Nex-Tech Wireless met with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel about the company’s failed attempts to submit data to the FCC through the broadband data collection portal (see 2404090051). To the best of Nex-Tech’s knowledge, no one has successfully submitted a bulk mobile availability challenge to the BDC portal and only 18 corrections to the mobile availability map were made using the FCC’s Speed Test app, according to a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-32. “One can conclude that the challenge process for mobile broadband availability is not functioning and cannot be characterized to be user-friendly,” Nex-Tech said: “The fact that no other party has succeeded in submitting a bulk challenge is evidence that the challenge process is broken.”

Continental Automotive sought several clarifications to a waiver the company received last year authorizing a tire pressure monitoring system operating in the 315 and 433 MHz bands (see 2312190080). The technical changes are intended “to ensure clarity with respect to the equipment authorization process and implementation of the Order, and in light of the fact that Continental wishes to move forward now,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 22-382.

The National Sheriffs’ Association met with aides to all the FCC commissioners, except Anna Gomez, on the group’s opposition to giving FirstNet use of the 4.9 GHz band through a sharing agreement (see 2401190067). “Sheriffs are the primary law enforcement users of the 4.9 GHz band,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 07-100. Allowing FirstNet onto 4.9 GHz spectrum "would turn over the band to FirstNet’s partner, AT&T, to serve both its public safety and commercial wireless consumers,” the NSA said.

Qualcomm representatives discussed the company’s support of proposed FCC rules allowing unmanned aircraft use of the 5030-5091 MHz band, meeting with aides to Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington. Qualcomm previously met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on an order before commissioners (see 2405080032). Qualcomm discussed “the anticipated explosive growth of low-flying UA operations” and “ensuring that aircraft (particularly small UAs and, in the future, air taxis) can avoid in-flight collisions with other aircraft, infrastructure, and other objects.” The filing was made Tuesday in docket 22-323.

T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz spectrum has “about a 30% propagation advantage” over the C-band bought mainly by Verizon and AT&T, T-Mobile Chief Financial Officer Peter Osvaldik said at a MoffettNathnson financial conference Tuesday. “C-band is great” and T-Mobile bought some licenses in the 2021 auction, which it plans to deploy in dense urban areas as a “fourth dedicated 5G layer,” Osvaldik said. The wireless industry can’t change the physics of spectrum, he said. The week after EchoStar reported earnings, with questions about its continual financial viability (see 2405080057), analyst Craig Moffett pressed Osvaldik on whether he sees a buying opportunity. “If hypothetically speaking, some company that owns a lot of spectrum were to suddenly unravel, and mid-band spectrum came on the market, is that something where you would say, 'I always want more spectrum?'” Moffett asked. “If there was a hypothetical spectrum availability out there, we'd approach it very similar to any other opportunity” Osvaldik replied. T-Mobile would consider the spectrum, the price and “what sort of returns can we generate on it versus other ways to create capacity than just buying more spectrum,” he said. Osvaldik said the carrier would look at that opportunity the same way it does when investing in fiber (see 2404250047) or at a potential a deal with UScellular (see 2405090053). T-Mobile is analyzing the subscribers it picked up from its acquisition of Ka’ena, including brands Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile. “We just closed,” Osvaldik said. “We've got to run it through all of our subscriber reporting rules.” The biggest question the company gets is whether actor Ryan Reynolds, who owned part of Mint, will remain. “There's so much creative work there that he's done so fabulously, so we'll continue to have a relationship with Ryan,” Osvaldik said.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday announced the establishment of the Spectrum Steering Team that will lead FCC efforts “to develop and implement forward-looking spectrum policies” and oversee work on the national spectrum strategy (see 2404260050). Susan Mort, deputy chief of the Wireless Bureau, and Ira Keltz, deputy chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, will co-lead the team. Krista Witanowski, OET legal adviser, will serve as chief of staff. The FCC said the team “brings together policy experts, economists, and engineers from across the Commission.” The Office of Economics and Analytics and Space Bureau are also involved. “Demand for spectrum is growing at a breakneck pace as wireless technology expands and transforms so much in our economy and modern life, so we need to get creative with spectrum policies,” Rosenworcel said.

With the wireless industry pushing hard for additional spectrum, particularly in the lower 3 GHz and 7/8 GHz bands, which are being examined as part of the national spectrum strategy (see 2405060051), a top Verizon official said Tuesday the carrier isn’t in the market for additional spectrum. “We like the assets we have right now,” Sowmyanarayan Sampath, Verizon Consumer Group CEO, said at a MoffettNathanson investor conference. Verizon went big in the 2021 C-band auction, bidding $45.4 billion, plus $8 billion in incentive costs to satellite operators (see 2102250046). In markets where the carrier has deployed C-band it continues to see lower churn and a better mix of premium customers, Sampath said. He said Verizon has limited exposure with the loss of the affordability connectivity program, but also sees opportunities for gaining customers. “There could be an opportunity for us to get on the offensive and take some share,” he said. Verizon has “the largest collection of prepaid assets today, ranging from the discount to the mid-market, to the premium end,” he said: “We will have a service at every single price point.” About 15% of its wireless customers also buy broadband from Verizon, and it plans to double that figure, Sampath said. “We're never going to see it at the European levels of 50%, 60% convergence because the market structure is fundamentally different [in Europe] and the regulatory environment is very different there," he said. Sampath said Verizon believes it has the best U.S. wireless network, as a result of “better RF design” and “a better set of assets.” Verizon's tests show “it's a much better network,” he said. “At the end of the day, it comes down to reliability and coverage.”

U.S. Chamber of Commerce representatives met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez on the group’s perspective on a November Further NPRM on protecting consumers from SIM swapping and port-out fraud. The Chamber weighed in on a single issue: whether to require wireless carriers to explicitly exclude resolution of SIM change and port-out fraud disputes from arbitration clauses in providers’ agreements with their customers or abrogate such clauses (see 2401180053). “We noted that the Commission lacks the authority to prohibit arbitration per the Federal Arbitration Act as well as discussed the benefits of arbitration agreements for consumers,” said a filing this week in docket 02-278. The Chamber representatives also opposed a proposal to prohibit bulk billing arrangements (see 2405080043): “We noted that bulk billing arrangements provide significant benefits to consumers, enable greater access to broadband, and that a rulemaking at this point is premature.”

T-Mobile will launch a private 5G network at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville this week for the PGA Championship there. T-Mobile is working with CBS in what it says is a 5G first. “More wireless cameras can mean the course is freed of thousands of feet of wiring and cabling, resulting in faster setup and teardown, and major cost savings potential,” T-Mobile said Monday: “Plus, the private network is portable and can be deployed without a major installation effort.”

Dish Wireless spoke with FCC Wireline Bureau staff on the company’s amended petition seeking eligible telecom carrier status in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina and in the District of Columbia (see 404080037). “DISH clarified that it is a facilities-based wireless provider offering 5G voice and broadband services in markets throughout the country,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 09-917: “DISH has successfully tested this capability and is working toward launching at scale" and "as soon as possible ... will offer a combination of services (including Lifeline service) using its own facilities in portions of each state where the network is suitable and resale of its network partners to provide coverage in the remaining areas of the state.”