Most parts of a hearing-aid compatibility order moving the U.S. to 100% compatibility are effective Dec. 13, said an FCC notice for Wednesday’s Federal Register. Commissioners approved the HAC order 5-0 in October (see 410170030). “By our actions in this final rule, 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among the same handset models that are available to consumers without hearing loss,” the notice said. “No longer will they be limited in their choice of technologies, features, and prices available in the handset model marketplace.”
NTIA urged that the FCC approve a five-year extension for Echodyne of a waiver of rules allowing ground-based use of its radar, which detects objects on the ground and in the air, using the 24.45-24.65 GHz band. The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on the request earlier this year (see 2402260041). The Department of Homeland Security holds 185 frequency assignments in the band for use through the U.S., NTIA said in a filing Friday in RM-11819. “DHS advises NTIA that these systems have proven invaluable in the detection and identification of small, unmanned aircraft systems used by drug-trafficking cartels and other nefarious actors intending to cause harm to United States infrastructure and residents,” the filing said: “These radar systems have been operating for over five years, with no reported cases of harmful interference to incumbent services in the band to the best of NTIA’s knowledge.”
Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc. (ASRI) told the FCC it doesn’t object to Piper Networks' request for a waiver of rules allowing use of its enhanced transit location system, which operates in the 4243-4743 MHz band, in the metropolitan Boston area. Piper has a similar system in the greater New York City and Harris County, Texas, areas. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology recently sought comment, due Thursday in docket 19-246. ASRI filed the lone comment, posted Friday. “ASRI has conducted a preliminary review … in consultation with other stakeholders in the aviation industry, which considered recent data on altimeter performance developed in connection with other Commission proceedings,” the company said: “ASRI has not received any objections raised by aviation industry stakeholders at this time to Piper’s request.”
The Wireless ISP Association told the FCC many of its members use CBRS spectrum for reaching subscribers, and it opposes higher power levels for priority access license holders as a threat to general authorized access use of the band. Comments were due last week on an August NPRM in docket 17-258 (see 2411070032). Increasing maximum power levels “would substantially increase mutual interference between GAA users and even between GAA and PAL users on different channels,” WISPA said. “WISPA members should not be required to replace existing, relatively new equipment and purchase and deploy expensive high-powered base stations such as those used by mobile carriers in order to maintain their service areas.” Lockheed Martin said the FCC must coordinate major changes with DOD. “The current power levels represent a material, established feature upon which CBRS is premised,” Lockheed said: “Despite the essential role of pre-coordinated and established power levels, the Commission appears to have proposed these changes independently, and it is unclear what inter-agency coordination has or will occur and whether, even, there is support for such action by federal stakeholders.” Researchers at the University of Notre Dame noted that the use of CBRS is accelerating, even in small markets such as South Bend, Indiana, where the university is based. The researchers called for more reporting of interference metrics as measured on the ground by users. “When spectrum is being shared among multiple different users deploying networks in different verticals, the more information that can be shared, the better the performance for all,” they said. The Notre Dame researchers opposed adding a third category of devices that transmit at higher power levels than currently authorized, saying it would “exacerbate the secondary coexistence problem.” But Ericsson said the FCC should at least examine use of higher power levels. “Higher power levels for both [devices] and user equipment improve the efficiency of coverage to serve rural and underserved areas and reduce the cost of deployment,” Ericsson said: “Power levels can constrain certain use cases, especially wide-area commercial and enterprise networks. Enterprises like mining, large-scale agriculture, and media and entertainment companies need to support large outdoor coverage areas, and higher power levels can have a dramatic impact on enabling efficient deployments.” Increasing transmit power levels “will improve coverage, especially in rural areas, increase network efficiency, and reduce equipment and network design and deployment costs” and “can be achieved without causing harmful interference to incumbents or other spectrum users,” Federated Wireless said. Federated noted transmit levels are much lower than in the adjacent 3.45 GHz and C-band. “This discrepancy creates a significant coverage imbalance between CBRS and these adjacent bands, which undermines CBRS’s competitive capability and restricts its potential for expanded service, particularly in rural and underserved areas.”
Nationwide commercial mobile radio service providers have until Dec. 12 to comply with the FCC's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call georouting rule, while non-nationwide providers have until Dec. 12, 2026, said a notice for Tuesday's Federal Register. The georouting order was adopted 5-0 at the agency's October meeting (see 2410170026) and goes into effect Dec. 12, the notice said.
