International Center for Law & Economics Senior Scholar Eric Fruits on Wednesday criticized a NATE report by the Brattle Group, which found that the U.S. infrastructure market is a “monopsony” dominated by three mobile network operators (see 2507280064). “While the Brattle Group report effectively documents the business challenges some tower contractors face, its diagnosis of monopsony and market failure [is] incorrect,” he said in a post.
The Trump administration has so far raised many questions about its approach to tackling cybersecurity, former acting NTIA Administrator Evelyn Remaley said during a USTelecom webinar Tuesday. Other experts said the administration is mostly on the right track, though they conceded its policies remain a work in progress.
Groups and companies urged the FCC to move forward to complete rules for the lower 37 GHz band, including adopting a dynamic spectrum management system (DSMS) based on experience in other shared bands. Reply comments were due Monday and mostly posted Tuesday in docket 24-283. In a 4-0 vote in April, FCC commissioners approved an item aimed at spurring greater use of the 37 GHz band, which the Biden administration had targeted for repurposing (see 2504280032).
There's a wide gap between what carriers will pay to construct wireless infrastructure and the costs builders face, NATE said in a report released Monday. The report comes as NATE negotiates framework agreements resetting the relationship between members of the group and the major carriers (see 2507140033).
An FCC NPRM exploring faster retirement of aging copper telecom facilities had numerous changes from the draft, as did a pole attachment item, based on side-by-side comparisons. The copper retirement NPRM was posted in Monday’s Daily Digest. Commissioners last week approved both items 3-0 (see 2507240048).
The FCC’s final order addressing rules for the AWS-3 reauction, approved 3-0 by commissioners Thursday adds several sentences on tribal sovereignty to a section denying a tribal priority window for the auction. Commissioner Anna Gomez said Thursday she had asked for the language (see 2507240055). Gomez voted to approve the order with a partial concurrence. The order was posted Friday.
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., on Friday accused FCC Chairman Brendan Carr of abusing his power by pushing Verizon and other companies to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs to win approval of transactions before the commission (see 2505160050). Verizon’s proposed buy of Frontier was held up as Carr sought assurance on DEI (see 2505160024). Ivey spoke during a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) conference.
T-Mobile’s buy of a stake in fiber-based provider Metronet as part of a joint venture with investment firm KKR closed Thursday, T-Mobile announced. T-Mobile closed its JV with Lumos in July. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, during a call with analysts Wednesday, highlighted the closing of the deals (see 2507230066). “With both up and running under the T-Fiber banner in the second half, we are poised to deliver 100,000 or more fiber nets on top of our planned 5G broadband nets this year,” Sievert said. “We are off to the races.”
Both big infrastructure items teed up for votes on Thursday were approved 3-0, without dissent from Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez. The items were laid out in advance of their circulation (see 2507020036) in a speech by Chairman Brendan Carr on his "Build America Agenda.” More infrastructure items are on their way at the Aug. 6 meeting, Carr noted during a news conference.
Verizon and UScellular urged the FCC to approve their proposed spectrum deal, as the regional carrier seeks to sell off most of its spectrum holdings. In a filing posted Wednesday in docket 25-192, they jointly responded to opponents of the transaction. Verizon agreed in October to buy UScellular’s 850 MHz, AWS and PCS licenses for $1 billion (see 2410180004), a deal various groups have opposed (see 2507080053).