5G Fund Recon Petitions Get Support, Opposition
T-Mobile opposed petitions seeking reconsideration of the FCC’s October 5G Fund 3-2 order (see 2010270034). The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to revisit portions. T-Mobile specifically opposed petitions filed by the Coalition of Rural Wireless Carriers (CRWC), NTCA and…
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the Rural Wireless Association (see 2012290030). The FCC “adopted a reasonable and balanced framework to expand access to 5G service to all Americans in an efficient manner, one that avoids wasting limited resources on overbuilding and targets funding to truly unserved areas,” T-Mobile said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 20-32: “Petitioners repeat arguments that the Commission already addressed and rejected.” CCA seconded concerns raised by CRWC on transitioning from legacy support to 5G Fund support and restricting areas with any unsubsidized 4G LTE service from receiving 5G support. “Legacy high-cost support is vital to preserving and enhancing existing service, particularly in rural America,” the group said: “Wireless networks require ongoing investment and updates, and CCA members who receive legacy support continue to use it today to maintain, build out, and improve their networks.” AT&T supported concerns raised by CTIA: “The Commission wrongly decided the narrow issues of what is the appropriate recovery methodology for noncompliance with the new legacy support obligations and whether to treat a carrier’s decision to relinquish its high cost support as noncompliance.” RWA and NTCA jointly supported the CRWC petition and parts of CTIA’s petition. “Reconsider the counter-productively harsh penalty for noncompliance with usage or buildout requirements and for voluntary relinquishment of future support,” they asked.