Wireless Telecommunications

When you signed up for cellphone service, I bet you didn’t expect that your exact location could be sold to anyone for a few hundred dollars. The truth is, your wireless carrier tracks you everywhere you go, whether you like it or not. When used appropriately, this tracking shouldn’t be a problem: location information allows emergency services to find you when you need them most.

This article studies the impact of different elements driving the business case of a 5G network. The study was performed within 3 boroughs of central London, UK, for the period 2020–2030. 5G-related costs and revenues were calculated to derive the business case. The results show that the business case for a 5G network providing mobile broadband services alone is positive over the time period 2020–2030 but has some risk in the later years of this time period.

US national security officials are planning for a future in which the Chinese firm Huawei will have a major share of the advanced global telecommunications market, and have begun to think about how to thwart potential espionage and disruptive cyberattacks enabled by interconnected networks. “We are going to have to figure out a way in a 5G world that we’re able to manage the risks in a diverse network that includes technology that we can’t trust,” said Sue Gordon, the deputy to the director of the US intelligence community.

This Public Notice is the third in a series that solicits input on the efficacy of the Wireless Resiliency Cooperative Framework. The Federal Communications Commission now seeks feedback on the implementation and effectiveness of each prong of the Framework, including responses to the letters sent by the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) and how to best monitor and document the framework's efficacy.

Karl Rove isn't a registered lobbyist, but he is actively working Capitol Hill on one side of the 5G wireless fight that has split President Donald Trump's advisers. The veteran Republican operative has been contacting congressional offices to warn against bipartisan efforts to ban government control of the super-fast wireless technology. Rove also sat in on meetings with House and Senate Armed Services committee offices organized by a lobbyist for Rivada Networks, a politically connected company that wants the government to manage the sharing of 5G airwaves with wireless providers.

Facebook explored building bird-size drones to shuttle data for people in areas with slow internet connections. "Catalina" was a secret internal project in Facebook's Connectivity unit, the company's efforts to get people around the world online — and on Facebook. The tiny fixed-wing drones would be fitted with solid-state storage devices capable of storing data-intensive media like videos and photos. A Facebook representative said the project was ended a year ago.

Reps David Kustoff (R-TN) and William Timmons (R-SC) introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2019 (HR 1954). Sens Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced identical legislation on the Senate side. This bill will address the use of contraband cell phones in state and federal correctional facilities.  What this bill does:

The Benton Foundation unequivocally opposes any proposals from the Federal Communications Commission that would allow the FCC to shirk its responsibilities to meet its Congressionally-mandated mission. The FCC is supposed to ensure:

Count Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) as critics of a proposal from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to explore a spending cap on telecommunications subsidies to expand telephone and broadband access. “Any effort that could harm classroom learning, broadband deployment, rural health opportunities, or connecting more individuals should be shelved and never considered again,” said Markey said of the FCC proposal, which would target Universal Service Fund programs.

While the C-Band Alliance (CBA) proposal for the 3.7-4.2 GHz band remains in the lead, other proposals for this important midband spectrum could catch up, according to analysts at New Street Research. The 3.7-4.2 GHz band, also referred to as the C-band, is seen as one of the best chances for the US terrestrial wireless industry to get midband spectrum for 5G.