BROWSING: FCC

The FCC is looking for more mid-band spectrum: It must use its authority to unleash 12 GHz for 5G when we need it most (Reader Forum)

In the past year, the growing demand to open America’s airwaves for 5G and next-generation connectivity has only increased, bringing national attention to spectrum’s role in closing the digital divide and solidifying global telecommunications leadership. Yet, as demand has increased, the availability of much-needed...

Another $361 million in emergency broadband funding heads out the door

The Federal Communications Commission has made another $361 million in funding commitments, in a seventh wave of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund for schools and libraries. The program has committed funds for nearly $4.2 billion to date. This round will fund more than 313,000...

Senate confirms Jessica Rosenworcel to chair the FCC

Rosenworcel's FCC advocacy has focused on expanding broadband access among other priorities The U.S. Senate today voted 68 to 31 to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel as the first female chair of the FCC, and the first official chair of the regulatory body under the Biden Administration....

China Telecom told to cease US operations next month

A federal appeals court last week declined China Telecom’s emergency bid to halt a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order withdrawing its capability to provide telecommunications services in the United States. According to a Reuters report, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Columbia...

FCC revokes China Telecom America’s authorization to operate in U.S.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order which effectively ends China Telecom Americas’ ability to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services within the U.S. In a release, the FCC noted that its order directs China Telecom Americas to discontinue any domestic or international...

3.45 GHz auction nears $21 billion

After a surge in bids last week, the 3.45 GHz spectrum auction has continued to steadily add to its bid total this week at a slower pace and after 68 rounds, stands at $20.77 billion. After 50 rounds, the auction total was at $18.7 billion,...

Simington raises the ‘specter’ of receiver regulation

In an address to the Free State Foundation, Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington continued a conversation that he says has "ruffled a few feathers": Receiver standards. In his remarks, Simington relayed a number of the points that he says have been raised to him...

FCC details second wave of emergency funding for education

To date, the emergency funding has provided 5,420,473 devices and 2,700,834 broadband connections, impacting nearly 8 million students In its recently approved second wave of emergency connectivity funding, the Federal Communications Commission is committing $1,159,681,350.34 for 2,471 schools, 205 libraries and 26 consortia. All those...

What is a small cell, really?

Analog Devices: 'There have been a lot of different uses of the term small cell' Despite the current emphasis on small cells operating in higher 5G frequencies, this infrastructure is not actually limited, or defined, by frequency. In fact, 4G small cells operate in sub-3...

Spectrum auctions: Okay for some, but not for others (Analyst Angle)

A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Paul Wolfowitz, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and former President of the World Bank, controversially suggests that auctioning spectrum for 5G is detrimental to the U.S. and helps Huawei. While spectrum allocation is an...

Viaero Wireless selects Ericsson for 5G upgrade

U.S. regional telecommunications company Viaero Wireless has selected Swedish vendor Ericsson to replace and upgrade its existing LTE equipment to end-to-end 5G-ready products and solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will replace existing core, radio access network (RAN), microwave and router equipment across...

Dish seeks permit to test 5G using 600MHz spectrum in Denver and Vegas

Dish Network is asking the Federal Communications Commission for a special temporary authorization to use 600 MHz band spectrum currently licensed to Bluewater Wireless for a three month period with the aim of carrying out 5G tests in Denver and Las Vegas using carrier...

Nokia notches a rip-and-replace win with Union Wireless

Smaller U.S. operators like Union Wireless are in the process of removing Huawei equipment from their networks After several years of discussion at the federal level, including the slow machinations of making funding available, rural and regional U.S. operators are starting the process of removing...

Mavenir sees rural Open RAN opportunity as rip-and-replace ramps

Triangle Communications opts for Mavenir Open RAN kit to replace Huawei gear The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in its effort to get Huawei, ZTE and other "untrusted" equipment out of domestic networks, will begin reimbursing rural and regional network operators for rip-and-replace costs in October....

New GAO report calls on FCC to analyze small business broadband needs

For years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considered the broadband minimum benchmark speed for small businesses to be 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading. However, a recent report published by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed...

FCC looks to limit robocalling by changing up numbering rules for VoIP providers

The Federal Communications Commission continues to look for additional ways to foil scam and fraudulent robocalling operations, and it's considering changing its rules around who has access to U.S. phone numbers as one of its strategies. The FCC voted unanimously this week to take...

Race, income are key digital divide indicators, according to survey

Allconnect's survey suggests that black, Hispanic Americans are significantly more likely than white Americans to not have internet connection A survey conducted by Allconnect, an online broadband marketplace, revealed that race and income are the biggest factors that determined if a household had adequate internet...

Editorial Report: Building a future-ready rural broadband infrastructure

The need to invest in rural broadband infrastructure and bridge the digital divide isn’t a new ambition in the U.S. but the critical need for ubiquitous, reliable connectivity has been brought into sharp relief throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, federal officials made emergency...

Editorial Webinar: Building a future-ready rural broadband infrastructure

The need to invest in rural broadband infrastructure and bridge the digital divide isn’t a new ambition in the U.S. but the critical need for ubiquitous, reliable connectivity has been brought into sharp relief throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, federal officials made emergency...

Pew Research Center finds 7% of US adults aren’t online; age is the biggest determinant

Based on a national survey conducted between Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 of this year, the Pew Research Center found that approximately 7% of U.S. adults don't use the internet. According to Pew, age is the biggest determinant of internet use with other major...

Well, technically… it’s the amount of spectrum that is transformative: NCTA’s Danielle Piñeres (Ep. 35)

Danielle Piñeres is vice president & associate general counsel at NCTA where she focuses on wireless spectrum policy issues. On the latest episode of Well, technically... she discusses how the recently opened 5.9 and 6 GHz bands will impact the Wi-Fi landscape in the...

Accurate coverage maps are fundamental to overcoming the digital divide (Reader Forum)

Without accurate maps, it’s impossible to know what communities lack wireless  services or how much it will cost to reach them One thing that the COVID-19 global health crisis has taught us is that wireless connectivity is not  a luxury but a necessity. Millions of...

With Simington confirmed and Pai to exit, FCC faces deadlock

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Republican nominee Nathan Simington, with a party-line vote, to a five-year term on the Federal Communications Commission. With Chairman Ajit Pai to depart the agency on Inauguration Day, Simington's confirmation sets up an FCC split 2-2 along party lines...

‘An exciting glimpse of America’s Wi-Fi future’: FCC authorizes first Wi-Fi 6E device

FCC Chairman Pai: 'The American consumer’s wireless experience is about to be transformed for the better' Earlier this week, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the first Wi-Fi device for use in the 6 GHz spectrum band (5.925–7.125 GHz). The ability to leverage the 6 GHz...