The FCC should drop any plan to revoke existing equipment authorizations as part of the ongoing push to make networks safer, industry groups agreed in reply comments on an FCC Further NPRM (see 23040700500). The Competitive Carriers Association, CTA, NCTA and the Telecommunications Industry Association were among those raising concerns about retroactive revocations. Initial comments also urged caution (see 2304100057). Most comments were posted Tuesday in docket 21-232.
Consumer and public interest groups want the FCC to get more aggressive in clamping down on illegal and unwanted robotexts to consumers, according to comments on a March Further NPRM (see 2303160061). CTIA said robotexts and robocalls are inherently different, and extending the same rules to both doesn’t make sense. USTelecom said the FCC could take some steps but should proceed with caution. Comments were due Monday in docket 21-402.
Dish Network is better positioned than its competitors, with the most advanced wireless network available, Chairman Charlie Ergen said during a call with investors Monday as the company reported Q1 earnings. Ergen also said he's disappointed the FCC didn’t reallocate the lower 12 GHz band for 5G (see 23042700774). Dish reported customer losses across most of its businesses, finishing the quarter with 7.91 million wireless subscribers, a net loss of 81,000 in the quarter, with churn of 4.57%. The company lost 343,000 in the year-ago quarter.
Commenters opposed Stadler Signalling Deutschland’s request at the FCC (see 2304040055) to operate its automatic train protection system in the 100 kHz band at higher power levels than FCC rules allow. Comments were due at the FCC Thursday in docket 23-133. Hellen Systems raised concerns about protecting long-range navigation (Loran) and enhanced-Loran (eLoran) systems. “Stadler’s primary argument in requesting this waiver is that LORAN C, which operates in the 90-110 kHz band, is ‘obsolete’ and therefore no longer needed,” Hellen said: “This, unfortunately, is a gross mischaracterization of the status of LORAN technology and its current place as a compelling radio navigation solution to meet our growing resilient Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) needs.” ELoran “is very much alive internationally and under serious consideration by multiple departments of the federal government for use domestically” to supplement GPS, the company said. “While the United States terminated its Loran-C system in 2010, interest in using the spectrum for radionavigation remains,” the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation said. Russia and Saudi Arabia still operate Loran-C radionavigation systems and eLoran is used in the U.K., China and South Korea, the group said: “The applicant has not made a compelling case that it should no longer be reserved for that purpose, nor that other frequencies are unsuitable and/or unavailable for applicant’s desired purpose.” Continental Electronics also raised Loran concerns. ELoran “remains relevant and is not obsolete,” the company said: “There is government wide and international interest in pursuing its development and deployment.” UrsaNav cited use across the world of Loran technology. “The 90-110 kHz spectrum is internationally reserved,” UrsaNav said: “Although use of Loran is in transition globally, several nations continue to operate Loran-C and/or its successor, Enhanced Loran.” Microchip Technology opposed the waiver, saying use of the band as proposed “could interfere with eLoran signal reception, which would undermine the ability for eLoran to serve as a back-up to GPS for national critical infrastructure and other PNT applications.”
Some of the most important decisions to be made at this year's World Radiocommunication Conference will be on future agenda items, industry officials agreed during the second part of an FCBA webinar Thursday (see 2305040086). A bifurcated approach, with separate committees developing industry and government positions, may no longer make sense in a 5G world, they said. WRC starts Nov. 20 in Dubai.
The U.S. Supreme Court is difficult to predict, but lawyers see reason to believe the court will use an upcoming case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, to clarify the status of the Chevron doctrine, legal experts told us. The doctrine underlies the authority of independent agencies like the FCC and the FTC. The court last week agreed to hear the maritime case (docket 22-451). The court hasn’t cited Chevron for several years, though it continues to be cited by lower courts.
With preparations well underway for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference, starting Nov. 20 in Dubai, officials from the State Department, FCC and NTIA said they must work together, especially on issues on which industry disagrees, like use of the 7-15 GHz band for international mobile telecommunications (see 2304240049). Officials warned the COVID-19 pandemic complicated work on the technical studies that are critical to WRC, during an FCBA webinar.
The administration views open and interoperable networks as “the way of the future” and the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund will "help put the U.S. and its partners at the forefront of that innovation,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said Thursday at a public session where officials took questions and explained the fund. Timing is tight: Applications are due June 2 and NTIA plans to make the first awards in August, Davidson said. Another round of funding will come next year.
The FirstNet Authority Board held its first meeting Wednesday under new Chair Richard Carrizzo and new Executive Director Joseph Wassel. The meeting was over in 35 minutes.
Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan on Wednesday urged Congress to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2304210069). Carriers, consumers “and the millions of Americans that roam on these networks must not be negatively impacted by insufficient funding,” Donovan said at the start of the group’s spring show in Pittsburgh.