CTIA, which represents the wireless industry, has accused the cable industry of lobbying against the allocation of 5G spectrum to slow the advance of fixed wireless access broadband. 

In a blog post titled “Cable Is Trying to Use Spectrum Policy to Stop 5G Home Competition,” Nick Ludlum, senior VP and chief communications officer for CTIA, accused lobbyists for the cable industry of posting "disingenuous, or just flat-out inaccurate, statements about global spectrum allocations."

As originally reported by Light Reading, FWA operators including T-Mobile and Verizon Communications, are looking to acquire more spectrum in the lower 3-GHz band to, according to CTIA, “meet the surging demand” for 5G wireless data. 

The cable-backed group Spectrum For the Future, however, argues in its own blog posting that these wireless companies want to “pursue old-school approaches to spectrum licensing that will only reinforce the dominance of Chinese equipment from companies like Huawei.”

Sino fears serve as merely a disingenuous scapegoat for cable’s real fear, Ludlum said, which is competition from FWA. Since they emerged three years ago, 5G fixed wireless services from T-Mobile and Verizon have dominated customer additions for home broadband. 

In a separate graphic, CTIA also shows the growing 5G “spectrum deficit” — the amount of spectrum wireless carriers actually have now vs. what they need to service 5G demand, per the FCC. 

Cable and telecom internet service providers, wired and wireless, have signaled they will be filing an appeal by Friday (February 11) of a lower court decision not to block enforcement of California's net neutrality rules, asking a full complement of U.S. appeals court judges to review a panel decision that went against them.

According to a document filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, "by February 11, 2022, plaintiffs/appellants will be filing a petition for rehearing en banc [by the full court] in their appeal of the Court’s February 23, 2021 Order before the 9th Circuit."

Those plaintiffs/appellants are ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA–The Internet & Television Association and USTelecom.

Cable ISPs had asked the 9th Circuit to overturn a U.S. District Court‘s decision not to grant a preliminary injunction against the California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act.

ISPs had argued that California‘s adoption of rules was preempted by the FCC‘s decision to roll back its rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, which had prompted California to create similar new rules of its own to fill what it saw as a regulatory void.

Also: ACA Connects Makes Its Case Against California Net Neutrality Law

Two weeks ago, the lower court decision to allow the rules to go into effect while the underlying challenge works its way through the courts was upheld by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The three-judge 9th Circuit panel (Judges Mary M. Schroeder, J. Clifford Wallace and Danielle J. Forrest) — one of the most liberal circuits in the federal appeals court system — agreed with the district court that the FCC lacked the authority to preempt the state law because in reclassifying internet access as an information service under Title I of the Communications Act, the FCC no longer had the authority to regulate in the way it did when broadband was a Title II telecommunications service.

The panel pointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholding the FCC reclassification but striking down the accompanying order asserting preemption of state net neutrality rules.

Also: California Net Neutrality Law Victory Draws Crowd

The 9th Circuit panel also rejected the ISPs’ contention that the California law was preempted because it conflicted with the underlying FCC policy or because interstate service was the sole province of the federal law. ■

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation heard mostly from concerned aviation witnesses about safety issues related to the rollout of 5G wireless services in the C-band in a marathon hearing Wednesday (February 2) titled “Finding the Right Frequency: 5G Deployment & Aviation Safety.”

Federal agencies came under withering fire for failure to communicate over the issue. One legislator, though, suggested that it was a case of two sets of engineers at two different agencies — the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration — not speaking the same language when they were speaking at all.

Legislators also pointed out that the C-band interference issue had been identified years earlier, but there was still a last-minute scramble and talk of catastrophic consequences.

The telecom industry and the FCC were hammered by committee leadership for putting the telcos’ bottom line before safety — and not just in regard to aviation, but also to automobiles and GPS reliability.

Also: Wireless Companies Agree to Modified C-Band 5G Rollout

Democratic and Republican senators set the contentious tone by saying there had been an extraordinary lack of communications and coordination among the FCC, the FAA and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. The result, the lawmakers said, was ridiculous, embarrassing and inexcusable. AT&T and Verizon Communications delayed their 5G rollouts twice over fears towers close to some airports could cause interference to altimeters, and then had to agree not to light up 5G towers in proximity to airports with low visibility issues while the FCC and FAA attempted to resolve an issue legislators said they had years to hammer out.

Full committee chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) put much of the blame on the wireless industry, saying it had kept key data on tower heights and positioning proprietary — refusing to share that data even though it was requested by the FAA — and then only late in the process releasing data on its “secret towers and powers.” Only then did it become clear that 5G and altimeters were going to be a big problem, DeFazio said.

He also blamed the FCC for auctioning the C-band spectrum, adding it had also sold off half of the vehicle-to-vehicle spectrum despite arguments from the transportation industry that it was needed for auto safety. He suggested it was much more important to the FCC that consumers could stream HD while walking down the street. DeFazio pointed out that the FCC’s V2V decision had been taken to court and he hoped it would lose. 

