T-Mobile closed its purchase of spectrum, customers and other assets from UScellular, it announced Friday. The closing of the $4.3 billion deal was expected, though opponents filed an application for review just days before, asking the FCC to rescind the approval, which was done on delegated authority by the Wireless Bureau (see 2507310041). UScellular's brand "will transition in phases," T-Mobile said.
The National Spectrum Consortium on Thursday released a case study on Peraton Labs' dynamic spectrum management system, which was developed with $18 million in federal support and trialed by DOD. The operational spectrum comprehension, analytics and response (OSCAR) platform “was demonstrated successfully in nearly a dozen DoD field exercises and installed permanently at Fort Huachuca” in Arizona, the case study said. “It has reduced the time spent locating spectrum interference in training operations from hours or days to under ten minutes.”
CTIA representatives met with aides to the three FCC commissioners in support of a draft NPRM on agency enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act, which is set for a vote at Thursday's commissioner meeting (see 2507170048). CTIA “strongly supports adoption of the Draft NPRM and expeditious action by the FCC on its proposals,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 25-217. “As the Draft NPRM outlines, environmental reviews are only statutorily required for projects that a Federal agency determines are subject to substantial control by that agency, and review is not required where a statutory exclusion applies, such as for non-Federal actions with no or minimal Federal funding or involvement.”
Representatives of the 5G Automotive Association met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty on the group’s concerns about interference caused by out-of-band emissions (OOBE) from very-low-power and potential new geofenced variable-power devices in the 6 GHz band to cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) operations in the 5.9 GHz band.
CTIA generally supports the rule changes proposed for the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) and other emergency alert systems, it told the FCC in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-346. The NPRM is set for a vote at the agency's Aug. 7 open meeting (see 2507170048). “CTIA and its member companies support the FCC’s efforts to ensure that public safety stakeholders have actionable information to maintain critical services, including 911 and 988,” the group said. In deciding which information is most usable, “the Commission should consider that there is a growing consensus among industry and public safety stakeholders that the current framework for outage notifications, including those notifications to 911 and 988 special facilities in areas where DIRS has been activated, is leading to outage notification fatigue."
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.”