Federated Wireless CEO Iyad Tarazi expects relative stability on spectrum issues with the change in administrations, though he noted there are always questions. In a wide-ranging interview with us, he predicted that sharing in some form will be part of the rules for the lower 3 GHz band, one of the top focuses of carriers for exclusive, licensed use. A former Sprint executive, Tarazi became CEO of Federated in 2014.
Google, Federated Wireless and Sony asked that the FCC recertify them as spectrum access system operators in the citizens broadband radio service. Last month, the FCC released procedures for the six current SAS providers to renew their certifications (see 2412090062). The three had to act first because their initial five-year terms as administrators expire Jan. 27, and the agency asked them to certify their compliance with FCC requirements “no fewer than 14 days before the expiration of their existing certification.” In a filing posted Friday in docket 15-319, Google certified “that it will continue to comply with any expanded SAS capabilities or obligations -- including the provision of service in additional U.S. Territories and Possessions and the support of spectrum manager leasing -- authorized since our initial certification.” Federated said that “since its initial certification in January 2020, Federated Wireless has consistently operated in full compliance with the Commission’s rules and policies, the conditions of its SAS authorization for full commercial service, adjustments to the federal-commercial sharing regime announced by” the FCC “and requests for information from the Commission.” The company said it has played “a pivotal role in the successful implementation of the [CBRS] framework, ensuring dynamic spectrum sharing, safeguarding federal and non-federal incumbent operations, and enabling the widespread adoption of CBRS spectrum for commercial and public-sector use.” Sony said it “remains fully compliant with FCC regulations and fulfills its obligations as a SAS administrator.”
Federated Wireless representatives offered their take on proposed changes to citizens broadband radio service rules during a meeting with an aide to FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez (see 2408160031). They expressed “support for codification of the processes that are being used to manage CBRS spectrum access, greater harmonization of the CBRS rules with adjacent bands, and strengthening of the rules regarding coexistence management,” said a filing this week in docket 17-258. The changes “will preserve the core principles of spectrum sharing, encourage continued investment, and ensure that CBRS remains a flexible, forward-looking platform for wireless innovation,” Federated said.
Tech companies filing reply comments at the FCC about an August NPRM on the citizens broadband radio service band highlighted a variety of concerns. Comments were posted last week in docket 17-258. Nokia urged adapting rules that could provide spectrum for drone control and data links, as an alternative to Wi-Fi. The “unpredictable performance of Wi-Fi has prompted the search for better connectivity options such as 4G or 5G cellular connections that offer a controlled interference environment and better latency and throughput,” Nokia said: “Given that the CBRS has been envisioned to be an ‘innovation band’ that can support novel use cases, interest in using the band for drone connectivity is very high.” Ericsson urged relaxing the rules' out-of-band emissions limits, encouraging deployment. The “restrictive and unnecessary OOBE limit at the upper band edge is constricting use of the band and dampening innovation,” Ericsson said. The company noted that fixed satellite service operators have “generally vacated the 3.7-4.0 GHz band,” making the limits no longer necessary. Ericsson said CBRS won’t address the growing need for spectrum to meet growing data demand: “Where the rest of the world uses the 3.5 GHz band for full-power 5G deployments, the 150-MHz-wide CBRS band in the U.S. is limited to small cell deployments with medium power, which is not able to economically support broad deployments that are needed for nationwide coverage.” Qualcomm stressed the importance of allowing higher power levels than are permitted under the current rules. The CBRS band has not “achieved the same level of deployments that C-band operations have reached in a much shorter time,” Qualcomm said. While cable operators have championed the CBRS framework, “they have not followed through with significant deployments” with two of the largest cable providers launching CBRS networks “in just two cities,” the company said. Samsung Electronics America called on the commission to act “now” on its longstanding request for a waiver on a 5G base station radio that works across CBRS and C-band spectrum (see 2309130041). “There is no reason to deny Americans the immediate benefits created by grant of the waiver even as [the FCC] works through other improvements to the CBRS framework,” Samsung said. Among other comments, the Competitive Carriers Association joined the chorus opposing AT&T’s calls for reconfiguring the broader 3 GHz band (see 2412060042). “The NPRM did not make any proposals or seek comment on any questions related to rebanding, relocating CBRS incumbents, or reassignments of the 3.5 GHz band to non-CBRS use,” CCA said. “Any Commission action to advance AT&T’s proposal in this docket, therefore, would be contrary to the Administrative Procedure Act and its related jurisprudence.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology on Monday posted procedures that spectrum access system operators in the citizens broadband radio service band must follow to renew their initial five-year certifications for full commercial deployment. The FCC noted it has approved seven SAS providers, six of which remain active. CommScope withdrew last year (see 2303130034). The five-year terms for the initial SAS administrators -- Federated, Google and Sony -- expire Jan. 27. SAS administrators seeking renewal must certify their compliance with FCC requirements “no fewer than 14 days before the expiration of their existing certification,” the notice said. The FCC said it will review each renewal application in coordination with DOD and NTIA. If an administrator fails to submit a timely renewal filing, the Wireless Bureau and OET “may direct the SAS administrator to cease operations immediately.”
