CBRS

NTIA is “near the finish line” on release of a national spectrum strategy (see 2301090035), Scott Harris, NTIA senior spectrum adviser, told the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee Thursday. Harris said the agency doesn’t view the strategy as an end point.

The FCC told spectrum access system administrators Tuesday they're now permitted to allow longer citizens broadband radio service device (CBSD) reauthorization periods than those previously permitted under FCC rules for some operations. The directions follow a letter to the FCC from NTIA. Previously, all devices had to be reauthorized at least once every five minutes to ensure compliance with FCC rules. “We agree that extending this reauthorization period from 300 seconds to 24 hours in geographic areas and portions of the spectrum band that are outside of the scope of current federal operations will help to provide a more stable and predictable spectrum environment for Citizens Broadband Radio Service users while ensuring an interference-free environment for critical federal operations,” NTIA said in the Monday letter to the chiefs of the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology. NTIA said it’s comfortable with the longer periods for devices outside of dynamic protection areas (DPAs) and for devices using the 3.65-3.7 GHz part of the band. The shorter time frame continues for devices using 3.55-3.65 GHz inside DPAs. The CBRS rules were designed to protect primarily naval radars that use the band. The FCC adopted the changes. “We agree with NTIA that allowing SAS administrators to modify their implementation of the CBSD reauthorization period under these circumstances will create a more stable, predictable spectrum environment for all 3.5 GHz band users without jeopardizing the protection of critical federal operations from harmful interference,” the FCC said.

Samsung Electronics America representatives said they met with FCC staff to press for action on the company’s request for waiver for a 5G base station radio that works across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum (see 2303100019). “The waiver request has been pending for more than a year” and is “ripe for grant,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 23-93. “As carriers prepare to deploy wireless infrastructure to utilize both their 3.7 GHz and 3.5 GHz licenses, the proposed multiband radio is critical to support 5G buildout in the United States,” Samsung said: Grant of the waiver “will serve the public interest by affording 5G network operators with access to an innovative, efficient, and cost-effective base station that is smaller, is more energy efficient, and has more functionality than separate CBRS and 3.7 GHz band radios.” The representatives met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and staff for the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology.

Wireless ISP Association representatives raised concerns on Samsung Electronics America’s request for waiver for a 5G base station radio that works across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum (see 2303100019). WISPA questioned whether the waiver could be construed to allow the CBRS side of the radio to use higher C-band out-of-band emissions limits. “We indicated that the difference between -13 dBm/MHz and -25 dBm/MHz is significant,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-93: “Any increase in noise within the CBRS band could have severe consequences for the tens of thousands of [CBRS devices] currently registered for General Authorized Access and Priority Access License use, many of which have been deployed by WISPA members to serve … consumers and businesses.”

The FCC ordered spectrum access system administrators in the citizens broadband radio service band to start using the DOD’s Telecommunications Advanced Research and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing System (TARDyS3) scheduling portal to protect designated DOD facilities. “The TARDyS3 is a DOD managed calendar-based tool that will support the expeditious and autonomous communication of scheduled spectrum use information for designated facilities in the 3.5 GHz band that was developed to replace the manual scheduling portal currently used,” said a Monday order by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering Technology. The FCC said it acted on a request last week by NTIA.

The current iteration of the FCC’s Technology Advisory Council, with its focus on 6G, held its final meeting Thursday, its first meeting in 2023. TAC members approved two white papers and reports by its working groups. Andrew Clegg, co-chair of the Advanced Spectrum Sharing Working Group, told TAC the group faced roadblocks getting data from the government. TAC approved recommendations and a white paper from the WG, which the FCC hasn't posted.

The FCC Wireless Bureau granted the NFL a two-year extension of rules for the citizens broadband radio service Wednesday, allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications system in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games. The FCC sought comment in July (see 2307050028) and NCTA raised concerns but didn’t oppose the waiver (see 2307180042). The NFL “reiterates many of its claims about its coach-to-coach communications system, but also states that it has spent the past several months conducting due diligence into implementing a technological solution beyond its current ISP redundancy in each NFL stadium,” the bureau said. “We find that a limited extension of the conditional waiver to allow the NFL to complete due diligence on a rules-compliant technical solution … is in the public interest.” The bureau ordered the league to submit a report in March explaining what it's doing “at each NFL stadium to avoid interruptions” in spectrum access system connectivity and “details regarding any remaining impediments to achieving compliance with the Commission’s rules.”

Charter Communications has fully rolled out use of citizens broadband radio service band spectrum in one market for offloading mobile traffic from its mobile virtual network operator agreement with Verizon, with plans for a broader CBRS rollout next year, CEO Chris Winfrey said Friday as the company announced Q2 earnings. Charter ended the quarter with 6.6 million residential and small-business mobile lines. Winfrey said more than 11% of its internet customers have its mobile service, and the mobile penetration should sizably grow over the next several years. It ended Q2 2022 with 4.3 million total mobile lines. Charter hopes to land "significant" broadband equity, access and deployment program funding, Winfrey said. BEAD rules are notably different from broadband programs in states where Charter operates, and the company will work with governments on rules "still conducive to private investment," he said. Charter is doing trials of its Xumo video platform, offering unified search across linear and direct-to-consumer offerings, with deployment later this year, Winfrey said. Chief Financial Officer Jessica Fischer said Charter remains on track for 300,000 additional state-subsidized rural passings this year. She said Charter expects to spend $4 billion this year on line extension work, with similar spending likely in 2024 and 2025. Charter had Q2 revenue of $13.7 billion, essentially flat year over year, with internet and mobile service revenue growth offset by declines in video and voice service revenue. It ended the quarter with 28.5 million residential internet customers, up about 300,000 from the same quarter a year earlier; 14.1 million residential video subs, down 780,000; and 7.2 million residential voice subs, down 1 million.

The U.S. shouldn’t look to the citizens broadband radio service band as a model for future sharing if only because it’s based on old technology and doesn’t reflect advances in sharing technology, said Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research at an American Enterprise Institute 5G forum Thursday. Other experts said the U.S. will be hobbled on spectrum until Congress reauthorizes FCC spectrum auction authority.

Cablers discussed the importance of unlicensed spectrum and called for a shared spectrum “pipeline,” in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. They also discussed the importance of the citizens broadband radio service band and a CBRS-like approach to sharing. The wireless industry has stressed the importance of “pipeline” of licensed spectrum as 5G takes off (see 2209260048). “To keep pace with … ever-growing consumer and industry demand, it is essential to continually build a robust pipeline of unlicensed and shared-licensed spectrum resources, and ensure that each band’s operating requirements allow consumers to experience its maximum benefits,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. “The largest national wireless carriers, manufacturers, utilities, schools, hospitals, energy companies, neutral host networks, like stadiums and convention centers, municipalities, and small and rural wireless” are “actively using CBRS for a variety of wireless services,” the cable interests said: “Many new, non-traditional providers, like manufacturers, hospitals, and schools, were able to access commercial spectrum for the first time because of CBRS’ innovative sharing regime and licensing rules, which allowed them to compete at auction and tailor smaller license sizes to their specialized network needs.” Among those at the meeting were NCTA, Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox Enterprises and CableLabs.