WASHINGTON-At the end of four rounds of bidding, subsidiaries of Nextel Communications Inc. and Motorola Inc. were duking it out for the top 15 markets of the guard-band manager licenses.Meanwhile, Spectrum Innovations L.C. was beaten in the guard-band auction, but apparently was still active,...
WASHINGTON-The private-wireless industry asked the Federal Communications Commission to revise its procedure for classifying systems with trunked operations.Centralized trunked (YG) systems could be converted by a computer database to the new classification FB8. After this is accomplished, decentralized trunked (IG) systems would follow the...
WASHINGTON-A congressional subcommittee and the wireless industry put pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to delay the upcoming 700 MHz auction, while private wireless wants the agency to go ahead with the guard-band auction.In addition, Verizon Wireless asked to delay the Nov. 29 re-auction...
ARLINGTON, Va.-The Industrial Telecommunications Association has signed an agreement with the American Petroleum Institute to notify petroleum and pipeline licensees of potential interference caused when ITA coordinates shared frequencies in the bands below 800 MHz."ITA has an obligation under its agreement with API's Petroleum...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week officially delayed the auctions for the 700 MHz band to Sept. 6. The auctions had been originally scheduled for June.The commission plans to hold two auctions for the spectrum: one for commercial use and one for guard bands designed...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission late Thursday said it would create "guard-band managers" as licensees for spectrum being set aside to protect public-safety users in the 700 MHz band.The FCC is creating two guard bands to protect public safety from interference. One license will be...
WASHINGTON-FreeSpace Communications and the Industrial Telecommunications Association are at it again. The two parties are each urging the Federal Communications Commission to let them have access to the guard bands the FCC recently developed to protect public-safety operations in the 700 MHz band.ITA does...
WASHINGTON-Several years after their requests originally were turned down because they were filed on paper instead of electronically, a number of specialized mobile radio operators have been granted wide-area licenses.The Federal Communications Commission-as part of its move to eliminate a backlog of unresolved issues...
WASHINGTON-Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association President Thomas Wheeler has close financial and business ties to two top wireless data firms-an arrangement CTIA's top board members are comfortable with while others see it as a potential conflict of interest.Wheeler, according to documents filed with the Securities...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission will auction 30 megahertz of spectrum being made available with the transition to digital TV for advanced fixed and mobile wireless services, but is looking for more advice on what to do with the six megahertz of spectrum set aside...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission this week is expected to release auction and service rules that will make 30 megahertz of spectrum available for commercial use, setting aside six megahertz for private wireless use. If this happens, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association intends to sue...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission next month is expected to announce which sectors of the wireless industry will be able to use spectrum made available with the transition to digital TV, culminating in an auction for that spectrum by April 25.The government is transitioning channels...
WASHINGTON-The No. 1 issue for the wireless telecommunications industry is access to additional spectrum, whether it is the incumbent cellular operators wanting the spectrum cap lifted (and start-up operator attempts to thwart that), spectrum for third-generation wireless or uses for spectrum made available with...
WASHINGTON-When it comes to spending money to open doors and change hearts and minds in official Washington, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association is King of the Hill.As a wireless trade association, CTIA is without peer-a lobbying juggernaut. Money appears to be no object. In...
WASHINGTON-Two members of the Senate Commerce Committee last week introduced legislation that would insulate the private wireless community from auctions.The legislation sponsored by Sens. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) and John Breaux (D-La.) will define private wireless, insulate it from auction and require the Federal Communications...
WASHINGTON-In a marked change from the private wireless industry's anti-auction stance, the Industrial Telecommunications Association this week expects to work out details of a proposal that would allow for-profit entities to become band managers of spectrum won at auction.The outlines of the proposal were...
WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc. is charging that private wireless receives a subsidy because it does not pay for its licenses. The enhanced specialized mobile radio operator made the remarks in reply comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission.The FCC is establishing a record on what...
WASHINGTON-One of the core goals of the Federal Communications Commission in the 21st century is to effectively manage radio-frequency spectrum, the FCC said last week in a draft strategic report it sent to Congress.To accomplish this, the FCC by 2003 plans to restructure its...
WASHINGTON-Efforts are under way in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission to protect wireless heart monitors and other medical telemetry devices from interference.This week, the FCC will consider a notice of proposed rule making to allocate spectrum on a primary basis for medical...
WASHINGTON - Nextel Communications Inc. last week met stiff opposition to efforts to secure private wireless spectrum and approval for the transfer of 900 MHz dispatch licenses from bankrupt Geotek Communications Inc."Because of the inter-category sharing freeze and the strict prohibition against commercial ...
WASHINGTON-As industry opposition to Pentagon spectrum bills mounts, the Federal Communications Commission confirmed last week it is prepared to suspend the normal regulatory process for deciding how to auction 36 megahertz from TV channels 60-69 if Congress votes to hold the wireless license sale...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau told private wireless advocates it is inclined to grant 54 waivers by Nextel Communications Inc., which would allow Nextel to use private wireless spectrum commercially.Senior WTB officials including Chief Thomas Sugrue told private wireless advocates from the...
WASHINGTON-As the private wireless industry prepares to enter the battle against auctioning spectrum, competing private wireless groups are fighting over how spectrum should be coordinated.At the middle of two disputes is the Personal Communications Industry Association, which has been criticized by some for spending...
WASHINGTON-With a panoply of prickly issues tied to major telecom policies of local competition, disability access, spectrum management and digital wiretap compliance, the future could not be cloudier for the wireless industry in 1999.Besides the fact wireless policy is in flux and wireless management...
