Extend the window for tribes to apply for free 2.5 GHz licenses, before an eventual auction, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel tweeted Wednesday. The window opened Feb. 3 and closes Aug. 3. “The FCC has an amazing one-time opportunity for Tribes in rural areas to access spectrum and build their own broadband networks,” Rosenworcel said: “But the window for action is during a national crisis. The agency has extended other deadlines. It should extend this one too.”

Rural Wireless Association representatives asked FCC Wireline Bureau staff about the timing of a prohibition on carriers receiving USF support to buy Huawei and ZTE equipment. RWA representatives expressed concern about how the FCC will interpret provisions of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act and FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-89. RWA asked whether the rule “goes into effect prior to August 14, 2020 pursuant to the 2019 NDAA or whether the FCC must develop a specific list of prohibited Huawei and ZTE equipment and services prior to March 11, 2021 pursuant to the Secure Networks Act." If the FCC concludes “USF support is akin to a loan and grant as defined under Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA, then RWA is concerned that its members may no longer be able to use universal service funding for the operation of Huawei or ZTE networks after August 13." Representatives of Mavenir, Nokia, Panhandle Telephone Co-op, Pine Belt Cellular and Strata Networks participated.

American Tower is seeing a small COVID-19 business impact, the company said Wednesday, reporting Q1 results. “Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we delivered a solid first quarter,” said CEO Tom Bartlett. “The resilience and stability of our business model, our investment-grade balance sheet, substantial liquidity and the secular global growth trends in mobile data usage will help us manage through the ongoing crisis.” Bartlett told analysts executives have been working remotely. “Our infrastructure is incredibly critical to ensure our tenants are able to keep their customers connected,” he said: In many markets, staff got “official priority definitions” so their work can continue “largely uninterrupted.” The company expects “temporary” delays in a few markets, he said. Bartlett said 5G trends include the cloud “coming closer to the edge” and deployment in a number of bands “depending on the specific area’s coverage and capacity requirements.” The variety of devices and apps “is expected to grow faster than we can possibly imagine,” he said. The company had almost $2 billion in revenue, up 9.9% over last year, and profit of $419 million, up 2.7%. “When most companies are pulling guidance, the fact that American Tower left its 2020 guidance basically unchanged … says a great deal,” MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett told investors.

The Wireless Bureau sought comment Tuesday on Garmin's request for declaratory ruling or waiver for a handheld device with a low-power, terrestrial Part 95 transmitter and an emergency satellite communications module. FCC rules otherwise prohibit such dual devices, the bureau said. Comments are due May 28, replies June 13 in docket 20-115.

The FCC Office of Economics and Analytics and the Wireless Bureau sought comment by May 4 on a waiver request by Comcast and Midcontinent Communications, which Comcast partially owns, allowing both to bid in the citizens broadband radio service auction. FCC rules “prohibit an entity from having a controlling interest in more than one short-form auction application,” said a notice in Tuesday’s Daily Digest on docket 19-244. “Absent the requested relief, Midco and Comcast would not be permitted to participate in the auction as two separate applicants.”

T-Mobile begins selling its cheapest 5G phone Tuesday for up to half off with a trade-in or added line, it said Monday. Price is $699. The Android smartphone operates on T-Mobile's 600 MHz network and is ready to go on 2.5 GHz spectrum as those markets ramp up, said the company: The OnePlus 8 has a 6.5-inch Full HD Plus display, a 4,300 mAh battery, triple camera and charges halfway in 22 minutes.

Former T-Mobile CEO John Legere notified the company he's resigning from the board of directors “effective immediately, to pursue other options,” said a T-Mobile SEC filing Friday. “Legere noted that he was not resigning because of any disagreement with management or the Board on any matter,” the filing said. Legere left as CEO April 1. His term was to expire June 4.

Reply comments filed by Friday raised concerns about the FCC proposal to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band, mostly for Wi-Fi. Comments are due Monday. “Reallocation of this spectrum will result in unnecessary deaths that otherwise would have been prevented through connected and automated vehicles,” the Institute of Transportation Engineers said in docket 19-138: “A broad cross-section of transportation safety experts and stakeholders has clearly objected to anything less than the current 75 MHz of bandwidth.” The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said reallocation “will result in unnecessary deaths that otherwise would have been prevented through connected and automated vehicles.” The National Federation of the Blind also opposed changes: “For many blind Americans, the prospect of fully autonomous vehicles … represent[s] a new era in transportation efficiency and independence.” The Alliance for Automotive Innovation Thursday said the auto industry is committed to deploy at least 5 million radios on vehicles and roadway infrastructure within five years if the FCC preserves all 75 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band for safety (see 2004230054).

NTIA released a report Thursday by its Institute for Telecommunication Sciences summarizing federal spectrum occupancy results in the 3.45−3.55 and 3.55−3.65 GHz bands at four coastal military installations -- San Diego, San Francisco, Norfolk and Oregon's Astoria. San Diego had the highest use of the spectrum, the report said. Tests were done throughout 2018 and 2019. “Incumbent federal operations in both these bands are primarily military radars and include shipborne, airborne, and land-based systems,” NTIA blogged.

Anterix executives, reviewing the draft 900 MHz item posted Wednesday (see 2004210055), like what they see, CEO Morgan O’Brien said on an investor call Thursday. The draft comes after five years of work and at least 250 filings by the company, O’Brien said. “This item confirms that spectrum allocation is a living, not a static process." The draft “really looks good” and helps meet the need for more spectrum by critical infrastructure companies, he said. “I can’t stand watching premature celebrations of victories when the game is not quite over,” he said. “Our game is not quite over. … It isn’t everything we could have possibly imagined.” Anterix has a lot more analysis to do, O’Brien said. The company said the FCC appeared to take a reasonable approach in the anti-windfall payment rules.