CTIA President Meredith Baker welcomed FCC approval Thursday of a notice of inquiry on the upper C band (see 2502270042). “This is the kind of swift action we need on spectrum in order to meet skyrocketing consumer demands for wireless data and to secure our global technology leadership,” Baker said: “Other countries have allocated significantly more licensed mid-band spectrum for 5G services, jeopardizing our economic competitiveness abroad. Making Upper C-band available for 5G services will strengthen our nation’s wireless networks, drive innovation, and create jobs at home.” Baker also called on Congress to renew FCC auction authority.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has granted a U.S. request for an interlocutory appeal of the court's November decision to partially reject the U.S.'s motion to dismiss Ligado's L-band lawsuit (see 2411180023). In a docket 23-1797 order Friday, Senior Judge Edward Damich said he was staying the Ligado litigation proceeding pending the appeal. Ligado alleges that DOD is infringing on the company's L-band spectrum rights and that it manufactured concerns about possible interference with GPS as a cover-up (see 2310130004). The appeal "was expected as it provides the defendants their only recourse against the court’s ruling last year on their motion to dismiss," Ligado said. It added that it "welcomes the opportunity to get a definitive legal ruling from the appellate court on the strength of its takings claims and to continue its efforts to receive just compensation from the government.”

T-Mobile filed a heavily redacted further response to a series of questions the FCC posed in December about the company’s proposed buy of “substantially all” of UScellular’s wireless operations, including some of its spectrum, in a deal valued at $4.4 billion (see 2412270031). In response to questions on deployment incentives, T-Mobile told the FCC it doesn’t “provide incentives for consumers to subscribe to its fixed wireless service offerings.” The carrier “focuses on providing consumers with reliable service and extended value across a variety of strongly competitive subscription offerings in the nationwide in-home broadband marketplace.” T-Mobile noted that it’s now the nation’s “fifth largest and fastest-growing” ISP. Most data was redacted from the filing last week in docket 24-286.

5G Americas outlined some of the most likely use cases for non-terrestrial networks (NTN) as part of 5G. Those uses include remote and rural connectivity, maritime and aviation communications, disaster recovery and emergency response, and IoT and asset tracking, said a paper released Thursday. “The technological advances in the space and satellite communications industry and their integration with terrestrial telecommunications networks will play a significant role in shaping the future of connectivity,” the paper said, noting that telecom revenue via wholesale satellite partnerships is expected to exceed $28 billion by 2030. “Spectrum-sharing mechanisms, including carrier aggregation, are being explored to ensure harmonious coexistence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks,” 5G Americas said: “NTN standardization efforts are also progressing with upcoming advancements in [3rd Generation Partnership Project] Release 19 that will drive further improvements in satellite payloads, mobility management, and network slicing, making NTN more efficient and scalable.”

The FCC’s World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee will meet in person April 15 at 11 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, the agency said Thursday. This will be the first meeting of the committee during Donald Trump's second presidency. The meeting will be livestreamed.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Wednesday granted 14 additional licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum, 11 in Texas and three in Missouri. The FCC approved an order five years ago reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).

T-Mobile asked the FCC not to make public the data it must file by Saturday for the agency’s broadband data collection. “Because the Confidential Information is highly proprietary and non-public, T-Mobile requests that this information be afforded confidential treatment indefinitely,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-195.

GSMA discussed the importance of so-called circular business models in the mobile carrier industry, with an emphasis on refurbishing old phones and putting them back into service, in a report released Wednesday. The group said circularity can be increased by “using recycled materials and renewable energy, increasing the lifespan of phones by repairing, reusing and refurbishing existing phones, designing phones to be more durable and repairable and providing adequate software and security support.” Industry can ensure that “no device ends up as waste by recovering and recycling phones that cannot be reused,” the report said. GSMA also expressed support Wednesday for the European Commission’s introduction of a Clean Industrial Deal. The wireless industry “has long been committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with network operators adopting climate targets and promoting sustainability.”

Summit Ridge updated the FCC on the pending closure of the 3.45 GHz relocation reimbursement clearinghouse (see 2501070073), expected this weekend. “Summit Ridge will deliver an audit of Clearinghouse financials covering the period from March 15, 2024 (the ending date of the prior audited financials) through closing … no later than March 15,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-348. All band incumbents “have been reimbursed for the approved clearing costs and have confirmed they have no additional costs to submit or objections to raise.” Summit Ridge will "follow any remaining wind-down activities as instructed” by the Wireless Bureau, the filing said.

Rural Wireless Association representatives discussed 5G Fund issues, including the importance of waiting for the BEAD program to play out before deciding where money is most needed, in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. RWA also asked that the FCC “not take into account areas where T-Mobile plans to build 5G … as part of the conditional approval of its acquisition of Sprint,” said a filing this week in docket 20-32. “RWA noted that T-Mobile's six-year 5G deployment milestone deadlines, pursuant to the T-Mobile-Sprint merger approval, end on April 1, 2026,” the filing said. That deadline is 13 months away, “and by the time a reverse auction is initiated, these deadlines will have passed making any such pre-auction commitments unnecessary and incredibly anticompetitive.” RWA discussed the benefits of waiting for supplemental coverage from space to “develop beyond text messaging and voice services and how this emerging mobility service can enhance connectivity in underserved areas cost effectively without the need” for 5G Fund support.