Adding in a third FCC decision — to allow Ligado to launch a satellite-delivered broadband system near GPS spectrum — DeFazio suggested the agency was ignoring any consequences beyond the telecom industry‘s bottom line. “That has to change,“ he said, then clearly angry, he argued the country does not even regulate telecom anymore, “which is why we have the crappiest cell phone service in the world.”

“Having a dropped call is way less serious than having a dropped airplane out of the sky,“ DeFazio said.

After AT&T and Verizon paid billions for C-band spectrum — and after the FCC engineers cleared their 5G services for takeoff adjacent to bandwidth used by aviation — the telcos agreed to delay and adjust their use of that spectrum. They were responding to airline industry and FAA concerns that 5G could cause “catastrophic” interference to avionics systems, specifically altimeters used to tell planes how close they are to the ground while taking off or landing in poor weather.

As a result, and under strong pressure from the Biden administration, the wireless broadband providers also agreed to some “exclusion zones” around those airports until the issue can be resolved, including via the adoption of new altimeter standards.

In his testimony, FAA administrator Steve Dickson said the telecom industry was cooperating and providing data, and that he was confident the issue could be resolved. He said the wireless industry and aviation were working on new flight test data that will help going forward, including retrofitting avionics to make sure they are C-band resistant.

That will likely include informal and formal methods as more 5G is rolled out and as the FCC frees up more spectrum for 5G.

Testifying for the wireless industry, among the eight airline industry witnesses, was CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. Baker is arguably uniquely qualified to weigh in, since she has seen the spectrum issues from the various vantages currently in the mix as former head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA).

Baker said the industry was committed to both safe flights and robust and reliable C-band 5G. But she also suggested that the rollout delays of AT&T and Verizon came despite “all available real-world evidence” that 5G and altimeters could coexist.

She also put some of the blame on the media, saying “the press tried to pit the future of wireless versus aviation,” which she said was “always a false choice.”

Baker said that millions of Americans are both getting 5G service and flying safely thanks to hard work in the past few years and weeks, with engineers working together.

Dickson had said that based on the new data from wireless companies, the FAA was now refining the exclusion zones. Baker pointed out that, as of January 28, the FCC had cleared 90% of the commercial fleet for low visibility landings in the vicinity of C-band 5G networks, proving “coexistence is attainable.” She said she was committed to being a good partner with aviation and to getting the other 10% of the fleet cleared for takeoff and landing.

But Baker's bottom line was that "[t]he wireless industry remains confident that 5G poses no risk to air traffic safety but has taken these steps to allow the FAA time to evaluate altimeter performance with C-Band 5G."

Also: Airline CEOs Say C-Band 5G Rollout Could Mean Chaos

As to providing data, she said that AT&T and Verizon last fall had provided “vast and unprecedented access to their 5G network deployment designs, radiofrequency planning, and equipment performance.”

Playing something of the peacemaker, Dickson suggested that the delay in getting the data was that there was a “lack of understanding” of what data the FAA needed because the telcos had never had to produce it for the government before.

All sides agreed that 5G would continue to roll out, that aviation needed to be protected, and that such protection would require better coordination and communication going forward. That“s something they said was happening but with still "a lot of work to do."

Asked about what lessons the industry had learned, Baker said that they had followed the FCC rules back in March 2020 and how the altimeter issue did not get resolved before the C-Band auction she did not understand. She pointed out that she had worked at NTIA and that the interagency coordination process had worked on some "hairy spectrum issues."

She said that perhaps now that the FCC and NTIA have permanent leadership — NTIA administrator Alan Davidson and FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel — they could “take a fresh look at what is working and what is not.” She said she hoped they would do that.

“NATE welcomes the leadership and testimony of Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of CTIA before the House Subcommittee on Aviation," said Todd Schlekeway, president and CEO of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association. "Ms. Baker’s testimony made clear that the wireless industry and the Federal Communications Commission followed the science and real world usage of 5G services and the impact on aviation. “NATE urges policy makers to continually work together to advance 5G services and maintain America’s global leadership in wireless telecommunications that have allowed for telework and telehealth services and many other technologies that have helped Americans cope with a global pandemic.” ■

Cable and telco broadband operators have joined with computer companies and others to ask that they be allowed to "buy (less) American" when they are using the monies provided for in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to build out networks.

In a letter to the heads of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce and Transportation, NCTA-the Internet & Television Association, USTelecom, CTIA and others said the Buy American requirements for broadband spending could delay closing the digital divide.

"Americans without access to broadband cannot wait for a domestic supply chain to be developed out of whole cloth.... We believe that a limited, programmatic waiver is a necessary precondition to effective and efficient investment in broadband," they said.

