The White House National Security Council led a 6G summit Friday at the National Science Foundation’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters aimed at ensuring the U.S. leads the coming wireless technology’s standards research development and deployment. Officials in part cited a need to prevent China from gaining a foothold on the emerging technology like it has on 5G. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pushed during the summit for restoring the FCC’s spectrum auction authority as one means of cementing the U.S.' 6G role.
In its hunt for spectrum available for more-intensive use, NTIA was urged to look at the 12 GHz and upper 12 GHz bands, in comments submitted Monday responding to its request for comments on creating a national spectrum strategy (see 2303150066). CTIA said U.S. efforts to lead the world in 5G are threatened by the lack of a spectrum pipeline and the expiration of the FCC's spectrum auction authority.
With the FCC slamming the brakes on issuing the licenses T-Mobile won in last year's 2.5 GHz auction, after the agency’s auction authority lapsed (see 2303220077), the carrier filed a request at the FCC to use the spectrum under special temporary authority, for 180 days. “Grant of this request will serve the public interest because it would permit T-Mobile to temporarily provide wireless broadband services to the public using spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, including many rural and underserved areas,” the undocketed filing said. Section 309(f) of the Communications Act allows the commission to grant temporary authorization when it finds “there are extraordinary circumstances requiring temporary operations in the public interest and that delay in the institution of such temporary operations would seriously prejudice the public interest,” the filing said: “The extraordinary circumstances result from the lapse, for the first time ever, of the Commission’s general authority to conduct spectrum auctions to select among mutually exclusive applications.” The filing said T-Mobile continues to believe the FCC could issue in an already-concluded auction under Section 309(a) of the act “some at the Commission have expressed doubts about that conclusion,” the carrier said. “While T-Mobile expects that the Commission’s auction authority will be restored, the timing for when that will occur is unclear,” T-Mobile said.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said Thursday he’s “not weighing in at all” in favor of either of the dueling proposals under Senate consideration for temporarily extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, amid the continued impasse that led to the mandate lapsing last week (see 2303100084). Senators left town for the weekend Thursday without a deal to pass a House-approved bill to extend the FCC’s authority until May 19 (HR-1108) or a rival proposal that would renew it through Sept. 30 (S-650), meaning there won’t be further action until at least next week. The Senate is expected to return Tuesday, while the House will return from more than a week-long recess Wednesday.
The FCC’s spectrum auction authority was careening toward expiration late Thursday night, after the Senate gaveled out for the week without acting on dueling proposals to extend the mandate. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., earlier in the afternoon declared that an impasse between him and congressional leaders over the extension bills would continue into next week. Rounds failed Wednesday in his bid to pass his bill to lengthen a new renewal to last through Sept. 30 (S-650) by unanimous consent, as expected (see 2303080081). He also formally objected to advancing a House-passed measure to reauthorize the statute through May 19 (HR-1108). The deadlock will likely influence debate during a Friday House Communications Subcommittee hearing on spectrum legislative issues, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews.
An extension of the FCC's auction authority through May 19 isn't yet assured amid hopes for a slightly longer renewal to give lawmakers even more time to negotiate a broader spectrum legislative package, several senators said in interviews Monday and Tuesday. The House passed its bill to temporarily reauthorize the FCC's mandate (HR-1108) Monday on a voice vote. Lawmakers have been wary about the current March 9 expiration of the FCC's remit due to the slow pace of legislative talks since this Congress returned Jan. 3 (see 2302220063).
Citing “serious flaws” in the rates database for the FCC’s rural healthcare telecom program, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday the agency is fixing the issue "for good" (see 2301230045). Commissioners during their open meeting adopted an order on reconsideration and NPRM on streamlining and improving the program's funding mechanism. Commissioners also denied several petitions for reconsideration as moot. Also approved 4-0 was an NPRM about extending 911-like outage reporting requirements to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
While the lineup of cable operators providing mobile service grows, with others likely to follow, most will rely on mobile virtual network operators and their own Wi-Fi networks to provide the service rather than become more active in acquiring spectrum for their own wireless networks, wireless and cable experts tell us.
All four FCC commissioners expressed support Wednesday for proposed rules to more precisely route wireless 911 calls and texts to public safety answering points through location-based routing (LBR). The NPRM wasn’t controversial while before commissioners, though industry is expected to weigh in during the comment period (see 2212200064).
The Senate appeared poised to pass as soon as Wednesday an FY 2023 appropriations omnibus package that includes another short-term extension of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, though the situation remained fluid late that afternoon amid continued wrangling over potential votes on amendments to the measure. Lawmakers agreed to attach a renewal the FCC’s remit through March 9, after an objection from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., derailed a negotiated deal to include a modified version of the chamber's version of the Spectrum Innovation Act (S-4117) and other related measures (see 2212200077).