Wireless Telecommunications

US District Judge Victor Marrero told lawyers fighting over T-Mobile’s more than $26 billion bid for Sprint to skip their customary opening arguments so they could start questioning witnesses, a sign he is seeking a speedy trial. And he asked both sides to trim their lists of witnesses to avoid beating him “over the head” with testimony. The bench trial is scheduled to carry into Christmas week but could last longer. The states’ first witness, Sprint marketing chief Roger Solé, testified to the company’s efforts to lure subscribers away from rivals, including T-Mobile.

The Federal Communications Commission Incentive Auction Task Force released a status update on the post-Incentive Auction transition which provides a good opportunity to provide an update on what's been accomplished and the work that remains to be done. Since the auction ended, the FCC has worked diligently on a 39-month, 10-phase transition in which 987 full power and Class A TV stations are being "repacked" to new frequencies.

A conclusion to the winding saga that is the T-Mobile/Sprint merger is inching closer, with an antitrust trial against several state attorneys general suing to block the deal slated to start Dec 9. Apparently, T-Mobile is eyeing a price cut for what started as a $26.5 billion deal, since Sprint’s finical situation has worsened as uncertainty about a tie-up between the nation’s third and fourth largest wireless carriers lingered. Sprint has also been recently impacted by disclosures that it incorrectly claimed subsidies for inactive Lifeline subscribers.

The Communications Workers of America is suing to block the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of T-Mobile's takeover of Sprint in a Washington (DC) federal appeals court. The FCC exceeded its statutory authority in approving the deal, the union alleged in its Dec 5 lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The lawsuit is a new legal hurdle for the merger, which is already being challenged by a group of states. The FCC’s approval order violates the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Communications Act of 1934, CWA alleged.

The Federal Communications Commission, in December 2018, launched an investigation into whether one or more major mobile providers violated the requirements to submit coverage maps to the FCC. FCC staff discovered that the coverage maps submitted by Verizon, U.S. Cellular, and T-Mobile likely overstated each provider’s actual coverage and did not reflect on-the-ground performance in many instances. Only 62.3% of staff drive tests achieved at least the minimum download speed predicted by the coverage maps—with U.S.

Chairman Ajit Pai and the rest of the Federal Communications Commission took hits from both sides of the aisle in a House Communications Subcommittee oversight hearing Dec 5. Democratic Reps were particularly pointed in their criticisms of the FCC over broadband mapping, internet deregulation, merger approvals, and the funding cap on the Universal Service Fund, among other issues.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai intends to establish the 5G Fund, which would make up to $9 billion in Universal Service Fund support available to carriers to deploy advanced 5G mobile wireless services in rural America. This investment would be allocated through a reverse auction and would target hard-to-serve areas with sparse populations and/or rugged terrain.

As part of the Federal Communications Commission’s ongoing effort to reform universal service funding of mobile wireless services and focus subsidies on unserved areas rather than on areas that already have service, the FCC unanimously adopted a new data collection of 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband coverage maps and a challenge process to determine areas eligible for support in the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) auction. The largest mobile providers supported both this data collection and the challenge process.

Much like TaxWatch, one of the Federal Communications Commission’s chief priorities under FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been to serve as a watchdog to identify and repeal bad regulations and learn from the lessons of the past. By eliminating regulations that impose unnecessary costs on the economy, our actions protect the American consumer, facilitate the deployment of new communications networks to connect distant communities, and help close the so-called “digital divide.” Now, the Communications Act envisions an important role for the states and municipal actors (like local utility and zoning

Remaining globally competitive in the digital age will require a highly skilled workforce, genuine digital security, and fast and reliable telecommunications networks—all areas directly impacted by infrastructure policy. However, there are still millions of Americans who do not have basic digital skills, do not have direct access to computing equipment, and do not have personal access to a broadband connection. Many rural and metropolitan neighborhoods do not have any high-speed connections, putting every business there at a disadvantage.