Also: White House Issues Guide to Broadband Infrastructure Billions

While they agreed with the long-term goal of promoting more U.S. production, in the short term they said a 55% U.S. content requirement, as the IIJA mandates, does not reflect the current reality of the global supply chain, which includes "switching, routing, transport, access, operations systems, and customer premises/end user equipment and devices," each with hundreds of components with their own supply chains sourced from "trusted vendors and suppliers" around the world.

In fact, they went so far as to say that "no combination of network products would meet the IIJA’s content requirements from end-to-end."

Instead, they said, a limited waiver acknowledges what can be done in the real world. They also point to the precedent of the 2009 American Recovery Act, which imposed similar "buy American" broadband build-out provisions, but at the behest of the Agriculture and Commerce Departments, granted a "buy American" waiver. It also pointed to a similar waiver that Congress built into the Federal Acquisition Regulations. ■

CTIA-the wireless association said those networks could play a big role in the Biden Administration's goal of reducing the country's carbon footprint.

That is according to a new report, 5G Connectivity: A Key Enabling Technology to Meet America’s Climate Change Goals commissioned by the trade group.

Use cases tied to 5G connectivity could be the equivalent to taking 72 million cars, or about 25% of the total--off the road, the report predicts and account for a fifth--or about 330 million metric tons of carbon dioxide--of the Administration's carbon reduction target, according to the report from Accenture.

“This study confirms that U.S. 5G wireless networks will be instrumental in tackling the pressing challenge of climate change,” said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. “America’s wireless industry is building a world-leading 5G platform that will spur the investment and innovation necessary to meet our country’s climate objectives.”

That vehicle carbon reduction comes from reduced congestion, shorter routes and more sustainable choices like public transportation.

On the manufacturing 5G means enhanced inventory management, asset monitoring in real time, predictive maintenance, improved process and avoidance of travel.

On the green buildings front, 5G can help with real-time monitoring, increased green energy use, fuel savings because of reduced transport thanks to remote operations, energy management systems, smart meters and grids, and renewable microgrids. The report says that could reduce CO2 emissions from 12 million homes.

Of course, all those technologies will need to be adopted for the advantages of 5G to come into play.

The report looked at 31 use cases where mobile 5G could be used to reduce carbon emissions, then calculated their emission avoidance. ■

Amy Bender, a top Washington, D.C., executive at NCTA–The Internet & Television Association, has made the switch from wired to wireless broadband.

Bender, who had been VP government relations and legislative counsel at NCTA, has joined CTIA, the trade organization representing the wireless communications industry, as VP of regulatory affairs.

She knows quite a lot about those regulatory affairs, having been a legal adviser to onetime FCC chairman Kevin Martin and then to commissioner Michael O'Rielly.

Bender, a Harvard Law School graduate, joined NCTA in September 2018. Her FCC experience also included deputy division chief and legal counsel in the Wireline Competition Bureau. ■

CTIA, the wireless association, has launched a program to test the security of commercial 5G networks.

The Security Test Bed (STB) was created in partnership with various organizations and includes founding members AT&T, Ericsson, T-Mobile, USCellular, MITRE, and the University of Maryland (UMD).

CTIA said the test bed will be "governed by industry leaders, guided by government priorities, and managed by CTIA."

The STB will focus on "verifying" the FCC's Communications Security Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) VII recommendations for 5G network security and a resource for CSRIC VIII, which launched in June (CTIA is a CSRIC member). It will also demonstrate 5G security features and test products and use cases on "an actual 5G network."

Verizon was not listed among the founding members. A company spokesperson was checking at press time on why that was the case. ■

Technology industry groups are warning the Federal Communications Commission to exercise regulatory caution when changing its device authorization process in the name of network security.

Also Read: Secure Networks Act Passes Senate

In a notice of inquiry (NOI) and notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the FCC is contemplating changes to its equipment authorizations for phones, computers and other devices that tap into FCC-regulated spectrum in its ongoing effort to better protect the network supply chain from national security threats.

Eight industry groups signed onto two letters to the commission targeting the NOI and NPRM. They included the Consumer Technology Association, CTIA–The Wireless Association, USTelecom and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).

While the signatories all said they supported protecting the supply chain against “foreign adversaries and nation-states,” the trade groups said the FCC effort raises a number of legal and implementation questions. It also raises the specter of unintended consequences the FCC should consider carefully before taking any action, the groups said.

The groups are particularly concerned about the FCC’s revocation of existing authorizations for equipment that may be in consumers’ homes or offices, or incorporated into other equipment.

“Devices sold at retail may be difficult or impossible to locate, and if a device has been incorporated into other equipment a replacement may require new engineering, testing, validation and manufacture,” the letter said. 

The technology groups also have issues with the proposed criteria for evaluating suspect devices according to their country of origin, rather than the technology used. Historically the FCC’s authorizations have been based on technology and not, for example, whether a device came from China. The groups said the FCC's legal authority to conduct this new type of review is unclear.

The bipartisan leadership of the House Energy & Commerce Committee has called on ISPs to make consumers aware of Congress' $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit. 

