The independent compliance officer (ICO) monitoring how Verizon is undertaking FCC-imposed conditions as part of the company’s Tracfone acquisition (see 2111220069) told the agency parts of the transition are still in progress. Verizon is in the midst of work on its implementation and compliance plan and is "addressing -- in some cases through remediation plans -- the ICO’s Recommendations in prior Reports relating to the Company’s Order compliance program,” a report posted Wednesday in docket 22-210 said: “However, for the most part, these enhancements and/or remediation efforts are still in progress.” The report said Verizon hasn't submitted required data narratives, data maps and other information the ICO requires. For instance, on a handset unlocking requirement “there remain instances where phones could not be activated without substantial customer service intervention” and “a significant number of customers do not receive same-day notification of TracFone’s new 60-day unlocking policy, while a smaller number do not appear to receive the notification at all,” the report said.

T-Mobile picked Nokia to launch a multi-access gateway solution supporting the carrier’s LTE and 55 standalone and non-stand-alone networks, Nokia said Tuesday. The solution “will allow T-Mobile to deliver an affordable, reliable and seamless broadband experience to every customer,” Nokia said: The platform “can incrementally scale the bandwidth for [high-speed internet] traffic to multiple Terabits-per-second, while providing significant power and space efficiency.”

The American Radio Relay League said there's unanimous support in favor of changes the FCC proposed in November that address limits on the baud rate for amateur communications (see 2311130066). The Further NPRM considers removing the baud rate limit in the 2200 meter and 630 meter bands, as well as in the VHF and UHF bands. ARRL supports "deletion of the symbol (baud) rate limitations on the subject bands as proposed, and also requested that the Commission delete the existing bandwidth limits on those same bands,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 16-239. “Those submitting comments overwhelmingly supported both actions," ARRL said. The Amateur Radio Digital Communications, which advocates on behalf of amateur operators, also backed the FCC's proposed changes. “New data transmission techniques using advanced modulation methods already present in the commercial world, when applied to amateur radio, are constrained by these limits and often cannot be implemented in the amateur radio service,” the group said.

CTIA asked the FCC to avoid making decisions that could complicate future licensed use of the 7/8 GHz band, in response to an NPRM on implementing 2015 and 2019 decisions by the World Radiocommunication Conference (see 2311290040). The U.S. “is well positioned to lead the world in licensed use of the 7/8 GHz band and to help define the ecosystems that will develop in this potentially globally harmonized tuning range,” said a Monday filing in docket 23-120. CTIA noted that delegates to WRC-23 decided to study 7/8 GHz for international mobile telecommunications. “Making licensed spectrum available in this band domestically will give the United States an early foothold for influencing the global mid-band IMT market,” CTIA said. In addition, the band is “a critical opportunity for economies of scale with the 6 GHz band, where global counterparts are planning to utilize as much as 700 megahertz in the upper portion of the band for 5G,” the group said: “International efforts to advance the 7/8 GHz band for 5G and beyond are consistent with the Administration’s clear direction” in the national spectrum strategy, “which calls for a whole-of-government effort to fast-track an in-depth study of these frequencies for wireless use.”

Goldman Sachs listed T-Mobile and American Tower in its most recent list of return-on equity (ROE) growth companies. The firm said T-Mobile had an ROE of 37%, American Tower 46%. In Q3, “consumer discretionary ROE posted the greatest increase since 4Q 2022, driven by expanding EBIT margins,” the report said. “Interest expense was a headwind to ROE across every sector as [borrowing] costs rose alongside higher interest rates.”

Aeronet representatives discussed the company’s proposed use of the 70/80 GHz bands to provide “high-speed, ‘in-home’ equivalent broadband experiences to consumers in planes and on ships,” meeting with FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Joel Taubenblatt, according to a filing posted Monday in docket 20-133. “Aeronet also expressed its strong support for the Commission moving forward to adopt this item at the January Open Meeting,” the company said. Aeronet has sought tweaks to a draft order on the spectrum set for a vote Thursday, which have proven controversial (see 2401190040). The discussion focused on maritime operations. “Aeronet emphasized its view that ship-to-aerostat links do not represent an interference risk and noted that the Comsearch study in the record concludes that ship-to-aerostat links ‘would not be harmful,’” the filing said.

T-Mobile representatives laid out the carrier’s stance on spectrum used for supplemental coverage from space (SCS), holding a series of meetings with FCC commissioner aides. The FCC shouldn’t create a satellite allocation in the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations permitting SCS operations, said a filing posted Friday in docket 23-65. “Adding a Mobile-Satellite Service (MSS) allocation, either on a co-primary or secondary basis is unnecessary for the provision of SCS,” T-Mobile said: “Current allocations for terrestrial spectrum should remain as-is, confirming, among other things, that the affected spectrum is allocated for terrestrial purposes.” Terrestrial licensees already holding licenses that cover their subscribers’ devices should “obtain a second license for the same devices, covering the times when those subscribers receive service from space stations,” T-Mobile said.

The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition objected to changes Aeronet sought (see 2401120048) to the FCC’s draft 70 and 80 GHz band order, set for a vote Thursday (see 2401040064). The FCC shouldn’t allow “Aeronet’s eleventh-hour ex parte filings to derail adoption of the draft order,” said a filing posted Friday on docket 20-133. The agency’s practice of releasing draft orders before open meetings “has appropriately allowed interested parties to ask the Commission to clarify the language in an order before adoption,” the coalition said: “However, Aeronet’s proposal amounts to a wholesale change in the proposed rule that would eliminate a coordination trigger protecting existing [fixed service] links.” CTIA raised similar concerns (see 2401180062).

The Electric Power Research Institute briefed the FCC about the analysis it used that led to file challenges to various public trials of 6 GHz automated frequency coordination (AFC) systems (see 2312220043). EPRI submitted test vectors consisting of locations along fixed-service system centerlines "with line of sight to an FS receive station,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-352. “The AFC operator response for each test vector was compared to a free space path loss (FSPL) calculation,” EPRI said: “Locations where it was found that the AFC operator assigned co-channel maximum power spectral density (PSD) was more than 3 dB in excess of the maximum PSD based on the FSPL calculation were included in the challenge letter.” EPRI understands the metrics it used were different from those the FCC specified, the filing said.

The FCC should approve Samsung Electronics America and Ericsson waiver requests for 5G base station radios that work across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum, CTIA said (see 2303280054). “Commenters in this proceeding have highlighted that use of a single radio covering two bands, rather than two separate radios operating in the same bands, has substantial benefits,” a filing posted Friday in docket 23-93 said. A multiband radio “reduces the weight and physical footprint of tower collocations, which allows for additional equipment, potentially by different operators, to be deployed,” CTIA said. They are also more energy efficient than using multiple radios, the group said: Samsung maintains the proposed radio will increase energy efficiency by 30%-45% “as compared to two standalone units.”