Lycamobile asked to withdraw a May petition seeking reconsideration of the FCC’s approval of T-Mobile’s buy of Mint Mobile and other assets from Ka’ena (see 2404250047). T-Mobile and Lycamobile recently told the FCC they resolved litigation and put their differences behind them (see 2409120012). The filing was posted Wednesday in docket 23-171.
GCI representatives reported on meetings with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and staff from the Wireless Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics about 5G in Alaska. The state's “telecommunications environment is incredibly diverse and expansive, and lacks fulsome fiber connectivity,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 23-328. “Neither the Alaska Plan nor the proposed Alaska Connect Fund provided support that would have been adequate to deliver, in the case of the Alaska Plan, 4G LTE statewide at 10/1 [Mbps] or even 5/1 Mbps, or in the case of the Alaska Connect Fund, 5G at 35/3 Mbps or even 7/1 Mbps,” GCI said.
NCTA reiterated in reply comments this week the group’s advocacy of giving wireless providers six months to unlock handsets after they’re activated, not the FCC’s proposed 60 days (see 2409110019). While a handset unlocking mandate will be good for competition, the FCC should keep in mind the risk of fraud, NCTA said. “It typically takes a mobile wireless provider longer than 60 days to determine accurately whether a handset is subject to fraud or trafficking,” the group said: Comcast has described “why it can take five months or longer to confirm that patterns of missed bill payments and extensive periods of non-usage, the primary indicia of handset fraud, are attributable to trafficking.” Comments were posted in docket 24-186. In another filing of note, the American Financial Services Association (AFSA) agreed with comments that the FCC lacks legal authority to impose a mandate (see 2409240038). “An FCC mandate to unlock handsets before the installment plans are fully paid off would impinge on state law terms of service and financing agreements providers have with customers,” AFSA said. A mandate would also interfere with agreements between carriers and financial institutions “that offset some of the … financial risks associated with financing handsets for customers,” the group said: “Those agreements necessarily require wireless providers to lock handsets to the wireless provider’s service until the installment plan is paid off.” The Cloud Communications Alliance supported a 60-day requirement but said immediate unlocking would be even better. “As the record reflects, requiring unlocking has not impeded the offering of discount pricing plans for mobile devices either in the United States or in other countries,” the alliance said. “The unlocking requirements applied to Verizon have not prevented the company from offering discounts and, as it states in its comments, an industry-wide unlocking standard will not eliminate discount pricing.”
The FCC approved a spectrum swap between T-Mobile and Horry Telephone Co-op (HTC), said an order by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. T-Mobile and HTC agreed to exchange 20 MHz of HTC’s 600 MHz spectrum for up to 25 MHz of T-Mobile’s cellular spectrum in four counties in South Carolina. T-Mobile also acquired 10 MHz of HTC’s 600 MHz spectrum in two counties in North Carolina. Post-transaction, T-Mobile will hold 293-338 MHz, including 74 MHz of below-one-GHz spectrum, and HTC 92-137 MHZ, including 12-37 MHz below 1 GHz spectrum, in the South Carolina markets, the order said. T-Mobile would hold 390 MHz, including 76 MHz below 1 GHz, in the North Carolina counties. The FCC noted that only EchoStar objected, citing spectrum aggregation concerns. “Based on our review of the record and our market-by-market analysis, we find that the likelihood of competitive harm is low in the markets that are the subject of these transactions, despite T-Mobile’s increase in total spectrum holdings and low-band spectrum holdings,” the FCC said: “We disagree with EchoStar that the proposed assignments would disserve the public interest.”
The House voted 341-82 Wednesday to pass a continuing resolution (HR-9747) that would maintain funding through Dec. 20 for the FCC, FTC, Commerce Department agencies and all other federal entities. The resolution's passage would avert a government shutdown that would otherwise begin after FY 2024 funding expires Monday. The Senate was expected to take up the measure Wednesday night. “It would be political malpractice to shut the government down” just weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. “I think everyone understands that.”
The FCC will take on two consumer issues at the commissioners' Oct. 17 open meeting: the georouting of calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and rules requiring all wireless handsets to be hearing-aid compatible, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday. The meeting is the last before the Nov. 5 elections. Drafts will be posted on Thursday. A draft order would require all U.S. wireless carriers to implement georouting within 30 days of the effective date of the rule for nationwide providers and 24 months after the effective date for smaller ones, said a news release. Telecom trade groups have asserted carriers are voluntarily implementing 988 georouting and the agency doesn't need to mandate it (see 2407300050). The release refers to two carriers, which the FCC confirms are Verizon and T-Mobile. “Last week, our country’s largest wireless carriers began phasing out the old system of routing 988 calls, which was based on the area code and prefix of your phone number, regardless of your actual location,” Rosenworcel said: “They are replacing it with a system that uses so-called ‘georouting’ technology to make sure wireless 988 callers are connected with counselors in their local community.” Some 80% of calls to the 988 Lifeline "are done through wireless phones, and many people have phone numbers with different area codes from where they live, work or visit,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, T-Mobile president-technology. “Georouting ensures that those seeking help will reach the available crisis center nearest their location for support. It’s about making sure help is there when and where it’s needed most.” The FCC sought comment in a December NPRM (see 2312130019) on how to implement a 100% HAC standard. While the wireless industry largely supported recommendations in the NPRM, groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing urged tweaks (see 2402270066). “We’re making smartphones more accessible to consumers with hearing loss,” Rosenworcel said. “After a reasonable phase-in period, the 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among that same mobile phone models that are available to all consumers,” she said. Commissioners will also consider an adjudicatory matter from the Media Bureau. Such items are released at the meeting after they are approved.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
State government entities and telecom companies braced Wednesday for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Helene. The powerful weather event could become a Category 4 hurricane before reaching Florida's Gulf Coast Thursday, likely damaging buildings and knocking out power in many places, said an AccuWeather advisory Wednesday.
“Shoveling more spectrum” into the pool of available frequencies for unlicensed use won’t necessarily mean faster Wi-Fi speeds, Richard Bennett, High Tech Forum founder, said during a Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy webcast Wednesday. Bennett, who worked on the initial Wi-Fi standard, also questioned whether 6 GHz is taking off as a Wi-Fi band. It's expected he will lay out his arguments in a paper next week.
Industry experts expect the FCC will petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiori following the split rulings between the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the 6th and 11th circuits on the Universal Service Fund contribution mechanism, they said during a Schools, Health, Libraries & Broadband Coalition webinar Wednesday. The 5th Circuit sided with Consumers' Research in its challenge of the contribution mechanism and agreed to stay its ruling pending the commission's petition (see 2408270030).