The Competitive Carriers Association raised concerns about a Georgia Institute of Technology third-party mobile speed test app in the FCC’s broadband data collection mobile challenge process. The FCC’s Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment on the app in September and replies were due Friday (see 2409170010). “CCA is concerned that allowing additional speed test apps alone will not solve the underlying issues that are undermining a vigorous and user-friendly challenge process as called for in the Broadband DATA Act and that are plaguing the Commission’s mobile availability maps,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 24-2. “The Commission must address these issues before it can expect CellWatch, the FCC Mobile Speed Test app, or future third-party apps to meaningfully contribute to the mobile challenge process,” CCA said.

The C-band relocation payment clearinghouse is in the final phase of its claims review, following the July 1 deadline for claims submission, it said in a docket 18-122 filing posted Monday. As of Sept. 30, it had finished reviewing all lump sum claims, all surrogate claims and most non-lump sum claims from earth station operators, as well as almost all claims from satellite operators, it said. Cumulatively through Sept. 30, it had received 4,518 claims with a total dollar value of $3.55 billion, and it's moving to its next phase: reconciliation of satellite operators' claims. The clearinghouse said after that, it will start final operations, including the final accounting and audit, with the expectation it ceases operations by June.

The American Consumer Institute (ACI) questioned whether the FCC has legal authority to impose handset unlocking rules on carriers, as proposed in an NPRM that commissioners approved 5-0 in July (see 2407180037). “The FCC relies on dubious legal authority to justify unsupported economic assertions, which threaten to undermine the pro-competitive consumer benefits the Commission seeks to achieve,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 24-186. “Instead of empirically validating its claims with a cost-benefit analysis about pro-competitive market conditions from the rule, it simply asserts its conclusions as fact and then works backward from preordained outcomes to justify its decision,” ACI said.

Vermont National Telephone (VTel) Wireless' reconsideration petition concerning the FCC Wireless Bureau extending EchoStar's 5G network buildout deadlines (see 2410230004) never mentions commitments that come with those new deadlines, EchoStar said in an opposition posted Friday (docket 22-212). It added the extension is fully within bureau precedent of giving licensees additional time so they can "complete the arduous process of building wireless networks." In addition, EchoStar said, the bureau's order comports with the FCC's objective of promoting a fourth national wireless provider. No one else has opposed the new deadlines, and VTel's "meritless" petition seems likely to have sprung from its unrelated litigation against EchoStar that alleges fraud against Dish Network in the FCC's 2015 AWS-3 auction.

The bulk of wireless data is carried over Wi-Fi rather than mobile connections, though differences are notable in the traffic ratio among wireless operators, OpenSignal said last week. Major wireless carriers Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T see significantly more of their data moving over mobile connections than Comcast's and Charter's mobile services do, it said. More use of Wi-Fi by cable mobile virtual network operator subscribers is a product of Comcast and Charter Wi-Fi offload strategies. The cable operators use their in-home Wi-Fi and extensive out-of-home Wi-Fi hot spot networks to help reduce their wholesale cellar traffic costs, OpenSignal said. Both home and away, T-Mobile users spend the most time on mobile, reflecting in part its lack of public Wi-Fi hot spots, OpenSignal said. With all five, though, the vast bulk of their data usage is over Wi-Fi rather than mobile -- anywhere from 82% for T-Mobile to 89% for Comcast.

With T-Mobile not receiving good offers for its 800 MHz spectrum (see 2410240044), the company's options range from deploying or leasing the spectrum to selling it, consultant Terry Chevalier wrote Thursday on LinkedIn. Deployment of the spectrum into T-Mobile's network would require a significant capital investment, as well as higher operational expenses, Chevalier said. Potential leasing opportunities include utilities or other IoT-based users looking at industrial IoT or smart network applications, or private network uses, he said. He said the long timeline for new spectrum in the U.S. pipeline could mean a better return on auctioning the 800 MHz.

Since the FCC sits on reconsideration petitions as it tries insulating itself from judicial review, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals shouldn't wait for "the futile exhaustion of arguments," said petitioners Maurine and Matthew Molak. In a letter to the 5th Circuit, the Molaks -- who unsuccessfully challenged the FCC's August E-rate hot spots order (see 2409260046) and are challenging the agency's 2023 declaratory ruling authorizing E-rate funding for Wi-Fi on school buses (see 2312200040) -- said they have filed a reconsideration petition on the hotspots order. Three months later, the FCC has not acted on that petition, the Molaks said. Given that the hot spots litigation was dismissed in part because the FCC hasn't acted on the recon petition, the 5th Circuit shouldn't dismiss the bus litigation on the basis that no recon petition has been filed, they said Thursday in the letter in docket 23-60641. The FCC didn't comment Thursday.

Petitions to deny the transfer of UScellular authorizations and spectrum licenses to T-Mobile are due Dec. 9, the FCC Wireless Bureau said in a public notice posted Wednesday in docket 24-286. It said oppositions to petitions are due Jan. 8 and replies Jan. 28. The companies in May announced a $4.4 billion deal that would see T-Mobile buying UScellular's wireless operations (see 2405280047). T-Mobile also would pick up about 30% of UScellular's spectrum holdings, the bureau said.

Federated Wireless has withdrawn its request for a waiver of rules that require environmental sensing capability (ESC) systems to protect federal incumbents in Florida in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference. It said in a docket 15-319 filing posted Wednesday the waiver is no longer needed as ESC sensor redundancy lost during Hurricane Milton has been restored. Federated and Google received waivers in advance of the hurricane's landfall (see 2410080058).

Fans and critics of the proposal giving very-low power (VLP) devices greater access to the 6 GHz band (see 2410040055) are lobbying the 10th floor. The band's U-NII-6 and U-NII-8 portions are key to broadcasters' electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations and face particular threat from increased indoor and outdoor unlicensed operations, NAB said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. In meetings with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's office and the Office of Engineering and Technology, NAB said broadcasters are concerned VLP unlicensed devices might operate at power levels similar to those that licensed mobile ENG equipment use. Reserving "a mere 55 MHz" for licensed mobile use would be a "safe harbor" for ENG, it said. Apple, Broadcom, Google and Meta, meeting with the offices of Commissioners Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez, said VLP access to the U-NII-6 and U-NII-8 portions will mean more spectrum available for emerging portable applications, thus improving channel availability and performance. They said the risk of harmful interference from VLP devices to fixed service, broadcast auxiliary service and satellite networks is tiny.