The FCC provided extra time for parties to comment on a July 17 NPRM on updating the rules that govern the evaluation and approval of radiofrequency devices. The American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee C63, CEA, Information Technology Industry Council and Telecommunications Industry Association had sought extra time, citing the complexity of the proceeding. “The Commission does not routinely grant extensions of time in rulemaking proceedings,” the FCC said Tuesday. “However, we believe that extensions of the comment and reply comment deadlines will provide parties with an opportunity to more fully analyze and respond to the complex technical issues raised in this NPRM, thus allowing development of a more complete record in these proceedings.” Comments were due Sept. 9, replies Sept. 22. The new deadlines are Oct. 9 for comments, Nov. 9 for replies.
Nokia representatives had a call with FCC officials to explain the company’s pursuit of changes to technical rules for the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 12-354. Nokia filed a petition for reconsideration on the rules in July. Among changes Nokia sought is a longer time period for devices using the band to stop operating or shift to another frequency if they detect the presence of a federal system also using the spectrum. Nokia said the rate at which configuration changes can be made “is generally proportional to the number of cells requiring reconfiguration.” A network with hundreds of cells would require far longer than 60 seconds, Nokia said, recommending the new time limit be set at 10 minutes. Nokia also recommended the rules impose maximum power limits based on only equivalent isotropically radiated power rather than both EIRP and conducted output power. Nokia also sought higher power limits to make more deployments “practical.”
The FCC denial of Dish Network’s $3.3 billion in AWS-3 auction bidding discounts “is clearly an unfavorable development for the company as the resulting significant cash outlays could further weaken the balance sheet and liquidity” and force “negative credit rating actions,” Moody’s said Wednesday in a research note. Much depends on how Dish finances the $3.3 billion obligation and manages its “credit metrics,” Moody’s said. Paying back the $3.3 billion in discounts would leave Dish with “less to work with,” possibly imperiling the company’s mergers and acquisitions activities, Dish CEO Charlie Ergen said on an Aug. 5 earnings call (see 1508050042).
Wireless mic users “must prepare to dance a spectrum hokey-pokey to adjust to spectrum reductions [and] new operating rules” from the FCC, said Fletcher Heald lawyer Laura Stefani Wednesday on the firm’s blog. Broadcasters, professional wireless mic operators and frequency planners are all gearing up for Pope Francis’ September visit to the U.S., she said. “They’ve got to figure out how many wireless mics will be needed to stage, cover and record the various events … and then they’ve got to figure out how to coordinate the spectrum necessary to make sure all those mics serve their various purposes,” she said. “The FCC has just [made] their jobs even harder.” The FCC approved new wireless mic rules as part of a series of items approved at its Aug. 6 meeting (see 1508060050).
Verizon emerged as the wireless carrier with the top network across the U.S., RootMetrics said in a report Tuesday on tests it did in the first half of 2015. AT&T finished second. Verizon finished first for overall performance, network reliability, network speed, data performance and call performance -- AT&T for text performance. “Don't overlook AT&T,” RootMetrics said. “Although Verizon led the way in the majority of categories at the national level, AT&T wasn’t far behind.” Sprint finished third in overall performance. “In most categories, Sprint’s scores showed progress in terms of closing the gap with the leaders from prior testing,” RootMetrics said. T-Mobile was fourth overall. “But the network finished a strong third for network speed and data performance,” RootMetrics said. “We’ve noted before that T-Mobile typically performs much better in metro areas than it does at state or national levels, and this was indeed the case in the first half of 2015.”
AT&T said it would put in place what it calls its Mobile Share Value plans starting Saturday. Among the changes, AT&T subscribers get 15 GB of data per month for $100, up from 10 GB for the same price under the previous plan, AT&T said Friday.
Lawn-mower robots got a nod of approval from the FCC. The Office of Engineering and Technology approved a waiver request filed by iRobot allowing certification of its robotic lawn mowers that make use of the 6240-6740 MHz range. “Granting this waiver is in the public interest because it will enable iRobot to market its robotic lawn mower without posing a significant risk of harmful interference to authorized users of the radio spectrum,” OET said Wednesday. The device uses stakes with attached transmitters to be placed in the ground to establish the robot's mowing pattern. The rules prohibit the use of fixed wireless infrastructure otherwise prohibited for Part 15 devices, which necessitated a waiver, OET said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory objected to iRobot’s waiver request, saying it could be an interference threat to radio astronomy operations in the 5925-6700 MHz band (see 1503060069). IRobot’s business plan “including the use of low-to-the-ground transmitters pointing horizontally -- and its focus on marketing for non-commercial residential use” should minimize this threat, OET said. “Because the NRAO analysis looked at line-of-sight separation distances, it has greatly overestimated the interference potential of transmitters that are located less than two feet above the ground.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology formed the 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance to look at 3D channel modeling at high frequencies, NIST said in a news release. Last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the FCC soon would press ahead on an NPRM on more use of high-frequency spectrum bands (see 1508030071). NIST said the alliance includes telecom companies and universities. “NIST created the group to help meet a global surge in demand for wireless data transmission and capacity,” NIST said Tuesday. “As telecommunication frequencies go higher, the behavior of wireless signals changes. Different factors, like structures in the way, affect signal loss and distortion. Accurate models based on real-world measurements are needed to design not only the optimum system hardware but to develop standards that drive the underlying protocols for handling the transmissions. The work is challenging, in part because the technologies don't exist yet.”
A number of “use cases” will drive the growth of 5G, 4G Americas said in white paper released Tuesday. HD video, supported in high-density areas and “with ubiquitous coverage,” is one driver, the group said. “Other categories of 5G use cases include ultra-reliable communications for industry/transport automation, low latency communications applications, and high/medium data rate service for massive Machine Type Communication (MTC) for various applications like e-health, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), augmented reality and tactile internet.” Spectrum will need to be available for 5G in bands under 500 MHz to 60 GHz and beyond, the group said. “As much of the spectrum, especially in the lower ranges, is currently used by other applications and services, a critical aspect to securing additional spectrum is to leverage new regulatory frameworks involving shared spectrum whenever dedicated licensed spectrum is not feasible,” 4G Americas said. “This will help address the need for more spectrum and enable more efficient utilization of the spectrum while still protecting the incumbent services.”
The FCC Tuesday posted the incentive auction procedures public notice and revised Part 15 unlicensed rules, both approved by the FCC last week. The PN confirms that bidding is to start March 29. “This Public Notice is organized from the perspective of potential bidders, with separate sections for the reverse and forward auctions, each ordered consistent with the overall sequence of procedures in the incentive auction,” the PN said. It was approved 3-2 (see 1508060029). “We modify our rules to allow for more robust service and efficient spectral use without increasing the risk of harmful interference to authorized users,” the Part 15 order said. “We also codify in Part 15, rules for the operation of unlicensed wireless microphones in the TV bands.” The order included a late compromise on medical telemetry used at hospitals (see 1508060025).