They want the ISPs to let the public know about the benefit, how they can get it, and which providers are participating in the program. "To further the effectiveness of this program, we urge your company to raise awareness about the availability of the EBB Program, consistent with applicable law and regulations," they told the ISPs.

Also Read: FCC Sets Emergency Broadband Benefit Filing

The money is going to provide up to $50 per household per month ($75 on tribal lands) during the pandemic toward broadband service and a one-time $100 subsidy for an access device.

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), and Communications and Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-Ohio), signed on to a letter to nine ISPs and trade associations, including NCTA-the Internet & Television Association and CTIA, seeking that help.

Companies getting the letters were Altice, AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

"Simply put, the more companies participate in the program, the more we can, together, ensure that all Americans have this crucial connectivity," said the letter to Comcast. "As you know, the FCC recently released its unanimously approved rules for the EBB Program and indicated that it will open within 60 days. While the FCC is working to establish the start date of the program, your company can play an important role in its success by proactively raising awareness of the program to your customers and the public, including households likely to be eligible for the EBB Program."

Also Read: FCC Casts Wide Net for EBB Subsidy Players

The letters all praised ISP efforts to date to address the consumer connectivity issue during the pandemic.

Broadband providers are united in their support for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act as part of a whole-of-government approach to protecting supply chain security.

Also Read: Biden Supply Chain Security Order Includes Semiconductors

Following President Joe Biden's executive order issued Wednesday (Feb. 24), which included a government agency review of semiconductors, NCTA-the Internet & Television Association, ACA Connects, CTIA, the Wireless Association and USTelecom wrote to the President urging him to work with Congress on passage of the bill, which would encourage investment in chip manufacturing facilities and research in the U.S.

They said that would help "ensure a thriving pipeline for this critical input into the U.S. economy and pointed out the importance of chips to the broadband industry. 

"In the broadband sector, semiconductor chips power network infrastructure and the end user devices that, together, enable American consumers to connect to the Internet to work and learn from home, see their doctor through telemedicine, order delivery of groceries and other essentials, and keep connected to their loved ones and the world around them," they told the president. "The strain on global supplies of critical semiconductor components could negatively impact broadband providers’ ability to continue to deliver world-leading services."

They added that with other countries starting to compete in the chip space,  Moreover, as other countries make major investments to compete in this space, "the United States must also invest to revitalize its semiconductor industry."

The ISPs also said that the immediate government agency review of semiconductors the President's order mandates should include also input from stakeholders and "leverage existing public-private partnerships addressing specific supply chain risks."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a pioneering wireless executive introduced the bill.

Warner attended a White House meeting on the supply chain executive order Wednesday, after which he renewed his own call for passage of the bipartisan bill.  

Also Read: Roseworcel Pushes Deep Dive on ORAN

Among other things, the bill 1) creates a 40% investment tax credit (ITC) that decreases to 30% in 2025, 20% in 2026 and phases out the next year; 2) creates a $10 billion federal matching program through the Commerce Department for state and local incentives to build semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, and 3) funds STEM workforce development.

On the international front, the bill "establishes a trust fund in the amount of $750M over ten years to be allocated upon reaching an agreement with foreign government partners to participate in a consortium to promote consistency in policies related to microelectronics, greater transparency in microelectronic supply chains, and greater alignment in policies towards non-market economies." 

In his last speech as an FCC commissioner, Michael O'Rielly took aim at another Trump Administration proposal--a government-issue 5G network.

O'Rielly is having to leave the commission because President Trump withdrew his nomination, a move most believe stemmed from the commissioner's criticism of the President's effort to enlist the FCC in regulating social media--O'Rielly has declined to speculate on the reasons for his abrupt turn of fortunes after being nominated by the President for a new, five-year term.

In a speech this week to a virtual meeting of CTIA, the wireless association, O'Rielly slammed a proposal being floated by the Administration to create a government-backed wholesale 5G network.

Related: Trump Rescinds O'Rielly Nomination

DOD has asked for comment on the government partnering with the private sector to secure the next generation of wireless internet access, which will be the conduit for an internet of things (IoT) world that will connect myriad systems from the power grid to medical devices to toasters.

O'Rielly said that would definitely be the wrong direction to go--he was obviously preaching to the choir when it came to opposing a government-backed network that would compete with the private sector.

Calling it the "giant elephant" in CTIA's virtual conference room, O'Rielly said the proposal was a completely indefensible, horrible, idea that had to be rejected.

"For the last few years this 'idea' has been floated, rejected, floated, rejected, and just recently floated again. Now, it seems to be under consideration once again by some at the highest levels of our government," he said.

He said for the government to use valuable mid-band spectrum to directly compete with the private sector "flies in the face of every principle of American free enterprise."

He called the supposed justifications for the network, including security and closing the digital divide, were "beyond flimsy."

