The FCC approved Key Bridge to be an environmental sensing capability (ESC) operator in various markets, for the citizens broadband radio service, said a notice in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. The Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology gave preliminary clearance earlier but told the company to submit its sensing software to NTIA for retesting (see 2007140055). “Based on these results, we find that Key Bridge has satisfied the retesting condition and is approved for full commercial operation of their ESC,” the FCC said in docket 15-319.
Federated Wireless answered questions from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology on its bid to be an automated frequency coordination system operator in the 6 GHz band, but asked that many of the details be given confidential treatment, in a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-352. Federated said its proposed system is similar to one it operates in the citizens broadband radio service band. “The confidential information details the functioning of the Federated Wireless AFC in the 6 GHz Band, and Federated Wireless and other AFC operators will compete vigorously on the basis of the services provided through these products,” the company said.
Charter Communications will ramp up broadband speeds throughout its network this year with more high-split deployments, CEO Tom Rutledge said Friday as the company announced Q4 results. The high-split upgrades allow symmetrical gigabit speeds or multi Gbps downstream, and are cheaper than network capital spending such as new nodes, he said. Rutledge said Charter will expand its 800,000-mile network by 100,000 miles over the next five years through Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funding. He said beyond RDOF, the company is using broadband stimulus money and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to reach other rural areas, plus expanding into areas adjacent to subsidized builds. That rural spending, including RDOF and other subsidized rural projects, will be about $1 billion this year in capital expenditures, said Chief Financial Officer Jessica Fischer. Rutledge said Charter continues to work on DOCSIS 4.0 tech development, with recent tests delivering speeds of more than 8 GB downstream and more than 6 GB upstream. He said Charter is rolling out its 5G hybrid mobile network operation using citizens broadband radio service small cells in an unspecified market, letting people connect to CBRS small cells when they're not in Wi-Fi reach. Charter said it ended 2021 with 28.1 million residential broadband customers, up 1.1 million year over year and 15.2 million residential video subscribers, down 400,000. It reported 3.4 million residential mobile lines, up 1.1 million, and 8.6 million residential voice customers, down 600,000. Revenue was $13.2 billion, up $600 million. The stock closed up 5.3% at $590.47.
Key Bridge completed testing of its environmental sensing capability software for the citizens broadband radio service band, said a filing posted Monday in docket 15-319. NTIA initially required Key Bridge to complete testing with the agency’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences by Dec. 31, 2020, but that was extended by a year due to “COVID-19 related access restrictions at the ITS laboratory,” the filing said.
Dish Network said Thursday it’s working with FreedomFi on what it calls the “world's first community-driven” neutral host 5G hotspot network, using citizens broadband radio service spectrum. “This collaboration furthers DISH's position that the next generation of wireless networks can be cloud-native open source platforms, leveraging” open radio access network technology, Dish said. FreedomFi, meanwhile, said it's making available a consumer-deployable cellular base station, which uses CBRS spectrum.
The FCC Wireless Bureau OK'd a waiver for Cross Telephone, making the company eligible for tribal land bidding credits for licenses it bought in the citizens broadband radio service auction for four licenses covering the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. “Based on the facts of this case and evidence that this specific Tribal land is underserved, we find that waiver relief is warranted,” said a Thursday order. The bureau noted the Osage Nation supported the request.
Incumbent public safety users of the 4.9 GHz band don’t agree with wireless advocates about expanding the band to unlicensed use or coordinating spectrum sharing, said comments filed by Monday’s deadline in docket 07-100. Allowing unlicensed use would ensure the most use “from the broadest set of stakeholders,” said the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute. Sharing the band should be handled carefully because public safety can't go anywhere else, public safety groups said. “What alternative spectrum has been made available?” asked the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council. “To NPSTC’s knowledge, none has been identified.”
Congress approved $50 million in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for a 3.1-3.45 GHz study, to be done by DOD, with the support of NTIA. Carriers had worked behind the scenes to oppose the allocation, which was a top priority of DOD, industry officials said. The legislation would give DOD 21 months to complete the study and says an auction can't start before May 31, 2025. Some say that's too much time and carriers can’t wait almost four years for more mid-band spectrum for 5G.
Governments worldwide are generally failing at making more spectrum available for 5G, former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said Tuesday at the virtual 5G Manufacturing Forum. “Not enough attention is being placed and not enough spectrum is being cleared … given the transformational nature” of 5G, O’Rielly said. Other speakers said challenges remain to broader use of 5G by manufacturers.
Charter Communications will launch a field trial early next year that pairs its Wi-Fi service with citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band small cells for mobile subscribers, letting it offload wireless traffic that otherwise would be on Verizon's network through the companies' mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement. The test will involve thousands of pole-mounted small cellsites in an unnamed designated market area, CEO Tom Rutledge said Friday as the company announced Q3 results. Charter bought 210 licenses in 106 counties in the 2020 CBRS auction. Rutledge said Wi-Fi with CBRS has "an opportunity to make a significant change" in how much traffic is on Charter's network vs. using the MVNO.