Verizon closed its Tracfone acquisition, the company said Tuesday. Verizon paid about $3.1 billion cash and 57.6 million shares, it said: If TracFone keeps achieving certain operating metrics, Verizon will pay up to $650 million more cash. “The addition of the TracFone brands firmly establishes Verizon as the provider of choice in the value segment,” said Verizon Consumer Group CEO Ronan Dunne. Conditions from the FCC’s Monday OK (see 2111220069) “can have real-life benefits for consumers -- if they’re vigorously followed and enforced,” said Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Conn.; Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I.; Dianne Feinstein, Calif.; Ron Wyden, Ore.; and Ed Markey, Mass. “This deal reflects the firm, important commitments public interest groups and we fought for to preserve Lifeline and budget services.” The completed deal lets Verizon be "aggressive in the prepaid sector without harming its postpaid branding," said GlobalData analyst Tammy Parker. It "should help reenergize the prepaid sector, amping up the competitive fervor" among national carriers' secondary brands including AT&T's Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile's Metro, she said. "On the negative side, despite consumer protections required by federal and state regulators, TracFone’s acquisition removes an independent service provider from the market."

National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes urged the Senate Monday to restore “full funding” for next-generation 911 tech upgrades when it takes up the House-passed Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package. The HR-5376 version passed last week (see 2111190042) includes $490 million for NG-911. That’s less than 5% of the $10 billion the House Commerce Committee proposed in September (see 2109140063); $470 million would go to tech upgrades and $20 million for NTIA to administer the program. The measure also allocates $1 million for NTIA to set up a Public Safety NG-911 Advisory Board. That money would represent “the largest federal investment in 9-1-1 in history” and “we appreciate that,” Fontes said in a statement. “However, it is less than” what House Commerce sought and “less than 4% of the $12 billion” NTIA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended in 2018.

Members of the Wireless Innovation Forum’s 6 GHz Committee Steering Group urged a quick process for approving automated frequency control systems in the 6 GHz band, in a meeting with staff from the FCC. “AFC Systems must be tested and certified for commercial operation,” which must include “a public trial/demonstration period,” the group said in a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295: Similar experiences with the TV white spaces and citizens broadband radio service “indicate the entire process could be lengthy.” The group said "AFC Systems are significantly less complicated and should be much easier and quicker to test and certify.”

Verizon committed to offer Lifeline services for at least seven years after the close of the Tracfone buy, in a Thursday filing in docket 21-112. Verizon said the change from three years was intended to address FCC concerns. “All Verizon/TracFone’s Lifeline service offerings will meet or exceed the Lifeline minimum service standards (MSS) in place throughout this time period,” the carrier said. It committed to offering and advertising existing Tracfone Lifeline rate plans “for at least three years after the transaction closes unless the plan no longer meets Lifeline MSS standards.” California Public Utilities Commissioners unanimously cleared the deal Thursday, with FCC action expected shortly (see 2111180068).

Boost Mobile, Dish Network's prepaid wireless brand, unveiled an annual plan offering customers unlimited talk and text, plus 1 GB monthly, for $100 per year. “This is the first of many Carrier Crusher plans that Boost will launch throughout the holiday season,” said a Thursday news release. Boost said it’s targeting “the 85% of Americans who use under 10 GB of data per month and have finite unlimited data plans options.”

Equinix said Thursday it reached an agreement with Dish Network to provide digital infrastructure services as the provider launches a cloud-native, open radio access network-based 5G network (see here).

5G fixed wireless could serve 8.4 million rural households, about half the rural homes in the U.S., with a “'future-proof,’ rapidly deployable, and cost-effective high-speed broadband option,” said a CTIA-commissioned study by Accenture. “These findings underscore the value of U.S. infrastructure policy embracing both wired and 5G fixed wireless home broadband solutions to help connect the unconnected as fast as possible,” said CTIA President Meredith Baker Thursday.

AT&T’s claims that it offers a “faster internet experience” than cable for large file uploads was supported “in the context in which it was presented, as well as the claim that AT&T Internet delivers ‘consistent speed, even at peak times,’” the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division said Thursday. NAD recommended AT&T drop or modify “other challenged comparative performance, pricing, and bandwidth claims.” NAD looked at the claims after a complaint by Charter Communications. AT&T should make clear the difference between different tiers of service it offers, NAD said: AT&T should modify ads to “delineate the tier of service with ‘up to 20x faster upload speed,’ and, if stating a price offer, clearly and conspicuously disclose to which tier of service the offer applies.” AT&T and Charter didn’t comment.

Association of American Railroads representatives told staff from the FCC Wireless and International bureaus they're concerned (see 2109080043) about use of the 160.9 MHz band by maritime devices that mark fishing equipment, since railroads use the spectrum on a primary basis. The unlicensed nature of group B devices using automatic identification system technology “would expose railroad operations to potential -- and difficult-to-remedy -- harmful interference,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-230.

T-Mobile urged a prompt auction of the 2.5 GHz band and said the FCC should ignore calls by AT&T and Dish Network that it disclose before the auction “the terms of its leasing arrangements with incumbents” in the band. Both “simply wish to, contrary to Commission rules and precedent, obtain access to competitively sensitive information that is unrelated to the spectrum available for auction,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-120. The information in the leases is “competitively sensitive,” T-Mobile said: “Not only do the leases include provisions regarding the intended use of the spectrum, but they also include information about fees charged for that use, any restrictions on use, and other carefully negotiated business terms.”