O'Rielly said there was "zero reason" to think that any single entity, backed by the government or not, could get a network to the hardest-to-reach places, particularly starting from square one and without any relationships with existing providers. "My conversations with wireless industry participants, and many others who track this industry very closely, suggest that not one existing provider has any interest in being a [wholesale] subscriber. "Yet, it would take a tremendous amount of paid traffic to make the economics feasible."

Related: Trump Nominates NTIA Adviser for O'Rielly Seat

As to the "preposterous" argument that a wholesale network with hundreds of partners would somehow be more secure that the existing private sector model, he said that didn't even pass the smell test.

To those in the audience mourning his exit--O'Rielly has long advocated for clearing regulator hurdles and freeing up more spectrum for wireless--the commissioner said not to worry.

"This should not be viewed as sad in any way, as I am, in fact, very excited for what lies ahead," he said. "For 27 years, including the last seven at the Commission, I have truly enjoyed serving the American people in various positions within the federal government. Eventually, everyone leaves the Commission by one means or another, so I am happy to leave with all of my faculties intact."

David Christopher, EVP and GM of AT&T Mobility has been named chairman of the board of CTIA, which represents wireless carriers.

Christopher is moving up from vice chair, replacing Ken Meyers, who is retiring as president of U.S. Cellular.  

Slayton Stewart, CEO of Carolina West Wireless, will become vice chair. 

“I look forward to working closely with David, Slayton and the rest of the CTIA Board to ensure Americans continue to benefit from world-leading wireless networks," said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. "I also want to thank Ken for over 30 years leading our industry and his wisdom and friendship in serving as CTIA Chairman the past two years.” 

Bret Comolli, chairman of Asurion, remains board treasurer and Rick Corker, EVP at Nokia, is secretary.

The FCC is backing CTIA-the Wireless Association in its legal challenge to a Berkeley, Calif., cell phone warning mandate. 

A city ordinance requires cell phone retailers to warn consumers that keeping their cell phones on, connected to a network, and in a pocket or tucked into a bra "may exceed federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. 

Related: Doctors' RX for FCC is Tougher RF Standards 

CTIA challenged the disclosure mandate in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking a ruling that the warning violates the First Amendment and is preempted by federal law. 

The FCC weighed in on the preemption assertion. 

"The Berkeley ordinance conflicts with the FCC’s determination that the information provided on its website and in cell phone user manuals is sufficient to inform consumers about the risk of RF exposure, and that additional notices risk “overwarning” and misleading consumers into believing that RF emissions from FCC-certified cell phones are unsafe," the FCC told the court in a statement of interest filed this week. 

It also said the warning "inaccurately describes the safety of cell phones and may inhibit the broad availability of safe wireless communications devices." It said for those reasons the Berkeley law is preempted by federal law. 

Back in April, the FCC similarly backed Apple in its defense of a class action lawsuit alleging the company sold cell phones whose RF emissions exceeded FCC limits.

CTIA, the wireless association, has launched a distance learning program. 

The Connecting Kids Initiative will help school districts find remote learning hotspots that connect to wireless networks.  

Related: All the Latest on COVID-19 Impact on Industry 

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are all participating, as are regional telcos around the country. 

"Millions of kids are learning from home for the first time and the wireless industry is committed to helping make sure they have the opportunity to learn remotely," said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. 

Schools and school districts will have a central resource for finding wireless broadband service.  

CTIA points out that the industry has tried to make distance learning easier by "increasing data allotments, donating and discounting devices, and launching new online tools, services and educational games." 

The Consumer Technology Association responded Friday to a report that theorized the CES show in Las Vegas in January could have been a major transmission junction for COVID-19 given the timing, the attendance figures and the number of international visitors. CTA said it knew of no connection, but was certainly willing to help in any effort to trace the virus' spread. 

According to CES, over 175,000 people attended the show, including 61,000 from outside the country. 

The report called the show an "intriguing puzzle piece of the pandemic's spread." 

In response, CES said it had not been made aware by and health officials about any of those 175,000 having the virus, but was certainly willing to help puzzle out its transmission, and pointed out that technology in combination with medicine will help fight pandemics and save lives. 

Related: All the Latest on COVID-19 Impact on Industry

“The health, safety and security of our CES attendees are a top priority, and we take precautions every year to protect our participants," CTA said in a statement. "We are not aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 connected to CES 2020. And we have not heard from any health officials, government authorities or corporate entities reporting that one of our attendees was exposed to the virus.  

Related: White House-Backed Ed Tech Site Launches 

“We understand this is a difficult and unsettling time and people are concerned. We share those concerns – especially about our employees’, attendees’, partners’ and workers’ health. We encourage efforts to learn about the spread of the virus and commit to cooperate, consistent with the law, to figure out how COVID-19 was spread and how we can minimize the spread of future viruses," CTA said.

