The Wireless Innovation Forum urged the FCC to keep in mind the benefits of dynamic spectrum sharing, in comments on a Wireless Bureau record refresh on use of the 5030-5091 MHz band by drones (see 2108230034). WInnForum “strongly supports the use of networked and synchronized databases accessed with device location information,” said a filing posted Friday in docket RM-11798: “These databases have emerged as a critical technology for enabling and managing spectrum access.” Networked databases “provide access to information beyond what is immediately observable by a radio, thereby mitigating hidden node problems in spectrum sharing scenarios,” the group said. They also provide “a simpler mechanism for managing upgrades to spectrum management and dynamic access schemes by updating rules in a small set of databases rather than in millions of individual radios,” WInnForum said.
Motorola announced a 6.5-inch mid-tier Android smartphone with a 20:9 aspect ratio, fingerprint unlock, two-day battery life and 13-megapixel camera with phase-detection autofocus. The $159 motog pure, available unlocked and open, will be available for preorder Oct. 14 at Best Buy, Walmart, B&H Photo, Amazon, Motorola.com and Verizon, said the company. Shipping date wasn't given. It will be available to other carriers in coming months.
The FCC's 3.45 GHz auction crested above $1 billion Thursday, to close the day at $1.2 billion in gross proceeds. That’s up from $893 million on Wednesday. Three more rounds are scheduled for Friday, with four rounds a day starting Tuesday.
A single-round, sealed-bid format is critical for wireless ISPs to bid in an eventual 2.5 GHz auction, WISPA said in calls with aides to FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks. “The vast majority of WISPA’s 700-plus members are very small fixed wireless internet service providers” who “lack the resources to hire auction consultants and inhouse counsel,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-429. Most have never participated in an FCC auction, the group said: “There is equal unfamiliarity with both auction designs. To these potential bidders, who lack experience with spectrum auctions and the resources to hire consultants, a single-round, sealed-bid auction is much easier to understand than a simultaneous, multiple-round auction.” WISPA noted a single round auction would also be quicker and makes sense in a band where “the lack of fungibility contrasts with other spectrum auctions where the licenses are typically offered for an unencumbered area … in equal-size spectrum blocks.”
The 5Gfor12GHz Coalition urged the FCC to open the 12 GHz band for 5G before action by Congress allocating money for broadband deployment. The record “confirms broad support for opening up the band for terrestrial 5G without the need for a re-auction,” said a Thursday filing in docket 20-443. “As this legislation moves through Congress, it is imperative that the Commission readies its spectrum resources and network positioning to quickly turn these allocated funds into real, accessible, and high-speed Internet connections for unserved and underserved Americans -- especially those in rural and urban areas,” the group said. The band offers 500 MHz of “contiguous spectrum ideal for accelerating the 5G mobile and wireless networks, improving opportunistic access to spectrum, and strengthening the capacity of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed services,” they said.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce urged FCC OK of Verizon's buy of Tracfone, in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 21-112: “With access to Verizon’s network and resources and increased 5G and international roaming capabilities, a stronger TracFone backed by Verizon will be positioned to compete more aggressively.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau released revised questions for the commercial operator license examination for Element 7 global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) operators, after seeking comment in June (see 2106080035). This “reflects state-of-the-art technologies and the current duties and responsibilities,” the bureau said Wednesday: Testers “may begin using the new question pool immediately or may continue to use the old questions for a period of six months.”
The Wireless Innovation Forum warned of potential problems with data in the universal licensing system, which is to be used for locating fixed microwave links in 6 GHz under FCC rules for automated frequency control. “There are inherent issues with the ULS and some of the data contained in it,” including blank, conflicting and uncollected data, WInnForum said. Members of the forum reported on a call with FCC staff, in filings posted Wednesday in docket 18-295.
The FCC 3.45 GHz auction hit $893 million in gross bids Wednesday, its second day, up from $672.4 million Tuesday (see 2110050068).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit formally remanded (in Pacer) 2019 RF safety rules to the FCC for further work Tuesday, based on its August decision in Environmental Health Trust v. FCC (see 2108130073).