Wireless Telecommunications

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is working to foster the development of an open 5G wireless ecosystem to help the private sector bring new life and innovation to a marketplace held back by few vendors and little competition. NTIA's 5G lab at the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, partnered with the Department of Defense for the 2023 5G Challenge. The 2023 5G Challenge tested whether an open 5G ecosystem can work in real world scenarios.

As part of DISH’s involvement in the T-Mobile-Sprint transaction, and in connection with DISH’s related applications for an extension of time to complete construction of its facilities for its AWS-4, Lower 700 MHz E Block, and AWS H Block licenses, DISH committed to construct a nationwide 5G broadband network.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel encouraged wireless carriers and industry associations to take the necessary steps to identity and develop a 988 georouting solution that could be deployed in wireless networks nationwide. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national network of more than 200 crisis centers that helps thousands of people overcome crisis situations every day. These centers are supported by local and state resources as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Spectrum is vital to our most sensitive and important Federal missions, including military radar operations for homeland security, the training of our war fighters before they deploy overseas, and our ability to develop new and advanced military capabilities. Within this context, the Department of Defense has completed and submitted to the Department of Commerce the Emerging Mid-Band Radar Spectrum Sharing (EMBRSS) Feasibility Assessment as directed by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Asked about net neutrality, Verizon Business CEO Kyle Malady said the Federal Communications Commission has flipped back and forth on the issue over the years. In his view net neutrality wasn’t needed before it was instituted, it wasn’t missed after it was revoked, and it still isn’t needed.

While the proposal I made to restore net neutrality will certainly garner the most attention, the Federal Communications Commission's October agenda features many other actions to promote digital equity and support broadband-powered innovation:

Limited global research exists about girls’ and boys’ access to and use of mobile phones. For girls, access is much more diverse and colourful than simply whether they ‘have’ or ‘have not’ got a phone. Access is often transient, and diverse ownership, borrowership and sharing practices are flourishing. Boys are 1.5 times more likely to own a phone and 1.8 times more likely to own a smartphone. They're also more likely to use phones in more diverse and internet-enabled ways than girls. Girls are going to great lengths to gain access.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed new rules to allow very low-power devices to operate in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band alongside other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

AT&T and Comcast joined the 5G Open Innovation Lab, a venture that has been funding start-ups and others working in 5G research. Along with looking to improve 5G edge technology, a primary goal of the OAI Lab is to search for killer apps for 5G. The group hopes that adding the large carriers will help to continue to support the 118 start-ups that have already been funded by the organization which has raised over $1.5 billion. I always find talk of a killer app to be interesting since that was never the real goal of 5G.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo appointed Sean McDevitt, a partner with international management consulting firm Arthur D. Little (ADL), to serve on the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority). McDevitt has been a member of ADL’s telecommunications, internet, technology and private equity practice areas since 2017. He brings 30 years of private sector experience specializing in business development, business expansion, leadership, account management, and client project delivery for telecommunications and technology sectors.