum -- but today our national spectrum policies are struggling to keep up with critical needs,” they said in a Stars and Stripes essay. The lower 3 and 7/8 GHz bands align “with our allies around the globe and should be our priority,” they added. “We should explore all opportunities for full-power commercial access to these bands while ensuring that the needs of federal missions are fully met.” In addition, DOD needs clear direction and a schedule of auctions from the FCC, Rogers and Crawford wrote: “Too often our military is forced to respond to band-by-band spectrum access requests without any global view of the policy objective or insight into when or where the next request will be received. That is not how the military works.”

Mongoose Works failed to show that the FCC Wireless Bureau erred in siding with the C-band Relocation Payment Clearinghouse's classification of two of the company's antennas, the FCC Enforcement Bureau said in a docket 21-333 brief Wednesday. Mongoose is appealing a Wireless Bureau decision upholding the Clearinghouse's reduction of Mongoose's C-band clearing lump sum claim amount by $69,686 (see 2309180019). The Enforcement Bureau said the earth station operator failed to cite an FCC rule or policy or otherwise support the argument that the two antennas should be categorized as large multi-beam earth station antennas. Instead, Mongoose states that its arguments are consistent with the C-band clearing order "without offering anything more," the bureau said.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology rejected petitions seeking changes to the commission’s 5.9 GHz rules filed by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and the 5G Automotive Association. The alliance urged the FCC to reconsider its 2020 order opening 45 MHz of the band for Wi-Fi, while allocating 30 MHz for cellular vehicle-to-everything technologies. The 5GAA sought revised out-of-band emissions limits for unlicensed devices in the band. The response was mixed to both reconsideration petitions (see 2107230033). “In making the lower 45 megahertz available for more flexible unlicensed use, the Commission found that, when added to U-NII spectrum in the adjacent 5.725-5.850 GHz … band, the 45 megahertz of spectrum from the 5.850-5.895 GHz … band would provide for increased high-throughput broadband applications in spectrum that is a core component of today’s unlicensed ecosystem, thereby providing the American public with the most efficient and effective use of this valuable mid-band spectrum,” OET said in an order this week. In 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the order (see 2208120035). OET noted the decision rejects alliance claims the agency “exceeded its legal authority” in issuing the order: “The court rejected the argument that the change in administration requires the Commission to revisit its decision.” 5GAA’s coexistence analysis “does not convince us to reconsider the OOBE limits decision for indoor unlicensed operations adopted” in the order, OET said. “We conclude that the indoor unlicensed device OOBE limits the Commission adopted … will sufficiently protect C-V2X communications in the upper 30 megahertz from harmful interference,” OET said.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation urged the FCC to act on a 2021 5G Automotive Association petition (see 2106030075), asking the agency in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-138 to reduce by 20 dB the permitted level of unwanted emissions from the unlicensed services that share the 5.9 GHz band.

The FCC Wireless Bureau granted waivers of the 2.5 GHz tribal application window for five licenses sought by the Ho-Chunk Nation. “Our decision here is limited to the suitability of these specific trust, Tribally-owned fee, and allotment lands, excluding urban areas, to be licensed under the Tribal Window,” said a Tuesday order: “We make no determination as to the status … with respect to other Commission rules or programs, nor for any other purpose.” Bureau staff must still process the applications for the licenses. The window to apply closed in September 2020 (see 2007310066).

Etherstack urged the FCC to give FirstNet control of the 4.9 GHz band, noting that it’s well suited for 5G (see 2401190067). Part of the wider 4.4–5.0 GHz band was identified for international mobile telecommunications in several countries, and all of it is included in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project standard for 5G technologies, the software company said in a Monday filing in docket 07-100. 5G networks are deployed in the band in Japan, China and Hong Kong and private 5G in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, Etherstack said. “There are plans/consultations for the use of this spectrum band in a range of countries including Brazil, India, Indonesia and Vietnam,” the company said: “Importantly, Australia has also recently designated the 4.9 GHz band as a public safety band which can be used for cellular technology.”