The CBRS Alliance, promoting the future use of the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, Tuesday launched the OnGo brand and a certification program for CBRS devices. Last month, the alliance unveiled network and coexistence baseline specifications. “I would compare this to Wi-Fi,” CBRS Alliance President Dave Wright said in an interview. “Everybody knows what Wi-Fi means. It’s a very versatile brand. It applies to all kinds of different applications of a technology and use cases.”
Charter Communications is testing of use of the 3.5 GHz spectrum in fixed wireless applications in some markets and mobility applications in others, like Tampa, it blogged Friday. It said the testing will help prepare for its mobile wireless service launch, expected in the middle of this year (see 1804270033). It said it has 200 citizens broadband radio service small cellsites deployed in Tampa in a variety of settings, and it's considering how the CBRS band could be part of its wireless operations. Charter said it plans ubiquitous wireless connectivity through a mix of Wi-Fi 4G, LTE and 5G
Members and staff of ACT|The App Association told FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly 5G is critical to the internet economy. ACT “encouraged the Commission to support wireless broadband infrastructure buildout by streamlining regulations for small-cell deployment, which will enable more efficient densification of today’s networks and the deployment of advanced wireless infrastructure,” said a filing in docket 17-79. “Members depend on strong connectivity.” The association is tracking the future of the citizens broadband radio service band: “The 3.5 GHz band is particularly useful for wireless broadband connectivity because it can extend the reach of wireless broadband services.”
Tech and utility interests said the FCC should retain census-tract-sized licenses for priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. They countered arguments by AT&T and T-Mobile (see 1804240067) that the FCC should adopt larger sizes to make PALs more viable. “The Commission has previously and rightly concluded that its rules should ensure that the 3.5 GHz band remains compatible with the full range of users and business models that the CBRS rules were intended to support in urban areas,” said a filing in docket 17-258. Among those signing were the American Petroleum Institute, Edison Electric Institute, Enterprise Wireless Alliance, Exelon, General Electric, Google, Motorola Solutions, pdvWireless, the Port of Los Angeles, Southern Linc, Union Pacific and the Utilities Technology Council. “To support their claims, AT&T and T-Mobile highlight a single implausible scenario in an attempt to show that the existing rules do not easily support large-carrier business models,” the filing said. “The Commission should recognize this example as only one of many possible deployment scenarios for major carriers, which is not demonstrative of the utility of the band for all carriers’ deployments over multiple contiguous census tracts, much less those of other potential innovative users.” The two carriers didn't comment Thursday. NCTA said it supports a proposal on the PALs by Charter Communications, which offers an alternative to CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association's plan (see 1804230064). The operator wants the 3.5 GHz band licensed in the top 10 percent of metropolitan statistical area cellular market areas on a county basis, the next 275 largest CMAs licensed by MSA and the remaining CMAs by county. NCTA has before advocated 3.5 GHz priority access licenses should be granted on a county basis (see 1708090058). The cable group said, posted Thursday, that county-sized licenses in rural and urban markets "could make all the difference" in helping attract different investors with different models and maximizing participation. T-Mobile said in a filing the use of census tracts would create problems, especially in cities. “Licensing PALs by census tracts in urban areas will not expand the pool of providers meaningfully able to participate in an auction -- it means that any auction winner in an urban area will secure an authorization that will be significantly impaired and may be unable to be practically used,” T-Mobile said.
The Trump administration is developing a national spectrum strategy, NTIA Administrator David Redl said at a Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday. The Obama administration took an active role on spectrum policy, promoting sharing over exclusive use licenses in many cases, but the Trump administration has been relatively quiet (see 1712270032). Redl said NTIA is working with the administration on a plan. FCC and industry officials welcomed the administration’s long-awaited deep dive.
With a proposal on the 3.5 GHz band from FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly on revised rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band seen imminent, industry officials said one by the Competitive Carriers Association and CTIA could be critical. The joint plan will face opposition from many groups that want the FCC to stick with current rules, which would license priority access licenses on census-tract basis everywhere.
The Competitive Carriers Association and CTIA jointly proposed a compromise on the size of priority access licenses in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. They "reached an agreement that the Commission should license PALs using Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the top 306 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs) and use county-based geographic area licenses in the remaining 428 CMAs,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-258. “This compromise proposal paves the way for swift action while balancing the needs of the wide range of stakeholders that are expected to participate in the 3.5 GHz auction,” the groups said. “It promotes investment in the band and provides an opportunity for parties to acquire PAL spectrum in areas that best fit their business models and investment plans.” Wireless ISP Association President Claude Aiken objected, saying the CBRS proposal would “effectively put up a ‘large bidders only’ sign at the door and turn away innovators and small operators serving rural Americans.” The FCC should beef up competition for 3.5 GHz spectrum in the largest metropolitan statistical areas by reducing license areas in the top 10 percent of MSA markets to counties, Charter Communications said in a docket 17-258 filing Monday about the wireless proposal. It said it's investing in 3.5 GHz trials itself in markets in California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina.
The FCC should set a USF budget of about $11 billion to impose fiscal discipline, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute. He said at least 200 or 300 MHz of spectrum should be made commercially available within the 3.7-4.2 GHz band, and wants an associated NPRM this summer to examine reallocating 6 GHz band spectrum for unlicensed services. He also expects the regulator to begin a rulemaking this summer on creating more flexible broadcast children's TV rules, believes the agency will soon address its process for transactions affected by "Team Telecom" reviews (see 1804190059), and wants more process reforms in general. His speech tracked written remarks and was followed by Q&A (video here). A commission spokesman declined comment.
The Rural Wireless Association hailed a letter by three Republican senators saying the FCC should consider countywide tracts for priority access licenses in rural areas in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band instead of using partial economic areas (PEAs). The letter urges licensing by metropolitan statistical area in urban communities. The letter was signed by Steve Daines of Montana, John Barrasso of Wyoming and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. They said the FCC should “reject the expansion of geographic licensing areas such as large scale" PEAs. The proposal makes sense, said RWA President Mike Kilgore, CEO of Sagebrush Cellular. “The use of PEAs or other large license sizes in the CBRS context would stifle broadband deployment in rural states.”
Beyond agreeing Communications Act Title II net neutrality rules are bad, speakers at a Federalist Society event clashed over of paid prioritization and whether it should be permissible even without Title II oversight. Also Tuesday, a House subcommittee held a paid prioritization hearing (see 1804170037) while states also considered net neutrality bills (see 1804170057).