Wireless Telecommunications

The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to begin a proceeding to update the Citizens Broadband Radio Service.

US cable operators are struggling to return to broadband subscriber growth, but their mobile strategies continued to bear fruit in the second quarter of 2024. Cable's share of total mobile phone net adds (both post-paid and pre-paid) was roughly 54 percent in the quarter, MoffettNathanson found in its latest analysis of the US mobile market. Analyst Craig Moffett attributes the bulk of US cable's mobile growth to relatively lower pricing when compared to many of the plans offered by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

AT&T and Verizon are urging telecommunications regulators to reject a key part of SpaceX's plan to offer cellular service with T-Mobile, claiming the satellite system will interfere with and degrade service for terrestrial mobile broadband networks. Filings urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny SpaceX's request for a waiver were submitted by AT&T and Verizon.

Rep August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced the Supporting National Security with Spectrum Act, which fully funds the “Rip and Replace” program to remove Chinese equipment from our telecommunications networks.

In a recent panel, Gary Bolton, CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), spoke candidly about the idea of SpaceX getting Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds. Bolton said he thought using federal funding for low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite broadband coverage was “absurd.” He said SpaceX’s top boss Elon Musk already has his roadmap set for deploying Starlink satellites. He added that it would be a big “cop out” if the BEAD program left the most difficult-to-reach locations to satellite broadband. The U.S.

Cable companies seem to have turned the corner from continually gaining customers to now losing customers. This is a consequence of increased competition from fiber overbuilders and FWA cellular wireless. In the first quarter of 2024, the sale of FWA cellular slowed down for T-Mobile and Verizon, from 929,000 to 759,000 in the first quarter. But FWA still counts for practically all of the net broadband gains for the quarter. Experts are predicting a much smaller number of total net customer additions for 2024, which is due to two issues.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed new consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls and robotexts.

At the Mountain Connect conference, one of Elon Musk’s top lieutenants—Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX—regaled the audience with exciting stories about rocket launches, and she also touted SpaceX’s Starlink broadband service as a great way to close the digital divide in hard-to-reach rural locations. Shotwell also revealed SpaceX was working with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on some “structural elements” to determine if SpaceX will bid for Broadband Equity Access and D

AST SpaceMobile, which is preparing to offer low earth orbit (LEO)-based cellular broadband network services, says that it has gotten an initial license from the Federal Communications Commission for space-based operations in the United States. Initially, AST SpaceMobile’s services will include a cellphone-to-satellite offering.

On August 5, 2024 the World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee approved and provided for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) consideration of its draft recommendations on issues that will be considered by the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27).