Verizon and CTIA asked the FCC to reconsider rules allowing unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band, in petitions posted Friday in docket 18-295. The rules approved 5-0 in April (see 2004230059) don’t allow power levels “sufficient to integrate wideband 6 GHz unlicensed operations into 5G systems,” Verizon said. Increase the maximum permitted effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) in 5.925-6.425 and 6.525-6.875 sections from 36 to 42 dBm, with maximum conducted power limit of 36 dBm, Verizon said. CTIA asked to reconsider not clearing and licensing part of the band. The U.S. "faces a growing mid-band deficit, even accounting for the 350 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz and 3.7 GHz bands to be auctioned this year,” CTIA said: “The Commission recognizes that there is an urgent need for additional licensed mid-band spectrum, yet inexplicably decided to give to unlicensed the full 1,200 megahertz in the 6 GHz band.” CTIA supported Verizon calls for higher power levels and for licensing part of the spectrum. The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition sought changes on “two discrete issues" where the group believes the commission erred. “Codify an average activity factor of 0.4% for low-power indoor devices,” FWCC asked: “Mandate testing prior to the release of unlicensed devices, including low-power indoor devices, in the 6 GHz band” or “delay the effective date of the rules to permit more time for testing.”

European regulators are taking a more measured approach than the U.S., where the FCC aggressively moved to make high-band spectrum available for 5G, speakers said at the virtual European Spectrum Management Conference Thursday. The FCC has already held three millimeter-wave auctions, including the largest, which concluded in March with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon buying licenses (see 2003120054).

The FCC remains concerned about receiver standards, Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale said at the virtual European Spectrum Management Conference Wednesday. Stockdale suggested the FCC do more to address the issue. Speakers on a second panel said Europe may not follow the U.S. in allocating the entire 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use, which the FCC did in April (see 2004230059).

The citizens broadband radio service band appears to be off to a strong start, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said during a ConnectX webinar Tuesday. O’Rielly expects July 23’s priority access license auction to take place as planned, though he said that’s a decision to be made by Chairman Ajit Pai. Other speakers said CBRS will get wide use.

A fiber outage caused nationwide problems on T-Mobile’s network Monday, but only about 20% of customers were affected, said President-Technology Neville Ray at a Wells Fargo virtual conference Thursday. “We’re very sorry for the occurrence,” he said: “We have to do better.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai also spoke, but that wasn't streamed (see 2006160058).

There’s “emerging consensus” the next Senate-side COVID-19 aid bill will include funding to bolster E-rate and other broadband initiatives, Incompas CEO Chip Pickering said Thursday. Some GOP lawmakers voiced growing interest in including broadband funding in coming pandemic legislation since House passage last month of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act. HR-6800’s broadband funding includes an $8.8 billion Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund and $5 billion for E-rate (see 2005130059). President Donald Trump’s administration recently narrowed the scope of their desires for a fourth major aid measure (see 2006050058).

The FCC's C-band order, if not stayed, will mean "irreparable losses and competitive harm" to small satellite operators ABS Global, Empresa and Hispasat because they will be left with significantly less spectrum while their competitors will reap taxpayer-funded satellites and billions of dollars that should go to the Treasury, the three said Monday in an emergency motion for a stay. The SSOs told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (docket 20-1146, in Pacer) the stay must be granted by June 22, the order's effective date, or the big C-band satellite operators, their customers and wireless companies will start incurring clearing costs and doing auction preparation they will claim can't be undone fairly. Barring that stay, expedite briefing and argument so the spectrum auction set for Dec. 8 doesn't happen before the SSOs' appeal of the order is decided, they asked. The FCC emailed it's "confident that this misguided effort to delay the clearing of this critical band of spectrum to support 5G services will fail. These companies don't use C-band spectrum in the United States and have failed to show that they will suffer any imminent or irreparable harm from the procedures the FCC has put in place. In any event, their legal arguments are meritless." Its Wireless Bureau denied the SSOs' stay request last week (see 2006110041). Intelsat said it signed agreements with Maxar and Northrop Grumman for six new satellites for the C-band relocation -- four from Maxar, two from Northrop. It said it's in talks with satellite manufacturers about a seventh satellite for the C-band transition.

Wireless ISPs and low earth orbit satellite providers participating in the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase I auctions must prepare more detailed responses for their short-form applications after the FCC added new questions for those bidding in the gigabit performance tier, said a public notice released Thursday on auction procedures. The FCC emphasized "the level of detail we expect to see in responses from service providers proposing to bid in the Gigabit performance tier" and clarified applicants should include information on upstream speeds. The agency will provide examples of information it seeks on "base station configurations and channel bandwidths, as well as traffic and propagation assumptions." It wants satellite providers to describe how their proposed networks will deliver the proposed performance tier and latency requirements "to all planned locations in a mass-market consumer service." Commissioners approved the item Tuesday (see 2006090031). Stakeholders disagree which tiers spectrum-based broadband providers should participate in (see 2006020036). “The Wireless ISP Association is "generally pleased" the PN "places no restrictions against any fixed wireless providers being able to apply to bid in the Gigabit performance tier," a spokesperson emailed. NTCA Senior Vice President-Industry Affairs and Business Development Mike Romano tweeted his support of added FCC scrutiny.

The FCC is seemingly confident the C-band band transition plan cost estimates due Friday won't be inflated. Eutelsat warned about possible abuse of relocation funding (see 2005150028) and Director-Regulatory Affairs and Spectrum Wladimir Bocquet told us some cost estimate ranges in the FCC's draft cost catalog were considerably high, particularly for launches and replacement satellites. Cable interests are asking for more time to review the satellite transition plans.

All signs are the citizens broadband radio service auction will start July 23 as planned, especially with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai concerned about a December C-band auction, industry and FCC officials said in recent interviews. The auction of priority access licenses was delayed once from June 25, because of COVID-19 concerns (see 2003250052). The agency announced Monday that 348 companies or individuals filed short forms to participate; 106 were deemed complete while others require additional work.