“Most importantly, given what we know today, we are taking all precautions to ensure future CTA events are organized and executed based on recommendations by public health experts, with the health and safety of our participants as our paramount concern. And we are encouraged that the combination of technology and medicine will create innovative solutions for pandemics such as COVID-19 and save lives.” 

Related: White House Talks Coronavirus with Tech Giants

CTA has already created a telehealth portal as well in response to White House calls.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai's proposal to allow unlicensed use of the entire 6 GHz spectrum band drew a crowd Wednesday (April 1). 

He plans to vote on the item at the April 23 meeting, or if it is another COVID-19-driven teleconference meeting, likely voted a little before that. 

Pai circulated the item Wednesday for the proposed vote.  

“We welcome the Commission’s effort to utilize the 6 GHz band to advance the next-generation of superfast WiFi connectivity while protecting existing users," said NCTA-The Internet & Television Association. "As we work from home, learn at a distance, use telemedicine services, stay informed, and play online, this spectrum band will be critical to delivering high-speed connections that nearly every consumer relies on. We look forward to working with the Chairman, Commissioners, and staff to advance this item which will enable our WiFi networks to keep up with the significantly growing demand of our digital lives.” 

Related: O'Rielly, Rosenworcel Signal CTIA's 6 GHz Proposal Isn't Way to Go 

"The last few weeks of lifeline coronavirus coverage by local TV stations have made crystal clear the value of the 6 GHz band to broadcasters and the viewers we serve," said National Association of Broadcasters EVP Dennis Wharton. "If broadcasters are to continue providing news coverage that is trusted in a crisis, we need spectrum to provide that service.

"We have previously witnessed the negative impact WiFi operations have caused to spectrum broadcasters use to cover breaking news. Opening the entire 6 GHz band to unlicensed use without strong safeguards risks locking the FCC into a mistake it cannot correct. We look forward to engaging with the FCC to discuss potential solutions, including appropriate power levels, methods for restricting indoor-only operations, and other options to protect broadcaster uses.” 

The WiFi Alliance, whose members include cable ops looking for more unlicensed spectrum for their hot spots, was applauding. 

"WiFi Alliance commends FCC chairman Pai on the momentous decision to sustain America’s technological leadership, maximize public benefit of the 6 GHz spectrum resource, and unleash the power of ubiquitous WiFi connectivity by moving ahead with the 6 GHz order," the group said. "Ensuring necessary unlicensed spectrum access is critical for WiFi--which now more than ever--keeps us connected, supports our communications infrastructure, and delivers major economic benefits. WiFi Alliance and its members are ready to deliver new 6 GHz use cases and urge the Commission to support the chairman’s proposal." 

"The WiFi industry is grateful for FCC chairman Pai’s bold leadership aimed at transforming our connected experience for the next generation," added alliance president Edgar Figueroa. "Our industry stands ready to deliver on chairman Pai's expectation of "a huge benefit to consumers and innovators across the nation."

“Intel commends the FCC for opening the 6 GHz spectrum band for unlicensed operation, which will significantly improve WiFi for all Americans," said Gregory Bryant, executive VP and general manager Intel's client computing group. "Our nation’s reliance on digital connectivity has become more apparent than ever, and this Report and Order will enable significant new capacity, ensuring a solid future growth path for the Wi-Fi ecosystem relied upon by millions of homes and businesses."

“We support the FCC’s efforts to make the lower half of the 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use and will continue to work closely with the commission to ensure rigorous protections for licensed services already existing in the band," said CTIA executive VP Brad Gillen. "While the FCC has done a remarkable job freeing up critical licensed spectrum for 5G, the United States faces a growing mid-band deficit. It is essential that the FCC and the administration develop a roadmap to close this deficit before moving forward with plans to give away the full 1200 MHz in the 6 GHz band and further limit our few remaining options.” 

“Over the last few years, I have heard from entrepreneurs and innovators discussing how dramatic the impact would be of unleashing such a large unlicensed allocation with seven 160 megahertz channels," said commissioner Michael O'Rielly. "I can’t wait to see, and use, the new services and ideas brought forward because of our work here. Conclusion of the further notice, which must be done this year, should provide further improvements and functionality.

“Today’s action to permit all 1200 megahertz of the band to be used for unlicensed services means that proposals [CTIA had one of them] to license portions of the band were not accepted. I fully support this outcome, but I also remain fully committed to identifying other mid-bands for licensed services."

A new study of licensed midband spectrum availability around the world concludes that the U.S. is behind the curve and the FCC needs to redouble its efforts. 

According to the study, by Analysis Mason for CTIA-the Wireless Association, the FCC faces a five-fold deficit in licensed midband spectrum (3 GHz-7 GHz) compared to China, Canada, South Korea and the U.K. CTIA represents the wireless providers looking to secure that new bandwidth. 

While CTIA said the FCC is making real progress with planned auctions of 280 MHz of the C-Band and 70 MHz of the CBRS band, it needs to double that to keep up. 

