NAB fired back at the Wi-Fi Alliance and various tech companies for opposing its petition for reconsideration of an order expanding the parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low-power devices can operate without coordination (see 2505150017). “Both oppositions misstate the nature of NAB’s request in alleging procedural defects,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295.
Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI) announced a deal after markets closed Tuesday to buy Silvus Communications for up to $5 billion. Silvus “designs and develops software-defined high-speed mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) technologies that enable highly secure data, video and voice communications without the need for fixed infrastructure,” MSI said: The solution Silvus offers “consists of industry-leading algorithms running on a software-defined communications platform to provide high bandwidth network connectivity to mobile frontline teams and unmanned assets that operate in challenging environments.”
A new report from the Phoenix Center questions whether 5G has been the huge boon for the U.S. economy that the wireless industry claims. The report, released Wednesday, comes as the Trump administration launches a push to make 600 MHz of midband spectrum available for licensed use (see 2505270045). It disputes findings from a January study released by CTIA that each additional 100 MHz of midband spectrum set aside for carrier use will add $260 billion to the national GDP, generate $390 billion in consumer benefits and create 1.5 million jobs (see 2501230041).
Verizon representatives expressed general support for FCC rules covering an AWS-3 reauction (see 2504290007) in a meeting with agency staff, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 25-117. “We urged the FCC to move swiftly to get the AWS-3 spectrum in its inventory back into the marketplace after lying fallow for too long,” Verizon said. The meeting included personnel from the Office of Economics and Analytics and the Wireless Bureau.
NTIA filed at the FCC on Tuesday an “inventory” discussing the possible alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and GPS modernization. FCC commissioners approved a notice of inquiry in March seeking broad comment on the issue (see 2503270042).
The FCC asked for comment on whether it should update its “covered list” of unsecure companies to reflect a January finding by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. BIS found “that the provision of certain connected vehicle hardware or software by certain Chinese- or Russian-controlled entities poses an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security and the safety and security of U.S. persons.” The notice, published by the FCC Public Safety Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology in Tuesday's Daily Digest, asks for comments by June 9 in docket 18-89.
The Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance (WMSA) met with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff about several regulatory changes the group is seeking, including in a filing in the “Delete” proceeding. Among the topics discussed was the group’s request “to remove the arbitrary and unnecessarily restrictive” 50 low-power auxiliary station device eligibility threshold for a Part 74 license, said a filing posted Friday in docket 25-133. The requirement “originated in 2012 and was based on a forecast of TV whitespace device deployment which has proved overly optimistic, rendering the rule entirely unnecessary and restrictive.”
UScellular on Friday updated the FCC on its proposal to relinquish its eligible telecommunications carrier designations in various states (see 2505210029). The carrier listed the status of requests in 15 states, with most filed in March or April. UScellular has yet to file in Oklahoma. The Missouri Public Service Commission approved the relinquishment May 14, the filing said (docket 09-197).
NextNav representatives met with FCC staff about a recent engineering report on interference issues raised by the company’s proposal that the FCC reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band “to enable a high-quality, terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing services (see 2503030023). Company officials discussed the real-world conditions and scenarios it modeled to support the study’s conclusions,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 24-240. NextNav said its technical assumptions “were based on well-accepted international industry standards wherever possible, including [3rd Generation Partnership Project] specifications and ITU recommendations, as well as information provided by Part 15 commenters.”
NCTA refuted arguments made by CTIA in a study, which found that providing an additional 400 MHz of licensed spectrum would deliver $2.6 trillion in combined GDP benefits and consumer surplus (see 2501230041). Economic consulting firm NERA wrote the study.