NCTA, major cable companies and other groups met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to oppose proposed changes to rules for the citizens broadband radio service band, including higher power levels and relaxed emission limits. The lobbying reflects arguments a larger group of associations and companies made last week in a letter to Carr (see 2502060050). Those changes would “fundamentally alter the longstanding nature of CBRS, result in massive harmful interference to existing deployments" and "undermine existing and planned investments," said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-258. The changes could also "damage the trust in federal/commercial collaboration and sharing that has led to successful protection of national security operations while enabling innovative and competitive commercial use, and immediately halt America’s global momentum in private wireless networks,” it said. Others represented at the meeting included Spectrum for the Future, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Wireless ISP Association.

Wireless carriers and cable operators are waging a new war over spectrum. Wireless groups launched a coalition, Spectrum for Broadband Competition, that accuses cable operators of trying to starve carriers of the additional full-power licensed spectrum they need as network data demands soar. The fight appears centered, in part, on the wireless industry’s pursuit of lower 3 GHz spectrum, a band that DOD uses widely and the 7/8 GHz bands (see 2502050038).

The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance asked the FCC to reject a petition from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District requesting that the FCC stay a requirement that 4.9 GHz licensees provide the agency with granular licensing data by June 9 or face cancelation of its licenses (see 2501290032). The PSSA said the petition has no more merit than one from the National Sheriffs’ Association and the California State Sheriffs’ Association (see 2501300025). “Even if Petitioner’s substantive arguments had some merit, which they do not, it is not entitled to a stay because it does not come close to demonstrating that it will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay,” said a filing Thursday in docket 07-100. The transit system's “purported injury” is based on concerns that its license will prohibit expansion of its 4.9 GHz operations and that it would be costly for it to collect and present the data concerning its existing operations, PSSA said. “But the Commission’s express statement that it will entertain waiver requests from licensees seeking to expand operations renders any possible injury speculative -- and provides a path for a remedy, should such alleged injury occur.”

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials urged the FCC to make technical changes to rules for the 4.9 GHz band, including increasing the equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) limits to make the band more attractive for 5G. “More work is left to be done, and time is of the essence,” APCO said in a filing last week in docket 07-100. “To achieve its intent to promote innovation in the 4.9 GHz band, the Commission should ensure that the technical rules for the 4.9 GHz band align with the standards in the global marketplace,” APCO said. The group requested, among other changes, a base station maximum EIRP in the 4.9 GHz band of 3,280 watts/MHz and raising the maximum conducted output power of emissions outside the licensee’s authorized bandwidth to -13 dBm/MHz. APCO said the FCC needs to move quickly, so that the rule changes can be incorporated into the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s Release 19, which is expected in September. If not part of that release, “5G deployments may be significantly delayed, well into 2028, frustrating the Commission’s overarching goal of providing public safety users with access to innovative technologies in the near-term.”

Federated Wireless representatives met with aides to FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington to call for rules that would facilitate deploying AI “and other advanced tools” to make the citizens broadband radio service band more efficient for users. The representatives discussed Federated’s “support for codification of the processes that are being used to manage CBRS spectrum access” and “greater harmonization of the CBRS rules with adjacent bands,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258.

The Association of American Railroads told the FCC that its members remain on schedule to move off 900 MHz frequencies to new frequencies by the September deadline. AAR disputed claims made by The Federal Newswire and Rail Tech News that the railroads won’t meet the deadline. “Although each railroad is implementing its own transition plan, all will accomplish the task on schedule,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-200: “Accordingly, there is no basis for parties -- especially those acting anonymously -- to question the railroads’ ability to do so.” Railroads have been using the 900 MHz frequencies since 1982 as part of a “single nationwide ribbon license,” AAR noted.

The Mobile Satellite Services Association and the 5G Automotive Association announced Thursday an alliance “to advance global collaboration in the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.” The agreement “establishes a framework for cooperation in areas such as technological research and development, spectrum management, and the integration of satellite and cellular networks,” the groups said. 5GAA Director General Johannes Springer added: “By making non-terrestrial networks interworking with our cellular technology, we can create more resilient, scalable solutions that meet the growing demand for safer, more efficient transportation systems.”

A broad group of companies and associations urged new FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to oppose fundamental changes to rules for the citizens broadband radio service band, including higher power levels and relaxed emission limits. “Such changes would fundamentally modify CBRS licenses and undermine the Commission’s bipartisan vision for CBRS as a lower-power, small-cell band that supports broad access and numerous applications,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. The changes “would also imperil the technical progress made over the last decade through collaboration between the Commission, federal agencies, and industry,” it said. Among signers of the letter were NCTA and major cable companies, Amazon.com Services, the American Library Association, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Deere & Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lockheed Martin, the Open Technology Institute at New America, Public Knowledge, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Shure, Spectrum for the Future and the Wireless ISP Association. CBRS is broadly used for “rural broadband, competitive mobile services, manufacturing, industrial and enterprise private networks, transportation and logistics connectivity (e.g. airports and shipping terminals), school and library access, and more,” the filing said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Wednesday granted five additional licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum, four in Texas and one in Missouri. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband, while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).

The global mobile virtual network operator market will outpace other wireless growth, increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 3.6% from 2023 to 2029, Omdia projected Wednesday. The MVNO growth rate should “more than double the projected CAGR of 1.6% forecasted for personal mobile subscriptions globally over the same period, indicating that the MVNO market will outpace the general personal mobile market,” Omdia said. However, growth will vary by region. In the Americas, Omdia projected CAGR of 10.6%, led by the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. “Although Europe is one of the most advanced regional MVNO markets, Europe’s MVNO subscriptions will contract over the next few years, due to factors such as competition from operator sub-brands and because some MVNOs have decided to deploy their own mobile networks.”