Two wireless ISPs agreed to pay fines for allegedly prohibited communications during the FCC’s citizens broadband radio service auction of priority access licenses. Router12 agreed to implement a compliance plan and pay a $50,000 penalty. Router12 CEO Ryan Malek violated the rules by posting a statement on the WISP Talk Facebook Group page indicating his company didn’t intend to bid, said a Wednesday notice by the Enforcement Bureau: “Another member of the group replied to the post, stating, ‘At this point, you either filed the short-form for CBRS PAL auction and can’t talk about it, or you missed the deadline.’” Nikola Broadband agreed to pay a $30,000 fine and institute a compliance plan. President Robert Zeff sent an email with the subject line “CBRS fiasco” to the WISP Association’s members email group, saying, “[w]e are backing out of the auction,” the bureau said. Stephen Coran, counsel to WISPA replied, “PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY FURTHER MESSAGES TO THIS LIST.”
CBRS
The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is designated unlicensed spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band created by the FCC as part of an effort to allow for shared federal and non-federal use of the band.
Anterix and Federated Wireless are offering electric utilities a new option for their private networks, combining Anterix’s licensed 900 MHz spectrum with Federated’s shared spectrum service in the citizens broadband radio service band. The offering can provide “the benefits of the wide coverage and dedicated control of licensed 900 MHz combined with the capacity and flexibility of unlicensed or licensed CBRS spectrum,” the companies said Wednesday.
Dell’Oro Group dialed down a near-term forecast for citizens broadband radio service investments in 5G deployments Tuesday, projecting $500 million to $1 billion in 2020-25. The adjustments “reflect slower than expected year-to-date LTE CBRS base station adoption,” said Vice President Stefan Pongratz: But “activity is on the rise with interesting use cases forming around multiple verticals, adding confidence enterprise and private deployments will comprise a greater share of the overall CBRS market over time.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau granted 26 citizens broadband radio service licenses Monday won by two companies, Simple Wireless and White Cloud Communications. The priority access licenses are in Idaho and Nevada. The FCC closed the auction Aug. 25.
NCTA and cable operators opposed higher power levels in the citizens broadband radio service band, in calls with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staffers. “Raising the power levels for CBRS would fundamentally alter the nature of the service by undermining the innovative spectrum sharing concept that the Commission enabled when it adopted the CBRS framework, endangering new and innovative approaches to service delivery, inhibiting competition, and undermining auction business cases and expectations,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-348. Representatives of Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Enterprises, Midcontinent Communications and CableLabs participated.
Federated Wireless has a mechanism for priority access licensees in the citizens broadband radio service band to lease the spectrum to others. The company “will accept PAL leasing notifications and support PAL Spectrum Manager Lease Agreements in compliance with sections 96.32 and 96.66” of FCC rules, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 15-319.
The FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology let Google operate as American Samoa spectrum access system administrator in the citizens broadband radio service band, in a public notice Friday.
Spectrum acquirer RS Access (RSA) cited an engineering study indicating 5G and non-geostationary fixed satellite service (NGSO FSS) deployments in 12 GHz are doable, urging it be made "the next 5G band." Satellite though is steadfast that sharing with mobile terrestrial will play havoc with satellite-delivered broadband. And the wireless industry hasn't come to consensus. That's per docket 20-433 comments posted through Monday. Replies are due June 7.
The FCC conditionally approved Fairspectrum, Nokia and Red Technologies as spectrum access system administrators for the citizens broadband radio service band, said a Friday release. The three passed the first phase of a two-phase approval process. The FCC also cleared CommScope, Google, Federated Wireless and Key Bridge to be environmental sensing capability operators in the 3550-3650 MHz part of the band in Puerto Rico and Guam. Federated was approved as an SAS in American Samoa. “No matter who you are or where you live, you need access to modern communications,” said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: “This is true, of course, for those living in Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa too.”
Google sought FCC certification as a spectrum access system administrator in the citizens broadband radio service band in American Samoa. The company also reported recent growth in the CBRS market. Base stations being served by Google’s SAS continue "to rapidly increase, especially as relaxation of pandemic restrictions begins to allow significant growth in enterprise CBRS deployments,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 15-319.