Wireless Spectrum Auctions

Broadband stakeholders differed on whether the FCC should reconsider letting wireless ISPs and DSL providers bid at the gigabit tiers in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase I auctions, in recent interviews. Some want more stringent evaluation of short-form applications. Others appreciate the hurdles the agency set for such providers. Commissioners vote Tuesday on an RDOF auction procedures public notice (see 2005190058).

Having approved Ligado license modifications, the FCC is expected to consider the 1675-1680 MHz band, on which the agency took comment last year. NOAA is preparing a report on potential effect on federal users of sharing the band, but it’s unclear whether it will be made public, industry officials said in interviews. Ligado asked for the NPRM and could combine it with its other spectrum, for 40 MHz for 5G.

Ligado’s path forward could be difficult even after the FCC approved an order granting its longstanding request for license modifications (see 2004200039), industry officials said in interviews last week. In conversations with investors, Ligado focuses on a deal with Verizon to pair its L-band spectrum with C-band spectrum from the upcoming FCC auction rather than relying on the industrial IoT (IIoT), industry officials said. Ligado critics said any terrestrial use of the band would be a concern. Also Friday, the company said NTIA concern about FCC OK is groundless (see 2005290057).

C-band satellite operators and wireless interests joined in opposition to small satellite operators' ask for a stay of the FCC's C-band order while they challenge it in U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2005180036), according to docket 18-122 postings Thursday. A delay to the C-band repurposing for terrestrial 5G deployments counters FCC goals and the public interest in getting the spectrum to new uses, Intelsat said. CTIA said the SSOs haven't shown irreparable injury absent a stay or that their alleged losses couldn't be remediated. The SSOs also ignore "the massive harm that a stay would cause to CTIA members and other prospective bidders (who have invested significant time and resources to prepare for the auction) and American consumers," it said. The SSOs forfeited their right to challenge the proposed modifications of their licenses by filing what they called "a protest" that lacked the specific allegations of fact and affidavits it needs, Verizon said. Also filing against the SSO stay were SES, Telesat and Eutelsat. Backing SSOs ABS Global, Hispasat and Empresa is PSSI Global Services. PSSI said it and the SSOs will prevail in their opposition to the order based on the "substantial and irreparable" harms it's already causing, and the FCC didn't give adequate notice of the fundamental changes to their licenses. As of Thursday early evening, the SSOs hadn't filed suit with the D.C. Circuit. Eutelsat said it also is opting for accelerated relocation of its C-band operations, as have multiple other C-band operators (see 2005260037).

Prospects for advancing legislation on allocating proceeds from the FCC’s coming auction involving of spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band have become increasingly doubtful after more than two months in which negotiations were largely in stasis due to Capitol Hill's shift in priority to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers and communications sector officials said in interviews. Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., and Democratic backers of C band remain interested in pressing forward. Republicans on the House and Senate Commerce committees believe the time for pursuing legislation has largely passed given FCC moves to advance the auction. Wireless and satellite interests cited concerns with the FCC's order in petitions for reconsideration filed Wednesday (see 2005270031).

With the FCC auction of priority access licenses (PAL) to start in July, and companies using the general authorized access (GAA) tier, speakers on a FierceWireless webinar Thursday saw growing interest in the citizens broadband radio service band. Speakers from three of the five FCC-authorized spectrum access system (SAS) administrators, CommScope, Federated Wireless and Google, said they are demonstrating CBRS will live up to the hype.

Ultra-high band spectrum remains a “wild, wonderful and challenging” world, said Ted Rappaport, director-NYU Wireless at New York University School of Engineering, during a National Science Foundation webinar Wednesday. The FCC tapped Rappaport to speak on the importance of spectrum above 95 GHz before a vote last year approving the spectrum horizons order (see 1903150054). Some are looking to spectrum as high as 700 GHz, he said. Commissioners will consider an NPRM on the 70, 80 and 90 GHz bands at their June 9 meeting (see 2005190058).

A draft declaratory ruling circulated by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Tuesday clarifies that industry can swap out antennas and other infrastructure on towers without delay under the 2012 Spectrum Act. Commissioner Brendan Carr told us Tuesday that despite the early resistance (see 2005110029) some local governments support the infrastructure clarification and the pandemic underscores the need for building infrastructure quickly.

U.S. carriers have kept up with unprecedented demand under COVID-19, American Tower CEO Tom Bartlett told the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s ConnectX virtual conference Tuesday. The conference's goal is to help explain what’s happening “on the ground” during the pandemic, said WIA President Jonathan Adelstein. “Everybody recognizes how essential having reliable wireless service is.”

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic made the FCC more determined to eliminate unnecessary regulation, Chairman Ajit Pai said during the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s virtual version of its annual ConnectX. The agency also Tuesday released its draft version of proposed changes to infrastructure rules, proposed by WIA and CTIA (see 2005190058). Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr also spoke.