Free Press representatives told FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel the organization supports the position of Barbara van Schewick, director of Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, and others on how net neutrality rules should treat slicing and other new services (see 2403130057). Several suggestions in the recent filing are “consistent with the Commission’s 2015 Open Internet Order,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-320. The group views a request “that the Commission clarify that ISPs cannot evade Net Neutrality rules and offer fast lanes as ‘5G’ specialized services to applications that can be supported without them -- as an application” of 2015 principles “to new technology,” Free Press said.

The American Action Forum questioned how the U.S. really fared during last year’s World Radiocommunication Conference. “Delegations from across the world largely adopted China’s spectrum approach in the mid-band, allocating the upper part of the 6 GHz band for 5G services,” a report released Tuesday said. Jeffrey Westling, director-technology and innovation policy, is its author. While the U.S. has allocated the entire 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, actions at the last WRC may keep other countries from following the U.S.’s lead, it said. “Countries don’t have to allocate the band for 5G but can’t allocate spectrum in a manner that would cause harmful interference to 5G operations in neighboring jurisdictions,” the paper said: “Equipment manufacturers will have less incentive, and potential profit, in designing and manufacturing additional unlicensed equipment that operates in the upper portion of the band, as fewer countries will allow the use of that technology.” The U.S. struggled to persuade nations to adopt its approach “because it lacks a robust plan to commercialize spectrum in the mid-band for exclusive licenses, shared models, or even more unlicensed,” the paper argues: “Leading into the conference, the only mid-band spectrum teed up for commercialization was 3.1–3.45 GHz, and the DOD pushed back on efforts to allow commercialization of the band,” and without auction authority the U.S. “lacked stability in spectrum policy, perhaps concerning potential allies that desired a robust plan for mid-band.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Monday on an application from Watts Bar Maritime and Amateur Radio School (WBMARS) in Tennessee to serve as a commercial operator license examination manager. The bureau said 12 entities are certified to serve in that role. “WBMARS asserts that examinations will be offered upon request and administered on-site or remotely in almost all U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands beginning within 10 days following approval,” the bureau said. Comments are due April 17, replies May 2, in docket 24-89.

Revenue for smartphone makers worldwide fell $36 billion over the previous two years, to $412 billion in 2023, Stocklytics said Monday. “The decline in 2023 marked the lowest full-year volume in a decade, primarily driven by macroeconomic challenges and elevated inventory early in the year,” said analyst Edith Reads of Stocklytics. “While the global smartphone market remains challenged, momentum is moving quickly toward recovery.” The report said the Apple iPhone last year overtook the Samsung Galaxy as the best-selling smartphone worldwide.

Representatives of the Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition met with Wireless Bureau staff to discuss the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF), a filing posted Monday in docket 10-208 said. They discussed “the need to mandate certain eligibility requirements for the wireless ACF in Alaska” and “impacts of transitioning from an Alaska Plan location-based platform to a hexagonal-based platform,” the coalition said.

New Street Monday noted unconfirmed reports that T-Mobile plans on investing in a fiber joint venture with Lumos Fiber for up to $1 billion. “Assuming it is correct, we aren’t surprised,” analyst Jonathan Chaplin told investors: “T-Mobile management has been hinting at more deals with fiber companies. Lumos strikes us as a strong partner, based on the success they have had in their existing operations.” Germany’s Handelsblatt first reported the development, citing unnamed sources at Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent. T-Mobile already offers fiber service in select locations starting at $55/month. T-Mobile didn't comment.

The Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT) opposed a wave of filings by public safety groups urging that the FCC consider giving FirstNet control of the 4.9 GHz band (see 2402150058), as promoted by the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (see 2401190067). “Many of these filings are form letters that were, presumably, encouraged by the PSSA, FirstNet, AT&T, and their supporters,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 07-100. FirstNet’s network is “fully owned by AT&T and integrated into its commercial network,” iCERT said. “AT&T’s contract with FirstNet requires it to provide priority access to the spectrum for public safety users but allows AT&T to use the band to serve commercial users as well.” Turning over the band to FirstNet would also be anticompetitive, iCERT contended: “AT&T competes with a variety of national, regional, and local wireless providers to serve both public safety and commercial users. A grant of the PSSA proposal is, effectively, a grant of free spectrum to AT&T.”

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 Wireless ISP Association threw its support behind the FCC's updated broadband speed standard of 100/20 Mbps that the commissioners approved Thursday (see 2403140050). “Though current average use falls below that number, especially on the upload side, it provides a sound standard to accord with actual growth in broadband demand for the foreseeable future,” said Louis Peraertz, WISPA vice president-policy. It “lays a consistent and achievable benchmark for government support pegged to that standard -- one which allows all types of ISPs to meaningfully access such programs where desired,” Peraertz said.

CTIA representatives “discussed the value of supporting broadband access, including through Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services” in a meeting with FCC Wireline Bureau staff. The commission recently sought comment on a proposal to use E-rate to support hot spots (see 2311090028). “Consider lessons learned from the Emergency Connectivity Fund” and its approach to usage monitoring, said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-31. “CTIA agrees that requiring participants to take ‘reasonable actions’ to monitor the usage of supported equipment and services strikes a fair balance between the burdens to track usage and the need to avoid wasteful spending,” the group said: “As an applicant driven program, the obligation to monitor usage should rest with applicants, who are able to set usage expectations for students and patrons, periodically access and review usage, identify and understand usage trends, and communicate any necessary adjustments to service providers.”