ORLANDO -- High-band spectrum is the "wave" of the future, industry officials told the Competitive Carriers Association Tuesday. A 28 GHz auction starts Nov. 14 and a 24 GHz auction about one month after completion of the 28 GHz auction (see 1809180056). Verizon launched the first commercial 5G network Monday using millimeter-wave spectrum (see 1810010028).
Customer complaints about FairPoint increased in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont after its $1.3 billion sale to Consolidated Communications, which closed in summer 2017, said utility commissions in those states. Maine's Public Utilities Commission Tuesday voted 3-0 to open an investigation into service quality complaints in a rural town, saying the probe could expand to other parts of the state. A week earlier, the Vermont Public Utility Commission launched an investigation into Consolidated service quality. Consolidated made network investment and other commitments to get merger OKs in northeastern states where FairPoint earlier faced service quality complaints (see 1706280042).
FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly objects to state net neutrality actions beyond California's new law, which DOJ challenged (see 1809210059). "All of them are problematic," he said Tuesday, acknowledging state net neutrality requirements for government procurement are a somewhat "harder case." Briefing reporters and answering questions, O'Rielly slammed as "crazy" the idea government must maintain four national wireless providers, called the FCC's administrative law judge review process "awful," and addressed a 3.5 GHz draft order (see 1810020050).
ORLANDO -- FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has made no decision on whether to propose another wireless infrastructure order, he said after a speech at a Competitive Carriers Association conference Tuesday. NTIA Administrator David Redl said at CCA that the band most exciting to people is the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, subject of an order teed up for the October commissioners’ meeting (see 1810010027). Both said Friday’s 5G meeting at the White House (see 1809280054) was productive.
A 3.5 GHz draft spearheaded by Commissioner Mike O'Rielly would mandate the FCC auction priority access licenses (PALs) on a countywide rather than census-tract basis. The agency would increase license terms of the citizens broadband radio service PALs to 10 years with an expectation of renewal and take other steps designed to make an eventual PAL auction a success. The FCC Tuesday posted draft items for the Oct. 23 commissioners’ meeting (see 1810010027) to address two other wireless proceedings, revise rural telco and some price-cap business data service (BDS) regulation and "modernize" cable rate regulations and broadcast filing requirements.
Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday the FCC will consider rules at the Oct. 23 commissioners' meeting allowing Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band and revising rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. Those were expected (see 1808310026). The FCC would post the draft items Tuesday, three weeks before the meeting. Also on tap is a draft order to update model-based support for rural telcos, media modernization on cable rate regulation and broadcast filing requirements and items on private land mobile radio (PLMR) services and enforcement.
DOJ likely will convince the courts to throw out California's new net neutrality law, analysts told us Monday. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other supporters of the FCC's recent broadband regulation rollback voiced confidence in DOJ's lawsuit, filed in federal court as SB-822 was signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) Sunday. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly and their supporters welcomed the suit, while Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and net neutrality advocates criticized it, and industry rivals called for congressional legislation.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen rejected an analyst’s depiction of the company on a Friday earnings call as an aggressive litigator accustomed to “flexing” its “legal muscles" by "going after some big players” with patent infringement lawsuits. Responded Chen: “Compared to some of the people we go after, we really don’t have that much of a muscle.”
California net neutrality bill watchers continued to wait for Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to sign or veto SB-822 ahead of a midnight Sunday deadline. With anticipation running high for a lawsuit if California enacts the measure, FCC Republicans continue to signal they view it as pre-empted by their net neutrality deregulation.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee this fall. That came after meeting House Republicans Friday led by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. (see 1809270044).