AT&T and CTIA urged that the FCC rethink citizens broadband radio service rules and questioned the band's success, filing reply comments to an August NPRM (see 2411070032). But most commenters said the FCC should only tweak the band. CBRS advocates largely defended the model as a sharing success story. Interest in the proceeding was strong, with more than two dozen reply comments posted as of Friday.
Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research supported AT&T's arguments about reconfiguring the 3 GHz spectrum range, moving the citizens broadband radio service to 3.1-3.3 GHz (see 2410090037). That would open the 3.55-3.70 GHz band for wide-area, high-power licensed use “consistent with the adjacent 3.7 and 3.45 GHz bands,” Rysavy said. “Until practical and effective spectrum sharing technologies are available, exclusively licensed, full-power spectrum with wide radio channels remains the most effective resource for 5G networks with best results for consumers,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. “Diligent efforts” by the National Spectrum Consortium and NTIA are making progress in developing methods of sharing spectrum, “but the realities of implementation are complex and development will take years.”
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance told the FCC it supports a change the American Petroleum Institute is seeking in rules for the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2410080030). EWA said it supports API’s suggestion that system administrators incorporate a general authorized access tier user algorithm that prioritizes spectrum access for small businesses and enterprise customers. CBRS is important to EWA members, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. “In a telecommunications world that focuses increasingly on commercial broadband services, the vital importance of enterprise entities to the nation’s economy and to its day-to-day functioning must be recognized,” EWA said: “Some of their wireless needs can be and are met on commercial networks, but many have core responsibilities that cannot be outsourced to the network of a third-party commercial provider.”
Spectrum for the Future Monday welcomed a NTIA report about usage growth in the citizens broadband radio service band (see 2411150021). The group said the report shows why the FCC shouldn't increase power levels available in the band (see 2411080032). “While some have suggested raising power levels or out of band emissions limits, that path would only jeopardize our ability to deliver greater innovation, wider-ranging use cases, and more consumer choice,” a spokesperson emailed: “The data shows that dynamic spectrum sharing is working, and we should maintain the unique properties that make CBRS the model for U.S. wireless leadership.”
NTIA told the FCC that utilization of the citizens broadband radio service band is up sharply and the three-tier shared band has been a success. “With CBRS, the Commission established a ground-breaking spectrum-sharing paradigm that has enabled commercial access to mid-band spectrum and has evolved to demonstrate the success of a collaborative partnership among stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-258. CBRS deployments increased 270,621 from April 1, 2021, to July 1 this year, the filing said. Rural CBRS devices (CBSDs) “more than doubled, with an increase of 166,650 (160.6%)" and "67.5% of all CBSDs were in rural census blocks,” NTIA said. It found that 82.7% of all U.S. counties used at least one CBRS channel and 41% used all 15 as of July 1.