The extended deadlines granted EchoStar's Dish Network for building out its 5G terrestrial network were "clearly justified," New America's Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge said in an FCC docket 22-212 filing posted Friday. Vermont National Telephone (VTel) Wireless has a pending reconsideration petition (see 2410230004). "Building a nationwide mobile network from scratch is a high hill to climb, and EchoStar deserves every benefit of the doubt as it tries to overcome numerous obstacles," OTI and PK said. They said the extension includes "positive and unprecedented" public interest conditions. VTel Wireless said last week that the FCC Wireless Bureau lacked legal authority to grant the extension. The extension clearly harmed VTel, the company said, as it forestalls reauction of EchoStar's H-block and AWS-3 spectrum licenses. Acquiring those licenses would have more than doubled VTel's AWS spectrum holdings, it added.
Verizon continued its push for FCC handset unlocking rules last week in a series of meetings with commissioner aides. Verizon seeks a locking period of at least 60 days for postpaid phones, 180 days for prepaid, the carrier said in meetings with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks. A filing was posted Thursday in docket 24-186. “Regardless of the locking period the Commission adopts, a uniform unlocking policy that applies to all providers is paramount; the record is replete with evidence that uniformity will benefit both consumers and competition,” it said.
Verizon said that it will modify or discontinue ad claims about using its smartphones to receive satellite-supported texting services in remote locations, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division said Thursday. T-Mobile challenged Verizon's claims. The ads promise customers they can “Text Anywhere via Satellite,” NAD said. The ads offer “a small font disclosure reading 'Satellite connectivity requires select smartphones. Must be outside w/line of sight to satellite; might not work in parts of Alaska,'” the group said. NAD found “that the disclosure in Verizon’s commercials is not clear and conspicuous and is unlikely to be read and understood by consumers.”
Tech companies responded to NAB concerns (see 2410290052) about interference to broadcasters' electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations from very-low-power (VLP) devices in parts of the 6 GHz band. The companies noted that in June they submitted a report on broadcast auxiliary service use of the spectrum and VLP (see 2407010057). “NAB faults the study for simulating distant devices in locations where they could not cause interference,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295: “But this is no flaw. Rather, the fact that the vast majority of VLP devices will not operate in locations where they could cause harmful interference is a key finding of the study.” Apple, Broadcom, Google, Meta Platforms and Qualcomm made the filing.
UScellular announced on Thursday a $1 billion agreement to sell AT&T some of its spectrum licenses, which are not part of the proposed sale of wireless assets to T-Mobile (see 2405280047). T-Mobile is buying “substantially all” of UScellular’s wireless operations in a deal valued at about $4.4 billion, but it's purchasing only some of its spectrum licenses. AT&T agreed it will buy 3.45 GHz spectrum and 700 MHz B/C-block licenses for $1.018 billion. Like an earlier deal with Verizon and two undisclosed carriers, the sale is dependent on closing the proposed T-Mobile transaction. "We are pleased with the significant value that will be realized in the various transactions recently announced," said Laurent Therivel, UScellular CEO: "This agreement adds a fourth mobile network operator, in addition to T-Mobile, to the list of those whose subscribers will benefit from the sale of our spectrum licenses. As with the other mobile network operators, we are confident that AT&T can put it to productive use in communities throughout the U.S.” With the latest transaction, UScellular said it has deals to sell 70% of its total spectrum holdings, excluding high-band spectrum, measured on a MHz/POPs basis. UScellular retains 1.86 billion MHz/POPs of low and mid-band spectrum and 17.2 billion MHz/POPs of millimeter-wave, Therivel said, noting that the most valuable spectrum left to sell is in the C-band. “Our C-band licenses are positioned in an attractive mid-band frequency that can deliver outstanding speed and capacity.” There is “a substantial 5G ecosystem of equipment vendors and existing infrastructure that uses C-band” and “they have a lengthy build-out timeline, with first and second build-out dates of 2029 and 2033, respectively.” The deal “is in line with UScellular’s objective to monetize its remaining spectrum following the transaction with T-Mobile announced in May,” said RBC Capital Markets in a note to investors. The firm estimated that the price for the 3.45 GHz spectrum associated with the sale is 55 cents per MHz/POP, compared with the national average spectrum price of 77 cents during the 2022 auction. The C-band holdings are UScellular’s most valuable unsold band, RBC said, noting an average price of 94 cents MHz/PoP in the 2021 auction: “We view the remaining C-Band licenses as [complementary] to AT&T's and Verizon's holdings.”