International Center for Law & Economics Senior Scholar Eric Fruits on Wednesday criticized a NATE report by the Brattle Group, which found that the U.S. infrastructure market is a “monopsony” dominated by three mobile network operators (see 2507280064). “While the Brattle Group report effectively documents the business challenges some tower contractors face, its diagnosis of monopsony and market failure [is] incorrect,” he said in a post.
Representatives of the Utilities Technology Council told FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty "how utilities need access to additional spectrum to support the safe, reliable and secure delivery of essential electric, gas and water services to the public at large,” according to a filing posted Tuesday in docket 24-99. The spectrum “needs to provide sufficient capacity to simultaneously support multiple utility voice and data applications, including high resolution video for security, as well as low latency applications such as advanced distribution automation, distributed energy resources management systems and protective relaying systems.” The group also met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
The 12.7 GHz band is prime for satellite communications use, the Satellite Industry Association said as it called for repacking and compressing broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) and cable relay service (CARS) operations there.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America on Tuesday urged the FCC to demand increased transparency on foreign adversaries' control of smart devices and appliances. Commissioners approved an NPRM on foreign-ownership rules in a unanimous vote in May (see 2505270057). The coalition is raising “concerns with China-owned brands like Haier (owner of GE Appliances), Midea and Hisense in the U.S. market,” said a news release.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr applauded the penalties levied against Q Link Wireless and CEO Issa Asad, including prison time for Asad, for USF fraud and money laundering. “The FCC takes very seriously any instance of misuse of public funds and misrepresentation,” Carr said Monday. “Protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is central to our work.”
Representatives of groups concerned with NextNav’s proposal for the FCC to reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band to enable a “terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services met with Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff. The filing was by the RAIN Alliance, LoRa Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-SUN Alliance and Z-Wave Alliance, which earlier questioned a NextNav study on potential interference (see 2504280045).
Q Link Wireless CEO Issa Asad was sentenced to 60 months in prison Friday after pleading guilty to fraud tied to the FCC’s Lifeline program (see 2410160029). Asad and Q Link also pleaded guilty to money laundering through the COVID-19-era Paycheck Protection Program. Q Link agreed to pay a fine of more than $109 million, and Asad and Q Link jointly will pay a separate $109 million in restitution to the FCC.
UScellular announced that the company will change its name to Array Digital Infrastructure following the close of the sale of spectrum and other wireless assets to T-Mobile, expected this week. The carrier also announced Thursday that current UScellular CFO Doug Chambers will become interim CEO and president, replacing Laurent Therivel. Parent TDS and the newly renamed company will release Q2 results on Aug. 11, TDS said Friday.
Representatives of the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association met with aides to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty on the group’s concerns about NextNav’s proposal to reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band to allow a “terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing services (see 2507170036). “NextNav wishes to subsidize a new PNT solution by converting more than 95% of its current … spectrum to a new, far-higher-power commercial wireless network -- reducing the total amount of spectrum available for tolling licensees from 14 megahertz to 11 megahertz and confining tolling operations to the duplex gap,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 25-110.
The FCC’s final order addressing rules for the AWS-3 reauction, approved 3-0 by commissioners Thursday adds several sentences on tribal sovereignty to a section denying a tribal priority window for the auction. Commissioner Anna Gomez said Thursday she had asked for the language (see 2507240055). Gomez voted to approve the order with a partial concurrence. The order was posted Friday.