AT&T has used a third-party radio access network automation app (rApp) from Ericsson to optimize its network, the companies announced Tuesday, noting that it's the first such use of an rApp on a live network. “This accomplishment marks a decisive moment in the industry’s move from closed, single-vendor Self-Organizing Networks toward an open, future-proof architecture based on the standards and frameworks set out by the Open RAN Alliance,” said a news release.

With an almost 65% reduction in BEAD-eligible locations over the past two years, broadband experts on Wednesday highlighted several challenges to deployment and funding that could affect the program's progress.

NTIA should "expressly condition" BEAD funding on a state's commitment not to enforce rate regulation, ACA Connects said in a letter Tuesday to recently confirmed NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth. The agency should also clarify that it won't issue waivers, the group added. Doing so "will have the most immediate impact" in New York, ACA Connects said, noting that ISPs are subject to the state's Affordable Broadband Act (see 2505290045). The law requires ISPs operating there to offer an affordable service plan for low-income households.

Keysight Technologies said on Thursday the only clearance still needed for its proposed buy of wireless tech and testing company Spirent Communications is from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). “With support and assistance from Spirent, Keysight remains committed to working quickly and constructively with SAMR to obtain clearance for the Acquisition,” Keysight said.

Fiber, coaxial cable, fixed wireless access and satellite all meet the 100 millisecond latency requirement in June's BEAD rules restructuring, but they start to differentiate when it comes to other BEAD requirements, Rysavy Research said this week. Rysavy said FWA and satellite don't readily address the 100/20 Mbps throughput requirement. SpaceX data on its Starlink service's uplink performance shows that in every state, Starlink had a range of uplink throughputs in which the lower value fell below the required 20 Mbps speed, it said. Rysavy said some quoted uplink throughput rates for FWA services fall below the required 20 Mbps threshold, though 5G network providers could meet the required threshold via outdoor antennas instead of indoor customer equipment, densifying networks and deploying additional spectrum. It said fiber and coax "offer considerable flexibility" regarding the BEAD requirement of easily scaling speeds over time. It said FWA providers can scale bandwidth through such steps as more spectrum use and deployment of better antenna systems. It questioned how easily satellite operators can scale, given the expense of satellites and their limited operational lifetimes. Rysavy said fiber and 5G-based services "clearly meet" the BEAD requirement of supporting 5G and successor wireless technologies, but called satellite "a poor choice ... due to its limited capacity and throughput rates."

The FCC during the past 12 months hasn't updated “the list of communications equipment and services that have been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security” of the U.S., the FCC Public Safety Bureau noted on Wednesday. The notice mentioned an FCC proposal to update the “covered list” of unsecure companies to reflect a January finding by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on connected vehicles. Many commenters opposed expanding the list to include connected vehicle hardware or software (see 2506300052).

Coconut Creek, Florida, urged the FCC to take additional steps to make next-generation 911 more accessible to people with disabilities. The city's comments were posted Tuesday (docket 21-479) in response to a Further NPRM that commissioners approved 4-0 in March (see 2503270042). “Existing NG911 systems fail to adequately support the nearly one in four Americans living with disabilities, including those with speech and hearing impairments, or the approximately 2-3 million Americans who use sign language as their primary form of communication,” it said. To address gaps, “we fully support the proposed enhancements to NG911 services, including integrating text, video, and multimedia capabilities and adopting sign language accessible communication methods such as video relay services.”

Advanced Technologies & Services filed in support Monday of a recent petition from FailSafe, which asked the FCC to find that its T911 product is in the public interest and providers should be allowed to recover the cost of adopting the technology. “T911 is clearly in the public interest because it will save lives,” Advanced Technologies, a T911 distributor, said in docket 21-479. “The idea of re-purposing Intelligent Signaling Networks to save lives is a new way for [providers] to make money in an industry where it is increasingly difficult to do so, particularly for smaller players.”

The number of unserved and underserved broadband locations in the U.S. has dropped 65% over the past 31 months, according to New York Law School's Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute. ACLP said Tuesday that states' BEAD maps -- which have been updated over the past six weeks, as NTIA directed -- show a 14% drop in eligible locations. The latest maps reflect updated FCC data, including newly served locations, Rural Deployment Opportunity Fund defaults, the addition of unlicensed fixed wireless service, and additional enforceable commitments from other funding programs. There are now about 4.2 million eligible unserved and underserved locations, ACLP said. Eligible locations dropped by about 663,000 since states released post-BEAD challenge data, a 14% decrease. The total number of eligible unserved and underserved locations has fallen by about 7.7 million since December 2022, when BEAD funding was allocated.

Brightspeed bought 235 miles of fiber assets in Cincinnati from Cincinnati Communications, the company said Wednesday. The new fiber miles will help Brightspeed reach an additional 69,500 locations. The assets are "strategically adjacent" to Brightspeed's current fiber buildouts in Ohio and eastern Indiana, said a news release. Once completed, Brightspeed's network will reach more than 420,000 locations across Ohio. Brightspeed has been active in the state, receiving $13.8 million in grants to date to expand its fiber network (see 2503200032).