Spectrum

Verizon will cover more than 175 million people with its 5G Ultra Wideband service by the end of 2022, according to executives. In 2021, Verizon said it expected to provide service Ultra Wideband 5G to 175 million people over the course of 2022 and 2023, so it’s hitting that target significantly faster than previously planned. They expect to cover at least 250 million people by the end of 2024. Verizon currently serves 100 million people with its C-band 3.7 GHz spectrum.

Sens Roger Wicker, (R-MS) and John Thune (R-SD) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel requesting information on future spectrum auction opportunities and policy reforms that can be made to auction rules to promote international competitiveness, maximize spectrum use efficiency, and foster the rapid deployment of next-generation technologies. The FCC’s statutory authority to conduct spectrum auctions is set to expire later in 2022, absent Congressional action.

"To support the next-generation of wireless connectivity, we must work together to free up more spectrum—and especially mid-band airwaves," said Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at the Mobile World Congress of 2022 In Barcelona, Spain. "I'm excited to announce that the United States will hold another mid-band spectrum auction. This July we will kick off our auction of the 2.5 GHz band.

Dish Network has resolved its dispute with T-Mobile over the shut-down of T-Mobile’s 3G CDMA network. The parties have agreed that T-Mobile’s CDMA network will officially shut down on March 31—the same date that T-Mobile has been sticking to in the fight between the two carriers. The two carriers are working together to communicate to Boost customers who are still on the CDMA network and to help them obtain new handsets. In the short-term Dish expects some continued churn of Boost Mobile customers. 

The National Association of Broadcasters told the Federal Communications Commission that the industry opposes a proposal from the Forest Service to assess an annual programmatic fee on communication uses to cover the Forest Service’s costs of administering its communications use program. “NAB believes the Forest Service’s current proposal is unlawful, inequitable, and undermines the public interest.

In a speech at the National Press Club celebrating the 10th anniversary of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a plan to dedicate proceeds from upcoming spectrum auctions toward a nationwide investment in digital, next-generation 911 services.

Nine of the nation’s leading digital equity organizations announced the launch of Airwaves for Equity, a coalition focused on asking Congress to dedicate the net proceeds from future spectrum auctions to support digital literacy and inclusion efforts.

Nathan Simington is the newest commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, but just one year into his role, the former National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) official is bringing his all to the table. The Republican commissioner recently spoke about his reaction to the FCC and NTIA's newly announced Spectrum Coordination Initiative, as well as his views on inter-agency collaboration and social media regulation.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a new initiative to improve US government coordination on spectrum management. The Spectrum Coordination Initiative will involve actions by both agencies to strengthen the processes for decision making and information sharing and to work cooperatively to resolve spectrum policy issues. Specifically, the FCC Chairwoman and the NTIA Assistant Secretary have committed to the following initial actions:

The US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has appointed 29 outside experts to serve on the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC), which provides advice on a range of policy and technical issues related to wireless technology and the use of spectrum.