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).

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Tuesday on a Summit Ridge request to shutter operations of the 3.45 GHz relocation reimbursement clearinghouse by March 1 (see 2410240020). “We seek comment on this request and on any other issues relevant to the Clearinghouse wind down process,” the bureau said. Comments are due Dec. 18 in docket 19-348.

T-Mobile remains upbeat about its proposed buy of wireless assets from UScellular but still won't predict precisely when a regulatory review will be completed, Jon Freier, president of the T-Mobile Consumer Group, said at a Wells Fargo financial conference on Tuesday. The companies announced the deal in May (see 2405280047). “This is one of those rare transactions that's so great for customers,” Freier said. “UScellular customers will have access to lower prices and more value as a result of this transaction.” He noted that 40%-50% of UScellular's assets are in rural markets that T-Mobile now is targeting. “We're confident in the approval of the overall transaction,” probably next year, he said. T-Mobile was pleased with the activity at its stores during Black Friday weekend, Freier said. But he said it’s too early to tell whether customers are more willing to upgrade handsets. “It's hard to know where upgrades are going,” he said. Low upgrade rates aren’t “a phenomenon that's exclusive to us; you're seeing that across the entire industry.” That's a “testament … to Apple and Samsung and Google making such great devices that are lasting longer and customers are keeping them longer.” Freier noted that 80% of T-Mobile postpaid customers already have a 5G phone, which could work against upgrades. He was also asked about customer perceptions that T-Mobile works well in dense urban areas and less well elsewhere. “We were a laggard in the 4G LTE era, way behind in terms of the network and the capability,” he acknowledged. Since closing the Sprint buy in 2020, T-Mobile has built an “incredibly powerful network” with 500,000 square miles of coverage in rural America, he said. Historically, T-Mobile was third in customer satisfaction, behind Verizon and AT&T, “and now we're nipping at the heels of being No. 1." Freier also said he has been reluctant to use AI as a “buzzword … just to hopefully impress people,” but T-Mobile is starting to use the technology for improvements in customer service. “We have billions of data points across tens of millions of customers that can help us improve their experience, that can help us improve their overall billing experience” and that means better human-assisted interactions, he said: That data hasn’t been put to its “best use just yet,” but “we have dreams about what we can … do in a much bigger way.”

NextNav is hopeful the incoming FCC will move forward on an NPRM that proposes reconfiguring the lower 900 MHz band to enable terrestrial positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services as well as 15 MHz of spectrum for 5G (see 2404160043), emailed CEO Mariam Sorond. Some observers expect Commissioner Brendan Carr, already picked as the next agency chair under President-elect Donald Trump, will move quickly on spectrum issues that the current FCC left unresolved (see 2412020043). “Our national security, economic strength, and public safety depend on having a reliable terrestrial backup to the essential GPS technology we use every day,” Sorond said: “To ensure dependable PNT services in case of GPS disruptions,” the U.S. “must enable terrestrial PNT as part of a comprehensive system of systems that backs up and complements GPS.”