The National Digital Inclusion Alliance urged that the FCC ensure providers and households in the affordable connectivity program are prepared when it ends. In a letter posted Monday in docket 21-450, the group asked for a requirement that ISPs notify participating households 90, 60 and 30 days prior to ACP's end. Moreover, it asked that the FCC create a public list of consumer protections and lead an awareness campaign about the wind-down. NDIA suggested that ACP outreach grant recipients help conduct outreach about affordable plans. "Without the ability to reach impacted households, grantees risk losing the trust of those they enrolled in the program, which undermines the successful implementation of future broadband benefit programs the commission may administer," the group said.
One of the big wireless questions for 2024 is whether Dish Network will succeed as a fourth national wireless provider, New Street’s Blair Levin said in a weekend note to investors. Another is whether another carrier will buy USCellular, he wrote. He added: “There is a question about whether any potential buyers would face a risk of a government rejection, particularly given the views of Democratic antitrust authorities and the results of the last major acquisition to face an FCC review (T-Mobile/Sprint)." Any buyer other than AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon would likely see easy approval, he noted. “Lots of studies are in the pipeline” in the aftermath of the national spectrum strategy, but “these won’t lead to more spectrum coming online before 2025,” Levin said. No resolution appears likely soon on the lower 3 GHz band, but 12 GHz “is the one place” the FCC could authorize a new band for terrestrial use, he said: "Depending on if and how the FCC does it, it could be a boost for DISH.” Levin also predicted Congress could authorize the FCC to sell returned AWS 3 licenses. Congress could authorize a “targeted reauction” without addressing broader DOD concerns “that are blocking efforts to reauthorize spectrum auctions.”
Samsung Electronics America made a technical argument at the FCC in favor of approval of a waiver for a 5G base-station radio that works across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum (see 2309130041). The proposed multiband radio “will not materially increase emissions” in the CBRS band, “or materially increase the CBRS noise floor, compared to two collocated standalone C-Band and CBRS radios; and it will have emissions that are lower than those permitted by the FCC’s rules,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 23-93. Key parts of the filing were redacted, including a table on measured noise levels from the composite radio. The multiband radio “will always have less emissions than a C-band radio or collocated C-band and CBRS radios operating in compliance with the FCC rules,” Samsung said.
Just five telecom providers in the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program filed a final certification, which indicates the "recipient has 'permanently removed from its communications network, replaced, and disposed of (or is in the process of permanently removing, replacing, and disposing of)'" all suspect Huawei and ZTE equipment, the commission told Congress Friday. Lawmakers have eyed legislative vehicles that could allocate an additional $3.1 billion, ensuring full reimbursement of rip-and-replace participants' costs, but haven't reached a deal yet (see 2311070050). Rip-and-replace participants "are continuing to work toward permanently removing, replacing, and disposing of the covered communications equipment and services in their networks," the FCC said in a report. "Recipients continue to indicate, however, that they are facing certain challenges that may hinder their ability to complete that work, both in general and within the time allowed by the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act" and related FCC rules. "Roughly 47% of recipients indicated in their most recent status updates that lack of funding continues to be an obstacle to completing the permanent removal, replacement, and disposal of the covered communications equipment and services in their networks in their entirety, an increase from the 39% that had reported this when" the FCC communicated to Congress in July, the commission said: "Approximately 19% of recipients reported that they will be unable to finish the removal, replacement, and disposal process unless additional funding is provided." About 26% of recipients "contend that an extended period of time needed by the Fund Administrator to review Reimbursement Claims is also a challenge," the FCC said. Review times "have expanded primarily as a result of an increase in the number of claims submitted and the insufficiency of the information included in the claim." In addition, recipients cited supply chain issues and labor shortages as delay factors, the FCC said. By the end of December, the FCC received 12,983 reimbursement claims “across 122 of the 126 applications approved for a funding allocation.” The FCC said it has approved $396.5 million in disbursements to recipients and "granted eleven recipients’ requests for an extension of the one-year deadline to complete" the rip-and-replace process. "The deadlines now range from October 10, 2023 to November 16, 2024," the FCC said.
The five-year satellite disposal requirement that just went into effect won't trigger a faster pace of low earth orbit satellite launches as operators won't try to put vehicles in orbit under the regulatory wire, space experts tell us. In addition, the new rule shouldn't propel LEO missions to seek licensing in nations outside the U.S., they believe. The five-year deorbit rule adopted in 2022 (see 2209290017) covers all launches after Sept. 29.
Lynk's Tower 5 and Tower 6 satellites were supposed to launch in November, but damage during transit delayed that launch, the satellite operator told the FCC Space Bureau last week as it requested an extension in the deadline for posting its surety bond. Lynk said the satellites are now set for launch on a March 1 SpaceX mission, with the remaining 5 satellites in the constellation launching by April. In 2022, the International Bureau granted Lynk a 10-satellite license for a direct-to-standard-mobile-phone service (see 2209160067). Lynk said Towers 1, 3 and 4 are in orbit and operational.
The FCC should dismiss three counterproposals from Pacific Radio Group for allocating FM channels on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, said SSR Communications in an opposition filing posted Friday in docket 23-197. The counterproposals are defective because PRG already owns four FM facilities in that market, SSR said. SSR originally proposed allocation of three channels on the island, and PRC's counterproposals involve the same three channels but would allocate them to different communities with larger populations, the SSR filing said. In addition, PRG said it would seek construction permits to build stations for each channel: “PRG certifies that [it] will participate in a future Commission spectrum auction for a new permit at Princeville, Hawaii, and if it is the winning bidder, will build the station promptly,” said one PRG filing. As PRG already owns four full-service FMs in that market, FCC radio ownership limits would prevent it having additional stations on Kaui, SSR said. “Because PRG is not eligible to receive a construction permit for any of the channels that are the subject of the counterproposals, the counterproposals are akin to ‘strike applications’” filed to delay competitors, SSR said. PRG didn’t comment.
Intrado urged the FCC to move forward on a proposal accelerating a move to next-generation 911. The agency teed this up in a June NPRM (see 2306080043). In early December, company representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, according to a filing posted Friday in docket 22-271. “The most important elements for accelerating NG911 deployment are … the FCC adopting a nationwide NG911 framework that accommodates current and already-planned deployments and creates the conditions to accelerate others” and “increased and faster direct wireless/VoIP OSP connectivity via basic Session Internet Protocol (SIP) to Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets), which would support the delivery of 911 traffic in [IP] and reduce or eliminate the need for provider protocol translation workarounds,” Intrado said. The company urged that any supplemental coverage from space providers or applicants be required to explain in their applications how their SCS deployments will support 911 call or text routing to the appropriate public safety answering point with sufficient location information.
The FCC asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hold Consumers' Research's challenge of the Q1 2024 USF contribution factor in abeyance until a separate challenge the group filed is decided (see 2401030069), said the commission's motion Friday (docket 24-60006). Consumers' Research previously challenged the Q1 2022 contribution factor, which the court heard en banc in September (see 2309190072). "Because these cases involve the same parties and the same legal issues, it would best serve the interest of judicial economy and efficiency for the court to hold this case in abeyance until it issues a ruling" in the earlier case, the FCC said.
Wisconsin’s Country WIreless asked the FCC for a six-month deadline extension to complete the removal, replacement and disposal of covered equipment and services from its network. “Country Wireless is working diligently to install a replacement network, which will enable the company to remove insecure equipment provided by Chinese manufacturers from our network,” said a filing last week: “As a small, rural operation, and through no fault of ours, we lack the financial resources to complete the project, as Congress has provided only 40% of the funds needed.”