“U.S. policymakers should be praised for their focus on making 2020 the year of mid-band," said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. "This report highlights just how quickly other nations continue to open more of these key airwaves for 5G. We need a roadmap to effectively double the amount of mid-band spectrum set for auction this year, and the 3.1-3.55 GHz and 6 GHz bands are the two clear opportunities to support America’s 5G economy.” 

Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Michael O'Rielly are in agreement that the FCC needs to free up the 6 GHz spectrum band for unlicensed WiFi and 5G ASAP, but that with the current coronavirus crisis, that may not happen as soon as they would have liked. 

They also are in agreement that a new wireless industry push to auction a portion of that 6 GHz spectrum for licensed use is not the way to go. 

That came in a conversation with Michael Calabrese of New America's Open Technology Institute for a "Next Generation Wi-Fi: Heading Off a 5G Digital Divide with Affordable Connectivity for All" event that had to move online. There were occasional buffering issues during the streamed event (see photo), and the low-angle laptop views that are not the most flattering of headshots. But those only served as a reminder of a world where a real, rather than online, virus is requiring major changes in how we communicate.  It did provide the event with a more intimate feel.

Priscilla Delgado Argeris from Facebook teed up the discussion by talking about how important it was to free up the 6 GHz spectrum, and as much as possible, for unlicensed wireless, which translates to the wireless broadband that is becoming a primary vehicle for internet access. 

The FCC is currently working on such an item.  

When it was their turn to weigh in, O'Rielly and Rosenworcel were clearly on the same page as to the importance of the spectrum being freed up for unlicensed, rather than licensed. 

Asked by Calabrese if they supported the CTIA proposal to move incumbents in the upper part of the 6 GHz band to the 7 GHz band and auctioning that upper portion for licensed use, the commissioners generally agreed with cable operators that that process would take too much time to be feasible. 

Related: Conservatives Push for All 6 GHz to Be Freed Up For Unlicensed 

O'Rielly said he would keep an open mind on the issue--the item has not been voted so he is expected not to pass any pre-judgments--and that he was mindful that wireless companies needed more license spectrum. But he also said that he did not believe CTIA's suggestion of moving 6 GHz incumbents, like utility companies, into the 7 GHz band, with its incumbent DOD users, was a viable option because he wasn't sure DOD would accept the new neighbors, and he had talked to utility companies who were more interested in making sharing with unlicensed users work. 

O'Rielly said he would continue to listen to dialogue, and if something changes he would reconsider. 

Rosenworcel agreed with her colleague. She signaled that if getting the spectrum to market quickly was important--which she has said it clearly is--10 years was too long. 

The event was marked by unusual comedy between the commissioners who are often at odds over FCC policy, though unlicensed spectrum has been a unifying issue for them.  

Rosenworcel thanks O'Rielly for his hard work, while O'Rielly returned the praise and even added efforts by former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler. 

Calabrese asked Rosenworcel whether she thought the wireless industry would have been in better shape to handle the coronavirus distance-learning workload had the 6 GHz band already been freed up, she said absolutely. She also said that when the crisis has passed, the FCC should measure where broadband networks succeeded, and where they failed to do some of its own distance learning, which she said would probably include that the country needs more WiFi and the 6 GHz band is a good place to look. 

Related: Broadcast, Cable Square Off Over 6 GHz

O'Rielly agreed there would be both positive and negative lessons learned, and the FCC would learn a lot and had a lot to do. 

Calabrese pointed out that some folks have argued that with all the 6 GHz spectrum the FCC is planning to free up, it doesn't necessarily need the "marginal" 45 MHz in the 5.9 band it wants to reallocate from licenses connected car (V2V) uses (it is leaving 30 MHz clear for V2V). 

O'Rielly immediately pushed back. He said that the 5.9 GHz spectrum is incredibly important, and that the car companies who continue to push for all 75 MHz are using problematic hyperbole to make their case. He said that the 5.9 spectrum could be repurposed almost immediately, while it would take more time for 6 GHz. He said he thought the auto industry was missing that. 

Rosenworcel pointed to the "macro" issue of incumbent licensed spectrum users resisting effort to free up spectrum for unlicensed. That included government users who push back on any clearing or sharing of spectrum below 8 GHz, even as Congress has charged the FCC with finding more unlicensed spectrum. She suggested that spectrum NMBY problem was "as old as time," but needed fixing. That is because such recalcitrance can slow down innovation and, ultimately, the economy," she said, not having to expound on the inadvisability of doing anything more to slow the economy at the present time.

The issue was bigger than 5.9 GHz, she said, and needs to be addressed "at a higher level." 

Diane Cornell, former top FCC staffer and industry and association executive, has died, according to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who tweeted the following: 

[embed]https://twitter.com/AjitPaiFCC/status/1214585041407234049[/embed]

"Diane was a wonderful person, liked and admired by all," echoed FCC Chairman Dick Wiley. "And, of course, she was a long-time and very able FCC official and communications bar leader." 

