The Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA) told the FCC an applicati...

to at least 80 markets in the next year. Most of those 80 are beyond the 100 largest markets “and include homes and businesses that do not have access to cable modem or DSL service,” it said. WCA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to reconsider a recent proposal that would move away from a broadcast-style regulatory approach for ITFS and MDS. The changes are designed to update the regulations for those services in a way that more easily would accommodate the rollout of wireless broadband and other new services. WCA asked the Commission to roll back its decision that immediately froze the filing of applications for new or modified ITFS and MDS facilities. The group urged that the freeze be limited to ITFS stations located outside existing protected service areas that essentially would be seeking licenses for ITFS “white space” or unassigned spectrum. WCA said in a filing Wed. it was responding to an informal inquiry by FCC Wireless Bureau staff on the freeze’s impact. The association said a more limited freeze would let current licensees deploy new wireless broadband system while protecting the FCC’s interest in preserving auctionable ITFS “white space” from encroachment. WCA said it polled its members on the impact of the filing freeze on wireless broadband systems planned in the next year, although it said the freeze could last longer. It said the markets affected by the filing freeze included: (1) 28 where the existing wireless broadband system operator wouldn’t be able to carry out plans to add the cells needed to expand network capacity in its current service area or expand its service area to cover those not now served. (2) Several where MDS/ITFS-based wireless broadband wasn’t publicly available now, although operators already had invested in “preapplication” activities. (3) 2 in which ITFS licensees had been frustrated in plans to deploy noncommercial 2-way broadband systems for their own use. WCA also rejected the idea that liberal grants of waiver requests would get around the problems posed by the broad freeze. “The public interest is not served by requiring licensees to spend resources on preparing waiver requests and suffer the delays in application processing that will inevitably result,” it said.