Spectrum for the Future Monday welcomed a NTIA report about usage growth in the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2411150021). The group said the report shows why the FCC shouldn't increase power levels available in the band (see 2411080032). “While some have suggested raising power levels or out of band emissions limits, that path would only jeopardize our ability to deliver greater innovation, wider-ranging use cases, and more consumer choice,” a spokesperson emailed: “The data shows that dynamic spectrum sharing is working, and we should maintain the unique properties that make CBRS the model for U.S. wireless leadership.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday approved a waiver of quarterly tower inspection rules for Cooperative Energy (CE) after the co-op system installed self-diagnostic technology. “Our action today should encourage other tower owners to invest in state-of-the-art technologies so that they, too, will become capable of continuous monitoring of both their lighting systems and control devices,” the order said. The bureau noted that CE serves 11 co-ops in Mississippi and has 85 towers subject to inspection requirements. CE uses the FCC-approved Vanguard Monitoring System and its network operations centers to receive alarms from that system, the bureau said.

NTIA told the FCC that utilization of the citizens broadband radio service band is up sharply and the three-tier shared band has been a success. “With CBRS, the Commission established a ground-breaking spectrum-sharing paradigm that has enabled commercial access to mid-band spectrum and has evolved to demonstrate the success of a collaborative partnership among stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-258. CBRS deployments increased 270,621 from April 1, 2021, to July 1 this year, the filing said. Rural CBRS devices (CBSDs) “more than doubled, with an increase of 166,650 (160.6%)" and "67.5% of all CBSDs were in rural census blocks,” NTIA said. It found that 82.7% of all U.S. counties used at least one CBRS channel and 41% used all 15 as of July 1.

Tech companies' recent filing (see 2411070023) countering a broadcaster study on interference to electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations from very-low-power (VLP) devices in parts of the 6 GHz band doesn’t oppose an ENG “safe harbor,” NAB noted in a filing at the FCC. Broadcasters have asked that the agency “temporarily reserve a small fraction of the 6 GHz band -- the 55 MHz band at the top of the U-NII-8 sub-band … as a ‘safety valve’ in the event of interference,” said a filing Thursday in docket 18-295. “The claim that the ‘vast majority of VLP devices will not operate in locations where they could cause harmful interference’ is specious,” NAB added: “The whole point of the VLP service is that the devices can be used anywhere and need not be under the control of an access point.”

The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus on Friday updated the 4.9 GHz band licensing freeze, consistent with an order commissioners approved last month (see 2410220027). The changes take effect immediately, the bureaus said. They added to the list of affected applications “applications filed by incumbent 4.9 GHz licensees to modify existing licenses in the 4.9 GHz band, whether for permanent fixed sites or geographic areas” and “applications filed by incumbent 4.9 GHz licensees for new permanent fixed site operations located within their licensed service areas.” A critic of the order noted last week that the FCC expanded the freeze in a way that was likely not well understood by public safety agencies when it was handed down (see 2411130027). The bureaus said the FCC would continue accepting some applications, including to renew existing licenses without modification or seeking to modify existing licenses by deleting frequencies or fixed sites.

The FCC on Thursday released a small-entities compliance guide on wireless emergency alerts, explaining changes commissioners adopted 13 months ago (see 2310190056). The changes are aimed at “making WEA more accessible and enabling WEA to provide more personalized alerts,” the guide said.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials met with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff to discuss templates for wireless emergency alerts, said a filing Wednesday in docket 15-91. “The Bureau proposed two types of WEA templates for 9-1-1 outages, a static version and a fillable version that can be amended to include certain outage-specific information,” the filing said: “APCO expressed a preference for WEA templates for 9-1-1 outages that can be customized to include critical information such as the location of the outage, an alternative method to reach 9-1-1, and an embedded URL.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Thursday granted five more licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum. All the licenses are in Texas. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband, while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).

EchoStar representatives met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to criticize a recent SpaceX study warning of interference from fixed-wireless operations in the lower 12 GHz band (see 2409040035). “SpaceX’s study was designed to fail, because it employs unrealistic assumptions, and assumes interference scenarios that bear no resemblance to real-world fixed 5G deployments,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-443. “The Commission should move forward to authorize a higher-power fixed service in the band, which will unlock the substantial benefits of this valuable mid-band spectrum for millions of Americans, including those in Tribal communities,” EchoStar said.

Citizens Against Government Waste opposed a handset unlocking mandate as proposed in a July NPRM that FCC commissioners approved unanimously (see 2407180037). “The NPRM as currently proposed is unnecessary,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 24-186: “The wireless industry has adopted standards for cell phone unblocking. Limitations on unblocking exist solely due to merger conditions created by the FCC for select mobile providers. And consumers can choose to purchase unlocked devices either through a device manufacturer or on the secondary market.” AT&T also opposed a mandate, questioning the FCC's authority to act. An AT&T representative met with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez. “Because no provision of the Communications Act explicitly grants the Commission authority to require handset unlocking or to regulate handset sales or financing in any manner, the Commission proposed” in the NPRM relying on "general grants of authority and on the authority to modify spectrum licenses,” AT&T said.