The roughly $20 billion in BEAD non-deployment funds should go foremost toward helping pay for counties' next-generation 911 transition, U.S. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson said Wednesday. Speaking at Incompas’ policy conference in Washington, Hudson, R-N.C., said building consensus with committee Democrats about using the money to pay for NG911 is a top priority.
The FCC Wireless Bureau approved Federated Wireless' request for a limited waiver of rules that require environmental sensing capability systems to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference. It applies to areas hit by Winter Storm Gianna (see 2601300030), according to a notice in Monday’s Daily Digest.
With Winter Storm Gianna expected over the weekend, Federated Wireless asked the FCC last week for a waiver of rules that require environmental sensing capability systems to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference. The waiver was for dynamic protection areas from the Carolinas to New England that were most likely to be affected, said a filing posted Friday in docket 15-319. A week ago, the FCC approved a similar waiver for Winter Storm Fern (see 2601230029).
U.S. spectrum policy is getting better, but there’s still room for improvement, Clemson University professor Thomas Hazlett said Wednesday during a webinar hosted by the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. Hazlett was particularly critical of the FCC’s approach to sharing spectrum in the citizens broadband radio service band, which remains a source of contention between carriers and advocates of unlicensed spectrum (see 2512160063).
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday approved a limited waiver for Federated Wireless of rules that require environmental sensing capability systems to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference in areas affected by Winter Storm Fern. The storm was expected to hit many parts of the eastern U.S. over the weekend. Federated sought the waiver Thursday (see 2601220033).
Summit Ridge Group President Armand Musey questioned in an interview how making more licensed spectrum available for carriers will help the U.S. compete with China. Musey also said last week that he has seen few signs so far that AI will mean significantly more wireless traffic, though it will require improved wired connections between data centers. “AI is generating traffic, but it’s generating traffic between data centers,” he said.
With Winter Storm Fern looming this weekend, Federated Wireless asked the FCC for a waiver of rules that require environmental sensing capability systems to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference. The waiver is for dynamic protection areas in the eastern U.S. most likely to be affected, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-319.
Georgia wireless ISP SmartWave Technologies urged the FCC last week to protect operations in the citizens broadband radio service band in response to a request by Brownsville, Texas, for an FCC waiver to operate a city network that uses the band at higher power levels than allowed by agency rules (see 2511250015). In a filing in docket 17-258, SmartWave noted that it doesn’t hold priority access licenses and depends on the use of general authorized access spectrum. “The predictable access to GAA channels, combined with the established CBRS technical rules, enables us to deliver consistent service that would be difficult, and in some areas impossible, to replicate with other spectrum options at reasonable cost.”
WISPA strongly opposed a November request by Brownsville, Texas, for an FCC waiver to operate a city network that uses the citizens broadband radio service band at higher power levels than allowed in agency rules (see 2511250015). NCTA has raised similar objections (see 2512020048).
Lawmakers and other observers said in recent interviews that Congress’ deal to pass the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act without language giving the defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands (see 2512080055) will only temporarily pause fighting between the wireless industry and DOD supporters over military spectrum holdings. Officials pointed to President Donald Trump’s memorandum last week directing NTIA to explore reallocating federal systems currently on the 7.125-7.4 GHz band to the 7.4-8.4 GHz band and other frequencies (see 2512190086) as a fresh indicator that the ceasefire will be fleeting.