CBRS

Charter Communications has fully rolled out use of citizens broadband radio service band spectrum in one market for offloading mobile traffic from its mobile virtual network operator agreement with Verizon, with plans for a broader CBRS rollout next year, CEO Chris Winfrey said Friday as the company announced Q2 earnings. Charter ended the quarter with 6.6 million residential and small-business mobile lines. Winfrey said more than 11% of its internet customers have its mobile service, and the mobile penetration should sizably grow over the next several years. It ended Q2 2022 with 4.3 million total mobile lines. Charter hopes to land "significant" broadband equity, access and deployment program funding, Winfrey said. BEAD rules are notably different from broadband programs in states where Charter operates, and the company will work with governments on rules "still conducive to private investment," he said. Charter is doing trials of its Xumo video platform, offering unified search across linear and direct-to-consumer offerings, with deployment later this year, Winfrey said. Chief Financial Officer Jessica Fischer said Charter remains on track for 300,000 additional state-subsidized rural passings this year. She said Charter expects to spend $4 billion this year on line extension work, with similar spending likely in 2024 and 2025. Charter had Q2 revenue of $13.7 billion, essentially flat year over year, with internet and mobile service revenue growth offset by declines in video and voice service revenue. It ended the quarter with 28.5 million residential internet customers, up about 300,000 from the same quarter a year earlier; 14.1 million residential video subs, down 780,000; and 7.2 million residential voice subs, down 1 million.

The U.S. shouldn’t look to the citizens broadband radio service band as a model for future sharing if only because it’s based on old technology and doesn’t reflect advances in sharing technology, said Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research at an American Enterprise Institute 5G forum Thursday. Other experts said the U.S. will be hobbled on spectrum until Congress reauthorizes FCC spectrum auction authority.

NCTA raised questions on an NFL request for a two-year waiver extension of rules for the citizens broadband radio service, allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications system in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games. The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comments, due Monday in docket 21-111 (see 2307050028). NCTA was the only commenter as of Tuesday. “NCTA does not oppose the 2023 Waiver Extension Request, but questions the need for a further extension of the waiver, particularly a long-term extension, when the NFL concedes that it has not ever had to utilize the waiver over the last two years,” NCTA said. Any relief should be “narrowly tailored to the NFL’s specific and unique circumstances,” the group said.

Cablers discussed the importance of unlicensed spectrum and called for a shared spectrum “pipeline,” in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. They also discussed the importance of the citizens broadband radio service band and a CBRS-like approach to sharing. The wireless industry has stressed the importance of “pipeline” of licensed spectrum as 5G takes off (see 2209260048). “To keep pace with … ever-growing consumer and industry demand, it is essential to continually build a robust pipeline of unlicensed and shared-licensed spectrum resources, and ensure that each band’s operating requirements allow consumers to experience its maximum benefits,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. “The largest national wireless carriers, manufacturers, utilities, schools, hospitals, energy companies, neutral host networks, like stadiums and convention centers, municipalities, and small and rural wireless” are “actively using CBRS for a variety of wireless services,” the cable interests said: “Many new, non-traditional providers, like manufacturers, hospitals, and schools, were able to access commercial spectrum for the first time because of CBRS’ innovative sharing regime and licensing rules, which allowed them to compete at auction and tailor smaller license sizes to their specialized network needs.” Among those at the meeting were NCTA, Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox Enterprises and CableLabs.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment through July 17, replies July 24, on an NFL request for a two-year waiver extension of rules for the citizens broadband radio service, allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications system in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games (see 230601002). “The NFL contends that an extension of the conditional waiver is needed in case simultaneous Internet outages occur during or immediately prior to a football game, preventing its system from connecting" to a spectrum access system, the bureau said Wednesday in docket 21-111. “The NFL also asserts that an extension will allow it to continue to assess the technical and regulatory aspects of additional workaround solutions in the event of a simultaneous Internet outage.”

This has been a quiet year for FCC’s Technological Advisory Council, which last met Dec. 8, but members remain focused on a few remaining reports, all focused on 6G, and the FCC is still focused on the group, a spokesperson said. The FCC announced last week TAC will meet Aug. 17 (see 2306300059), in what is expected to be the final meeting under its current charter. TAC met four times last year and has generally had quarterly meetings.

NTIA heard a variety of comments, positive and negative, on the viability of the citizens broadband radio service as a model for future spectrum sharing. Comments, posted by the agency Tuesday, were due May 31 on an NTIA report on dynamic sharing and the three-tier sharing model offered by CBRS (see 2305010063). The report was by the agency’s Colorado lab, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS).

Representatives of Samsung Electronics America spoke with FCC staff about the company’s request for a 5G base station radio that works across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum (see 2303100019). The Samsung representatives met with Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “Samsung discussed how the waiver will enable Samsung to market the multiband device by permitting the device to exceed the Section 96.41(e)(2) emission limits within 3720-4000 MHz (to -25 dBm/MHz) when the device is being tested in CBRS-only mode for FCC certification purposes (a mode that will not be in commercially deployed radios),” said a filing posted Monday in docket 23-93: “Samsung noted that this CBRS-only mode will comply with the Commission’s emissions limits in the CBRS band. In commercially deployed radios using standalone 3.7 GHz or composite 3.7 GHz/CBRS operations, Samsung reiterated that the radio will comply with the emissions permitted by the composite device rule.” Comments in March supported grant of the waiver (see 2303280054).

The NFL asked the FCC for a two-year waiver extension of rules for the citizens broadband radio service allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications system in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games (see 2207120055). The NFL sought a three-year extension in 2022 and got one year (see 2209070040). “The NFL submits this limited waiver request because the previous reasons underlying the need for a waiver still apply; the narrowness of the waiver request remains; despite diligent efforts by the NFL, reliable marketplace solutions are not available; and the request meets the Commission’s waiver standard,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-111.

CTIA questioned the conclusions in a May NTIA report arguing that dynamic sharing and the citizens broadband radio service should be a model for future spectrum use (see 2305010063). Filings were due Wednesday but hadn't been posted by the NTIA. The Wireless ISP Association supported the findings in the report (see 2305310062).