The average consumer finds 5G underwhelming so far, said Jaydee Griffith, Next G Alliance managing director, during a Wednesday RCR Wireless webinar. The technology has met expectations in some areas but not others, several experts said.
The wireless industry urged the FCC to approve positions that promote 5G and 6G, and international mobile telecommunications (IMT) at the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027. Comments were due Tuesday in docket 24-30 on the FCC’s WRC Advisory Committee's (WAC) early policy positions (see 2408060019). Numerous satellite interests focused attention on: agenda item 1.7, additional mid-band spectrum and the X band being made available for IMT.
Industry urged the FCC to proceed cautiously when crafting rules for the cybersecurity labeling administrators (CLAs) and for the lead administrator, who will oversee an IoT product registry under the cyber trust mark program. Commenters disagreed about how much data consumers will need to ensure their IoT products are safe.
Verizon is looking to build grassroots support for its position on the 4.9 GHz band, opposing control of the spectrum by the FirstNet Authority and Verizon rival AT&T, as the fight over 4.9 GHz heats up (see 2408130035), with near daily filings for and against FirstNet use of the band.
FCC commissioners unanimously approved an NPRM on further changes to rules for the citizens broadband radio service band that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated two months ago. The Biden administration has focused on sharing models based on CBRS as part of its assessment of the future of spectrum. The agency posted the NPRM on Friday. Comment deadlines will come in a Federal Register notice.
AT&T advised the FCC that while it’s making progress curbing unwanted texts to its customers, political messages remain a significant consumer complaint. While political messages are only about 7% of AT&T messaging traffic, they’re responsible for 60% of complaints, the carrier said in a meeting with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau staff. In April, “the #1, #2, #4, #6 and #7 most consumer complaints originated from just one Presidential candidate, and the top eleven [10-digit long code] phone numbers -- and 74 of the top 100 telephone numbers -- reported by AT&T’s own customers belonged to political texting” campaigns, a filing Wednesday in docket 21-402 said. The filing doesn’t identify the candidate and an AT&T spokesperson declined further comment. AT&T said it has become easier to use its technology on Apple and Android operating systems to make a complaint. With technological upgrades, the carrier “is blocking fewer texts” but sees “fewer suspicious texts forwarded to us by our customers.” AT&T said last year it blocked more than 9.3 billion spam and scam messages. CTIA in May launched a political texting website, which urges campaigns to use text messages “to reach voters in a responsible manner.” More than 80% of consumers “express frustration with receiving unsolicited political messages, and that feeling is growing even stronger with each election cycle -- up 20% from 2020,” CTIA said: “A recent survey also confirmed what consumers say every day -- spam is spam, whether it’s an unwanted text from a bank, a concert promoter, or a campaign.”
As industry looks beyond the Biden administration (see 2408130062), the FCC could have some busy months ahead of it. A pair of commissioner meetings is scheduled before the November elections, with at least two more before the inauguration of the next president. While past commissions have focused on less controversial items ahead of a presidential contest, which likely won’t be the case this year, industry officials say. Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the slight front-runner for the presidency since President Joe Biden left the race based on most recent polls, although the election is expected to be tight.
The objective of Consumers' Research was getting a case about the Universal Service Fund contribution methodology before the U.S. Supreme Court. That case resulted in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' recent 9-7 en banc decision that found the contribution factor is a "misbegotten tax," legal experts said during a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition webinar Wednesday. The 5th Circuit remanded the contribution factor for Q1 2022 to the FCC for further work.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (see 2406280043) doesn’t foreclose the FCC's ability to act on net neutrality and other important public issues, Stephanie Joyce, senior vice president-chief of staff at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday.
Opponents of giving the FirstNet Authority effective control of the 4.9 GHz band, as promoted by AT&T and the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA), have been at the FCC repeatedly in recent weeks, driven in part by rumors that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel may support that plan. But industry officials say how the FCC will come down remains uncertain. With Commissioner Anna Gomez expected to recuse herself, because of work before she joined the commission, Rosenworcel will likely need support from at least one Republican commissioner.