‘NTIA has lower than two years to get the U.S. again on monitor,” telecom trade group’s CEO writes
The USA’ management in spectrum coverage, 5G and reaping the financial advantages of essentially the most superior cellular networks are in jeopardy and should get again on monitor, CTIA’s president and CEO says in a strongly worded new weblog put up.
“2023 was the first yr since 2016 that we didn’t have a spectrum public sale, and there are not any auctions deliberate for the foreseeable future. Every year with out an public sale, and even an public sale on the horizon, digs the US deeper right into a gap,” writes CTIA’s Meredith Attwell Baker.
The largest symptom of the issue? The truth that the Federal Communications Fee’s public sale authority has nonetheless not but been renewed by Congress, which has meant that no new auctions could be held and which additionally impacted earlier auctions, together with T-Cell US’ means to entry the slew of two.5 GHz licenses that it received in 2022.
Attwell Baker mentioned that “America’s wi-fi future hinges on” 4 issues:
–Reestablishing the FCC’s public sale authority together with a “forward-looking and complete pipeline of future auctions.”
“We by some means begin 2024 with the FCC nonetheless missing spectrum public sale authority, hamstringing the flexibility of the company and the trade to maneuver ahead,” Attwell Baker wrote, including, “We misplaced an excessive amount of of final yr delaying on one thing for which there’s vital bipartisan help and clear-cut business want.” She went on to say that she was “hopeful that the much-needed 5G Sale Act simply signed by the President supplies a leaping off level for motion and was heartened to see Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell’s feedback final week expressing optimism at breaking the spectrum logjam.”
–An implementation plan for the beforehand established Nationwide Spectrum Technique with “clear targets for future full-power auctions, an expedited two-year examine schedule, and clarification that NTIA will lead and handle the brand new research.”
–The federal authorities rapidly offering licensed business entry to the decrease 3 GHz band. “The stark actuality is that during the last two years we missed a chance to commercialize the decrease 3 GHz in a way that safeguards the army’s mission-critical features,” Attwell Baker wrote. “We commend Administrator Davidson’s feedback that NTIA will ‘redouble our efforts,’ and ‘take a look at whether or not there’s chance of relocating some programs.’ On the identical time, it’s irritating that we’re solely doing that now given Congress’s clear route within the Infrastructure Act to do exactly that two years in the past.”
She additionally famous: “Whereas we stalled, we noticed over 30 nations leap forward in utilizing 3.3-3.45 GHz for superior wi-fi providers alongside the identical programs the Pentagon makes use of domestically. It’s noteworthy that none of these different nations are utilizing untested or experimental dynamic sharing regimes like CBRS to offer entry to this band, underscoring our want to maneuver ahead with full-power options prepared for fast deployment to assist us catch up rapidly.”
–Focusing efforts on the higher midband at 7-8 GHz. Attwell Baker mentioned that international discussions and efforts to separate the 6 GHz band between unlicensed and licensed use will give different nations a further 600 megahertz of 5G spectrum that won’t be out there within the U.S. as a consequence of home spectrum coverage that “ideas manner too far in favor of unlicensed entry. … The chance now of spectrum isolation is actual, making the US a wi-fi know-how island, chopping us off from the advantages of harmonization and diminishing our international affect. All of this leaves the 7/8 GHz band as the USA’ solely alternative for management when it comes to offering 5G-friendly mid-band spectrum,” Attwell Baker wrote.
Learn the total weblog put up right here.