Mike Dano

Following news that all of the nation’s states have opted in to FirstNet’s public-safety network, executives at FirstNet and AT&T are now moving forward with their network buildout plans.

[Commentary] It’s been two and a half years since AT&T and Nokia developed a private, secure, reliable and high-capacity LTE network for smart grid technology, and began selling it to utility companies and others. So far, AT&T doesn’t have anything to show for it.

Bonds related to KentuckyWired’s plans to build a fiber network in Kentucky via a public-private partnership received a downgrade—from stable to negative—from Moody's Investors Service.

AT&T’s former Mobility Chief Glenn Lurie says the wireless pure-play is on its way out. “I do think, long term, you’re going to see less single-play players and more double- and triple-play players, and more bundling. Because without question the customer expectation is going to change, and it is changing. Their expectation is around having everything on their device, having their video on the device, being able to do the things around social on the device. So, I just think that for carriers to continue to grow, they’re going to have to diversify.

Sprint terminated its plan to merge its Assurance Wireless brand with i-wireless’ Access Wireless business. “Sprint and i-wireless made the mutual decision to terminate the joint venture agreement and will instead continue to operate as stand-alone Lifeline service providers,” Sprint said. “Moving forward, i-wireless will continue to operate as a Sprint MVNO.”

On its website, Assurance Wireless currently offers customers who qualify for Lifeline a free Android smartphone, 350 free minutes, unlimited free texts and 500 MB of free data each month. Almost exactly a year ago, Sprint announced it would merge its Assurance Wireless brand with i-wireless’ Access Wireless, in a tie-up of Lifeline service providers. Under the agreement, Sprint would have owned 70% of the new business, which would have operated under the name i-wireless. I-wireless was to own the remaining 30%, and i-wireless founder and CEO Paul McAleese was to lead the combined business, which would have operated on Sprint's network.

A Q&A with former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Asked, "Looking back on your time as chairman, what would you consider your highlights?" Tom Wheeler responded, "It was the most incredible privilege to be in that role as networks changed and thus changed the way we live our lives and do business. I’m proud that we brought the concept of agile software development to the FCC in the form of agile regulatory actions that respond to circumstances (e.g., the general conduct rule for the Open Internet, the “trust but verify” approach to cybersecurity, etc.). I’m proud of our efforts to expand access to networks (spectrum auctions, eRate, LifeLine, etc.); assure that those networks are fast, fair and open; to make the expectation of privacy a default for those who use networks; and to make network cybersecurity a major responsibility for the agency."

Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler described the agency’s 600 MHz incentive auction as a successful event that should generate a “huge smile” for administrators.

“We were charged with creating a marketplace and that marketplace successfully performed to produce the second largest amount of spectrum ever auctioned; and to do so by reallocating spectrum to its highest and best usage as determined by the market,” Wheeler said. “When you think of the fact that no one in the world had ever tried this two-sided auction, and all the new and unique issues that had to be dealt with for the auction to take place, one can only have a huge smile.” Wheeler lauded Gary Epstein, the chairman of the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and the regulator largely in charge of planning and executing the incentive auction, saying “I hope that when the auction closes, folks will begin to pay attention to the ground-breaking and back-breaking efforts of the Auction Task Force.” Wheeler’s comments are noteworthy as the FCC’s ongoing incentive auction winds down. Forward bidding in the event ended in February with bidders committing $19.63 billion for TV broadcasters’ airwaves, surpassing TV broadcasters’ asking price of $10 billion. Spectrum prices reached roughly $1.257 per MHz/pop, topping $1.25 per MHz/pop in the top 40 markets.

Reps from both sides of the aisle renewed calls to update the National Broadband Map, which was initially created by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission but has languished since 2014 due to lack of funding. "We must accurately collect and aggregate data to update the National Broadband Map," said House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) druing a hearing. The hearing covered legislation tied to President Trump’s plans to increase spending on the nation’s core infrastructure, and legislators generally argued that broadband networks should be expanded to unserved and underserved areas in the United States as part of that effort.

NTIA first released its national broadband map and broadband adoption survey results in 2011. Version 1.0 of the map, designed by Computech, showed broadband availability across the country, including the relative dearth of broadband access in rural areas. However, as noted on the map’s website, updates to the map stopped on June 30, 2014. “The Commission sought funding for FY 2016 to maintain and update the National Broadband Map, but this request was not granted,” the site stated. The map was updated with data from the NTIA’s State Broadband Initiative, and was created by the NTIA and the FCC. Interestingly, the NTIA largely managed to avoid the cost-cutting knife of President Trump’s federal budget.

AT&T is currently conducting Wireless Local Loop (WLL) technology tests on its LTE network in two locations in the United States, part of the carrier’s ongoing efforts to evaluate a range of high-speed transmission technologies in order to determine how they stack up against each other. John Donovan, AT&T's chief strategy officer and group president for technology and operations, explained that AT&T is testing a total of five different network technologies: G.Fast, AirGig, 5G, WLL and fiber to the premises (FTTP). To be clear, some of those efforts are further along than others; for example, AT&T has already deployed FTTP to roughly 4 million locations, a number AT&T’s CTO Andre Fuetsch said would triple during the next 36 months. “That’s obviously matured” as a technology, Fuetsch said. But some of AT&T’s other efforts are very much in the testing phase. For example, AirGig is AT&T’s new take on broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, which promises to transmit internet communications over power grids. AT&T announced its AirGig effort last year, and is now entering advanced discussions with a number of electric utilities and other companies about trialing AirGig in up to two locations this fall. And of course AT&T made waves last month when it announced it would launch its first “5G Evolution Markets” in the coming months in Austin (TX) and Indianapolis (IN) and it will build two new 5G test beds set to go on air this spring at the AT&T Labs in Austin.

[Commentary] As President Donald Trump settles into his new job there are a number of outstanding issues in the telecommunications industry he will likely address in the coming weeks, months and years. Below are the top seven issues that President Trump will likely weigh in on throughout his administration, as well as speculation on what he might do.

1. Select Federal Communications Commission’s leadership and determine its direction
2. (Almost certainly) repeal network neutrality
3. Act on AT&T’s proposed merger with Time Warner…
4. …and rule on future deals, like a possible Sprint and T-Mobile matchup
5. Finish the incentive auction and formulate an overall spectrum policy
6. Address "unlock the box" and the pay-TV market
7. Create more jobs in telecom