An upper C-band auction is unlikely to start in FY 2026, the FCC Office of Economics and Analytics said in an annual update on projected auction activity in the next fiscal year, which begins Wednesday. The report projected that the AWS-3 reauction will get underway but didn’t provide additional timing details. The report was posted in Monday’s Daily Digest. “In the next twelve months, the Commission will also consider competitive bidding for licenses for spectrum in other services in its inventory that is well-suited for 5G and has been licensed in prior auctions, such as, without limitation, 600 MHz spectrum,” the report said.
The Utilities Technology Council and several of its member companies met with FCC Wireless Bureau staff to express support for a proposed rulemaking to authorize 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band (see 2505190025) and to discuss other spectrum issues. “Utilities need access to licensed spectrum to ensure mission critical communications reliability using frequency bands that provide favorable propagation for wide area coverage without line of sight issues,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 24-99.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) added his voice Friday to calls for the FCC to approve an NPRM aimed at allowing corrections officials to jam cellphone signals (see 2509240028). Commissioners vote Tuesday. “We have heard from law enforcement across the state that this is one of the biggest challenges they face each day, and jamming the signal of these contraband cell phones is the most effective solution,” Carr said.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology has sent letters denying applications for recognition from four labs “controlled by the government of China,” the agency said in a news release Friday. Earlier this month, OET started proceedings to withdraw recognition from seven test labs with China ties. The commission “has now begun proceedings to withdraw recognition or denied applications from 15 China-controlled ‘bad labs,’” the release said. “Foreign adversary governments should not own and control the labs that test the devices the FCC certifies as safe for the U.S. market,” said Chairman Brendan Carr.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) case brought by lawyers Mark O’Connor and Sara Leibman, who allege that UScellular fraudulently obtained nearly $113 million in bidding credits in an FCC auction by participating through a “shell company,” Advantage Spectrum. The D.C. Circuit didn’t rule on the merits and said the case could continue.
Abmnus, a prepaid master agent and global distributor of mobile handsets, has joined the National Wireless Independent Dealer Association, the group announced Thursday. The company plans to “offer its full suite of services” to association members, “with a strong focus on opening and supporting Total Wireless Stores.”
The FCC Enforcement Bureau ordered F&F Realty Partners on Thursday to explain within 10 days the alleged interference of Telematrix cordless phones used in a hotel that it owns in Rosemont, Illinois, with T-Mobile’s network. Nextel West, a subsidiary of T-Mobile, complained that the phones were “generating spurious emissions” in the 1883-1893 MHz band, interfering with the network's use of the 1885-1890 MHz band.
The Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division said Thursday that AT&T should modify its “Learn How Everyone Gets iPhone 16 Pro on Us” advertising claim. The group acted on a Verizon complaint. “The limitation that the offer only applies to certain plans is material information that should be disclosed,” it said, adding that AT&T indicated it plans to appeal the decision.
The FCC is getting comments from consumers who don’t want the agency to speed up the retirement of copper networks, arguing that wireless connections aren’t a suitable alternative. Comments were posted Thursday in docket 25-208. In July, commissioners approved an NPRM on ways to accelerate copper retirements (see 2507240048).
Representatives from the Wireless Infrastructure Association urged the FCC this week to approve an NPRM that examines ways to streamline wireless infrastructure rules. According to a filing posted Wednesday in docket 25-276, the group met with a staffer from the Wireless Bureau about the item, which is set for a commissioner vote Tuesday (see 2509090060).