T-Mobile on Thursday cut the price of its Home Internet and Small Business Internet services, with prices now starting at $35 monthly with AutoPay and a voice line. The previous starting price was $50/month. “The plans will come with new perks, enhanced performance and Price Lock, so customers’ prices for 5G internet won’t change as long as they stay on their plan (exclusions like taxes and fees apply),” T-Mobile said. In an investors' note, New Street said, “This appears to be a change in the plan structure rather than one of the periodic promotions that T-Mobile has offered intermittently.”

Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research supported AT&T's arguments about reconfiguring the 3 GHz spectrum range, moving the citizens broadband radio service to 3.1-3.3 GHz (see 2410090037). That would open the 3.55-3.70 GHz band for wide-area, high-power licensed use “consistent with the adjacent 3.7 and 3.45 GHz bands,” Rysavy said. “Until practical and effective spectrum sharing technologies are available, exclusively licensed, full-power spectrum with wide radio channels remains the most effective resource for 5G networks with best results for consumers,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. “Diligent efforts” by the National Spectrum Consortium and NTIA are making progress in developing methods of sharing spectrum, “but the realities of implementation are complex and development will take years.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology on Thursday approved Extreme Networks’ request for a waiver of rules for low-power indoor (LPI) devices for 6 GHz access points (APs), to be installed exclusively in indoor sports venues. Extreme plans to use weatherized enclosures, which FCC rules prohibit. Extreme noted the APs will be installed under seats "where they are susceptible to being stepped on, kicked, and having food and drinks spilled on them." The waiver request proved controversial when the FCC took comment last year (see 2310170045). OET noted the “skyrocketing demand for data” at sporting venues. “Extreme’s access points will enable expanded Wi-Fi coverage at indoor sports venues, thereby providing fans access to full capacity, low latency, and high-quality Wi-Fi networks,” the order said. But to protect other 6 GHz users from harmful interference, OET also imposed conditions on the waiver. Among them is a requirement "that Extreme be responsible for manufacturing, distribution, and sales of the access points and ship these access points directly to the relevant venue,” OET said: “This waiver would not permit operations in any outdoor locations, such as the stands of the stadium with a retractable roof or any outdoor areas associated with an indoor stadium.” The waiver is also limited to professional teams' indoor stadiums and arenas or those with a seating capacity of more than 3,000 persons.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved Axon Enterprise’s request for a waiver, allowing it to market three investigative and surveillance devices to law enforcement agencies. The devices would operate at higher power levels than allowed under FCC rules in heavily used 5 GHz spectrum. The Axon waiver has proven controversial (see 2403080044). The company proposed in July that its devices operate primarily using channels at the upper and lower edges of the U-NII-3 band, attempting to address the concerns of Wi-Fi advocates (see 2407310049). “Based on the record of this proceeding and the above analysis, we are convinced that the Axon devices can be operated without unduly jeopardizing Wi-Fi operations,” OET said Thursday. It noted that first responders will use the devices in emergencies, for short periods and mostly indoors. “We recognize the concerns from Wi-Fi operators that, under the terms of the initial waiver request, Axon’s devices could still lead to Wi-Fi interference," the order said: “However, we note that Axon … has indicated that it would be willing to accept waiver conditions and limitations appropriate to the limited scope of its product’s use.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved on Thursday a waiver sought by the Wi-Fi Alliance allowing automated frequency coordination systems in the 6 GHz band to take building entry loss (BEL) into account for “composite” standard-power and low-power devices that are restricted to operating indoors. The FCC sought comment on the waiver request last year (see 2304060049). OET noted that it now has four waiver requests before it that are seeking the change. Allowing AFC systems “to consider BEL when determining channel availability will increase the operating power of the composite … access points when appropriate, thereby increasing their utility to consumers,” OET said: “The greater operating power will enable the access points to provide increased indoor coverage and/or provide higher data rates,” which “will expand the use of the 6 GHz band, thereby furthering the Commission’s goal of encouraging more efficient spectrum use.” OET is limiting the BEL AFC systems may use in their calculations “such that the risk of harmful interference occurring is not increased compared to operation under the Commission’s current rules,” the order said.

Comments are due on Feb. 3, replies March 4, on a Further NPRM that FCC commissioners approved as part of an item last month establishing the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF) (see 2411050002), said a notice in Wednesday’s Federal Register. The FNPRM asks about mobile issues. The commission is seeking comment on “a methodology to determine a support amount for areas where more than one mobile provider had been receiving support for overlapping service areas.” It asks about “ACF Mobile Phase II service requirements, as well as how to eliminate duplicative support in ACF Mobile Phase II so that only one provider would continue to receive funding in duplicate-support areas,” among other issues. Comments should be posted in 10-90 and other dockets, the notice said.

Anterix representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, seeking action on a rulemaking authorizing 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band (see 2405210041). The representatives discussed the interest of utilities and other critical infrastructure companies in using band. “The FCC decision to create a 900 MHz broadband segment has already enabled utilities across the nation, including rural areas, to design, deploy, and operate private broadband networks tailored to their highly demanding specifications,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 24-99. “These networks are supported by an ecosystem of more than a hundred equipment vendors and other suppliers, an ecosystem launched in response to the FCC’s action and essential for addressing the nation’s need for a reliable, efficient, secure electric grid,” Anterix said.

ABI Research said the FCC should allocate more spectrum, including in the 7 GHz band, for Wi-Fi, and noted strong growth in use of the 6 GHz band reallocated for unlicensed use in 2020. Wi-Fi carries 82%-89% of mobile data traffic, said the report, released Tuesday: “Wi-Fi also supports a rapidly increasing volume and diversity of connected devices, and manages traffic from a more densely-arrayed set of devices.” ABI predicted that 6-GHz-enabled consumer devices shipped to North America will grow from 95 million today to an estimated 367 million in 2029. “Wi-Fi needs multiple 320 Megahertz channels to support the growing number of devices and high-performance applications, particularly in dense networking environments,” the report said. WifiForward said Wednesday that the report augments “a growing body of evidence highlighting an urgent need for more unlicensed spectrum.” It added, “The unlicensed spectrum of today will not be able to handle what consumers expect for the future: more devices that are more data intensive.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau on Wednesday announced UL Solutions will serve as lead administrator and a cybersecurity label administrator (CLA) in the agency’s voluntary cyber trust mark program. “As Lead Administrator, UL Solutions will be responsible for identifying or developing, and recommending to the Commission for approval, the IoT-specific standards and testing procedures for the program, among other recommendations, and for acting as liaison between the Commission and CLAs,” said a news release. The bureau plans to announce the selection of additional CLAs soon. Commissioners approved the program unanimously in March (see 2403140034). Founded as Underwriters Laboratories in 1894, UL Solutions is based in Northbrook, Illinois.

The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Service Sector notified the FCC it’s begun reviewing T-Mobile’s proposed acquisition of wireless assets from UScellular (see 2405280047). The committee is informally known as Team Telecom. “The Commission will be notified when the [committee] Chair has determined that responses to the Committee’s initial request for information are complete and the 120-day initial review period can begin,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 24-286. The FCC last month referred the transaction to the committee at its request (see 2411260041).