Spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to revise its satellite spectrum sharing rules to promote market entry, regulatory certainty, and spectrum efficiency. The Report and Order released on November 15th refines the FCC’s non-geostationary satellite orbit, fixed-satellite service (NGSO FSS) spectrum sharing regime that provides clarity regarding sharing between systems licensed in different processing rounds, granting primary spectrum access to systems approved earlier, while enabling new entrants to participate in an established, cooperative spectrum sharing structure.

Following in the footsteps of some smaller US cable operators, GCI, Alaska's biggest cable operator, is preparing to end its pay-TV service. GCI confirmed that it has informed its video customers that it will shut down its TV offerings by mid-2025 and allocate more of its resources toward broadband and mobile.

In an increasingly congested wireless spectrum, conflict is both inevitable but often resolvable. Between commercial applications (e.g., terrestrial and non-terrestrial wireless communications, navigation, and telemetry), scientific activities (e.g., radio astronomy, polar research, earth observation), and other vital spectrum-dependent uses (e.g., air traffic control), competition for spectrum access will only increase with new and emerging applications and technologies.

With USCellular's agreement to sell AT&T $1.018 billion of spectrum, all three of the major mobile operators "have taken a chunk" of the rural carrier's assets. The agreement includes the sale of 1,250M MHz-Pops of 3.45 GHz and 331M MHz-Pops of 700 MHz B/C block licenses to AT&T. This spectrum will likely enable AT&T to layer in better coverage on its existing 5G footprint. The sale, once approved by regulators, will add additional spectrum to AT&T's existing bandwidth to improve overall coverage. The 700 MHz band is valuable for distance coverage.

When president-elect Trump is sworn in for his second term on January 20, 2025, his administration will take over wireless policy. What analysts say we should expect: 

Given the slowdown in spending on the part of big wireless carriers as the 5G era shifts into low gear, why does UScellular think it can make a viable business selling space on its towers? After all, a booming tower business implies carriers will spend more on their networks, not less.

Analysts expect the U.S.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules to bolster the Commission's coordinated nationwide approach to the 4.9 GHz spectrum band through a nationwide band manager framework. "To ensure that the 4.9 GHz band is put to more robust use nationwide in the near term—the 4.9 GHz Band Manager, once selected, will be eligible to apply for a nationwide overlay license and authorized to enter into a sharing agreement with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).

AT&T and the FirstNet Authority are sitting pretty after the FCC voted 4-0 to hand over a chunk of the 4.9 GHz band for the operation of FirstNet’s nationwide public safety network. The 50 megahertz of spectrum in question is reportedly worth up to $14 billion. But their giddiness might not last too long if the Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI) has anything to do with it. CERCI is already threatening to challenge the FCC’s decision in court.

UScellular is selling a portion of its spectrum licenses to Verizon for $1 billion as it looks to monetize the spectrum that wasn’t included in the proposed sale to T-Mobile.