CBRS

ATIS and the Citizens Broadband Radio Service Alliance announced a development they say will make use of the 3.5 GHz band more commercially viable. The work was done by ATIS’ International Mobile Subscriber Identity Oversight Council. The IMSI council oversees U.S. assignment of IMSI numbers, a 15-digit international identifier that allows for network roaming. In collaboration with the CBRS Alliance, “ATIS developed an innovative new IMSI code that is specifically allocated for use by CBRS spectrum operators," they said Tuesday. The council “will also begin administration of an IMSI Block Number (IBN), under the oversight of the IMSI Administrator, iconectiv,” they said. “The IBN will be assigned to CBRS spectrum operators to support the implementation of network services. This work is essential for utilizing CBRS for LTE services while also advancing IoT applications.”

CTIA urged the FCC to move away from census tracts for priority access licenses (PALs) to be auctioned in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, in favor of the April compromise proposed by it and the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804230064). Some “continue to call for the use of census tract PALs for all or some of the PALs,” but census tracts would be administratively burdensome, lead to interference concerns, increase the cost of deployment, hurt rural investment, lead to economic inefficiencies, “impede and delay access to spectrum” and “significantly reduce the value of the CBRS band,” CTIA said Friday in docket 17-258. “An auction that includes census tract licensing -- be it for all 70 megahertz of licensed spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band or only a portion -- will necessarily result in delayed deployment.” The filing hadn't been posted by the FCC.

The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) urged the FCC not to change rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band to take spectrum away from the general authorized access tier or approve priority access licenses larger than counties. “It is likely that many users will rely on both PAL and GAA spectrum,” the group said. “The current PAL rules allow rural and small ISPs, individual business facilities and venues, and public-purpose networks -- including schools, libraries, college campuses and municipal services -- to leverage access to both interference-protected and GAA spectrum.” PISC met with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr, said a filing in docket 17-258.

A Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing with NTIA Administrator David Redl will likely -- to varying degrees -- focus on the federal spectrum policies of President Donald Trump's administration (see 1806120056), improving national broadband map data accuracy and the 2016 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition, said lawmakers and communications sector experts in interviews. The hearing will begin at 2:30 p.m. in 253 Russell. It's Redl's first before Senate Commerce since his November confirmation (see 1711070076, 1711070084 and 1711080015). Redl also testified during a March House Communications Subcommittee hearing.

CTIA asked the FCC to act on changes to rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band at the July 12 commissioners' meeting. The Wednesday letter by President Meredith Baker said unless the FCC acts soon, the U.S. will fall behind other countries in the race to 5G. CTIA asked the FCC to approve rules based on its April proposal made with the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804240067). The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) pushed for small priority access licenses (PALs) in the band, with no major changes from the Obama administration rules.

Possible FCC action to raze state and local barriers to wireless deployment “sets the bookends” for national policy, while letting states write more detailed rules through individual small-cells bills, said Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO Jonathan Adelstein in a Wednesday interview at the WIA show in Charlotte. In keynotes, Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly backed aggressive federal action to win a global race to 5G (see 1805230031 and 1805220034). Local governments are cooperative and the federal government need not intervene, NATOA General Counsel Nancy Werner said Thursday: “We’re ready to go.”

FCC Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, appearing together at a WifiForward event, agreed the FCC needs to make more spectrum available for Wi-Fi. Both expressed impatience with the slow pace of opening the 5.9 GHz band for sharing with Wi-Fi. O’Rielly said later he doesn’t have a firm timetable for the release of proposed rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band.

Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri met with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on spectrum issues, including the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband service band (see 1805220034 and 1805230013), said a filing in docket 14-177. Suri and Rick Corker, Nokia president North America, also met with Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel. “Innovative spectrum policies [have] unlocked the potential of gigabits of spectrum, including the 3.5 GHz and mmWave bands,” the filing said. “The Commission should move more quickly to get those spectrum bands into the market via auction so that they can be put to use. The Nokia Executives asked that the Commission expedite auctioning mid-band and mmWave spectrum bands, and hold auctions that cover more than one band at a time, which will speed deployment of 5G services to American consumers.” The executives stressed the importance of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band “as the centerpiece for nationwide 5G deployment.” A proposal by Intelsat and SES "to unlock only 100 MHz of spectrum for 5G over 3 years is not sufficient to meet the needs of wireless operators, or to keep the U.S. competitive with the emerging 5G plans in China, Japan and Korea,” they said. They encouraged the FCC to approve this year proposals for spectrum access system administrators in the 3.5 GHz band (see 1805220065), including the telecom manufacturer's SAS submission. As the regulator tries to prevent USF from funding equipment that threatens national security, the firm asked it "not be used to cast uncertainty on the entire industry, including longstanding, well-vetted partners of U.S. government and industry."

The FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology, “on their own motion,” Tuesday provided a conditional waiver of rules for spectrum access system administrators in the nascent 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band. SASs could authorize only lower-power (Category A) devices to operate in the band outside of exclusion zones and couldn’t authorize the use of any higher-power (Category B) devices before certification and deployment of environmental sensing capability (ESC) operators. The FCC side-stepped this requirement, letting SASs use an alternative protection methodology based on dynamic protection areas (DPAs). Every SAS will have to decide whether it will take advantage of the rule change, the FCC said. “Prior to the deployment of an ESC, a DPA-enabled SAS may authorize both Category A and Category B [devices] and will not be required to enforce Exclusion Zones in areas protected by DPAs,” the order said. “Prior to the deployment of an ESC, non-DPA-enabled SASs may only authorize Category A CBSDs outside of Exclusion Zones, consistent with the current rules.” The FCC said the revised rules will permit operators in the band to “operate both Category A and Category B [devices] in a larger portion of the country more quickly than anticipated and thereby will promote efficient spectrum use and rapid commercial deployment in the band, encourage investment, and facilitate the expeditious provision of new products and services to the public while still protecting federal operations.”

CHARLOTTE -- Locked in a global race to 5G, the U.S. must be aggressive in lowering state and local barriers to wireless deployment, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told the Wireless Infrastructure Association Tuesday. The FCC should “exercise its authority” to stop “bad actors” in state and local government from slowing deployment of small cells, he said. O’Rielly said he wants to see a “solid mid-band play” for 5G wireless services available in the next two years. In an interview also Tuesday, O’Rielly also discussed net neutrality, 911 fee diversion and Sinclair.