CTIA officials met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr urging the agency to take the next steps toward an auction of upper C-band spectrum. Carr has promised to move quickly on spectrum and put a notice of inquiry on the upper C band on the agenda for his first meeting as chairman in February (see 2502050057). CTIA noted that the FCC once again has auction authority following the enactment of the reconciliation package (see 2507070045).

NextNav filed at the FCC a supplement to its early engineering report, addressing 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). The supplement filing, posted Thursday in docket 25-110, slammed critics of the earlier report (see 2504280045).

GCI representatives met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr concerning the company’s petition seeking clarity of the agency's Alaska Connect Fund mobile requirements (see 2501310053). Part of the filing, posted Thursday in docket 23-328, was redacted. As GCI and the Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition “have made clear, it is not possible to extend 5G-[new radio] at 7/1 or 35/3 Mbps to the edge of the voice service areas reached by the Alaska Plan,” the filing said. “Even excluding voice-only areas, Alaska providers will need significant flexibility and, as such, the general expectations should be more realistically calibrated in light of the nature of Alaska’s communities and the realities of wireless signal propagation and attenuation.”

In light of Congress restoring FCC auction authority, Ligado said on Thursday it’s time for the commission to address the 1675-1680 MHz band, the topic of a record refresh this year (see 1905090041). “Since 2019 the Commission has studied how to reallocate the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared federal and commercial use, and recent submissions by [NTIA] clearly establish that the band can be used for both uplink and downlink and shared with Government users,” Ligado said in docket 19-116. The opportunity to make the band available for shared use “is the fruit” of the Wireless Bureau’s “diligent efforts to refresh the record in this proceeding over the first half of this year.”

Morgan Stanley on Thursday resumed coverage of Verizon and Frontier with an "equal weight" investment rating. The firm said Verizon appears to have a strategy for improving its performance in the wireless consumer space, and its loss of market share should slow. "When we aggregate our view on moderating industry growth, Verizon's pricing premium, the competitive environment, and Verizon's strategy to improve its wireless performance, we see 2.5-3% annual wireless service revenue growth ahead with a bull case of [about] 3-4% and a bear case of [about] 2% in each of the next three years."

The 5th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court agreed Thursday to hold in abeyance a legal challenge to an FCC ruling that lets schools and libraries use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. The court's action came after the FCC reminded it that the agency's composition has changed since it adopted the school bus Wi-Fi ruling in 2023, and the current commission may no longer support the order (see 2507070012).

NCTA opposed Airspan Networks’ request last month for a waiver allowing it to manufacture a multiband radio device that operates across the citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) and C bands. “The FCC has seen deep interest by wireless providers in deployment of 5G service in both the 3450 MHz and the 3700 MHz bands, and there is an ongoing, recognized and growing need for base station manufacturers to support operations in these bands cost-effectively,” Airspan said in its request.

EchoStar and the Rural Wireless Association urged the FCC to reject waivers allowing Grain Management's proposed purchase of T-Mobile's 800 MHz spectrum in exchange for cash and Grain's 600 MHz spectrum portfolio (see 2503210033). Utility groups weighed in to support the transaction. Reply comments were posted Wednesday in docket 25-178, closing out the pleading cycle.

Ookla found “significant internet performance disparities for both Wi-Fi and mobile” at airports, it said in a survey released Tuesday. The report noted that connectivity is now something travelers expect.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Tuesday sought comment on a CTIA petition asking the commission to extend a temporary waiver that allows use of the interim volume control testing method for hearing-aid compatibility compliance (see 2507020051). Comments are due July 18, replies July 28, in dockets 23-388 and 20-3. Without further action, the current waiver would expire Sept. 29. “We seek comment on whether we should grant CTIA’s petition to extend use of the temporary volume control standard beyond the upcoming … expiration date and, if so, for how long,” the bureau said.