Among her FCC postings, Cornell was as special counsel to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, charged with identifying potential process reforms. In addition to her FCC service, Cornell was former VP of government affairs at Inmarsat and VP of regulatory policy at CTIA, The Wireless Association.  

CTIA tweeted its condolences:

[embed]https://twitter.com/CTIA/status/1214626081845784577[/embed]

Cornell was also former president of the Federal Communications Bar Association.

The major tech associations are calling on the World Trade Organization to keep E-commerce humming while preserving consumer trust and fostering inclusivity. 

That came in a joint position paper Monday (Oct. 7) in advance of the WTO Public Forum Oct. 8-11. 

The groups are looking to prevent internet taxes, customs and duties, various disclosure requirements and other instances of what they see as digital protectionism. 

"Digital trade is critical to the prosperity of all economies and the ability of companies of all sizes and in all sectors to produce, move, market, and sell products and services around the world," they wrote.  

They detailed what they are looking for in any WTO E-commerce agreement: 

1. "Prohibit internet tariffs and customs formalities on electronic transmissions; 

2. "Facilitate the flow of data across borders;

3. "Prohibit requirements to localize the storage and processing of data;

4. "Ensure the protection of personal data;

5. "Prohibit requirements to disclose source code, algorithms, or encryption keys;

6. "Promote government cooperation and regulatory best practices for cybersecurity;

7. "Promote state-of-the-art good regulatory practices in the regulation of digital services;

8. "Pursue “TFA-plus” provisions that facilitate e-commerce, including through increasing deminimis levels and simplifying customs clearance for low-value shipments; 

9. "Promote acceptance of electronic contracts, signatures and authentication;

10. "Ensure the adoption of non-IP intermediary liability protections;

11. "Expand market access for services;

12. "Expand market access for ICT goods through accession to the WTO Information Technology Agreement; and, 

13. "Facilitate access to and use of government data."

Groups signing on to the position paper included ACT | The App Association, BSA | The Software Alliance, the Computer and Communications Industry Association and the Consumer Technology Association.

BuzzFeed was reporting Thursday (Oct. 3) that a years-long investigation had uncovered millions of bogus comments favoring ISP deregulation filed by two companies working for Broadband for America, the pro ISP-deregulation group which claims the major ISP trade groups--NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, CTIA, USTelecom, and ISPs AT&T, Comcast, Charter and Cox among its members. 

The story did not suggest BFA orchestrated the use of bogus comments, only that the companies working for it appeared to have generated them. 

There were bogus comments aplenty on both sides of the net neutrality issue in the FCC docket, which contained a record-shattering 22 million comments, millions of which have since been exposed as fraudulent. 

The Buzzfeed story cites data scientist Jeff Kao who estimated that 99.7% of the “organic” comments--not prewritten or duplicate comments, favored retaining the Obama-era rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, rules that the FCC under Ajit Pai successfully overturned, a decision a federal court upheld two days before Buzzfeed published its investigative piece.  

Broadband for America had said it commissioned its own study back in 2017, the chief takeaway from which was that 69.9% of the comments were in favor of repealing Title II, when "fake and unverifiable" international comments were factored out. 

But that was focused on international comments.

NCTA declined to comment on the BuzzFeed story. BFA, and other companies and associations identified as members by BFA, had not returned requests for comment at press time.

Free Press, which opposed the ISP deregulation and has had big questions about the legitimacy of the net neutrality comment process, weighed in on the story.  

“We had long suspected the broadband industry was behind the illegal effort to fake public opposition to Net Neutrality," said Free Press Senior Director of Strategy and Communications Timothy Karr. "Thanks to this invaluable investigative reporting, we can see the money trail that reportedly leads from the largest cable and phone companies through their front group Broadband for America and into the hands of those paid to defraud the public." 

“This is not only outrageous, it’s exactly the kind of violation that federal and state authorities have been investigating. The proper authorities must take the next step and hold those involved to account. And Congress must demand answers from Chairman Pai on what he’s doing to prevent fraud and evaluate real public input.” 

“As the D.C. Circuit recognized this week, the FCC’s decision to abandon the heavy-handed, utility-style Internet regulations imposed under the prior Administration was well-grounded in the law and the facts contained in the record," said a spokesperson for FCC Chairman Pai. "The Restoring Internet Freedom Order was based on a careful examination of the law and the facts, not substance-free form letters, such as the nearly 8 million identical one-sentence comments supporting Title II regulation that were tied to email addresses from FakeMailGenerator.com."

The FCC's net neutrality comment docket has been a flashpoint for net neutrality activists and the subject of outside investigations, including by the New York State Attorney General and the FBI.  

Related: Rep. Pallone Says FBI Investigating FCC Comment Docket  

Pai has conceded there were opportunities for mischief in the docket—which ultimately manifested itself in bogus comments, including ones from a Russian addresses—but he signaled that was the price of erring on the side of inclusiveness. But just how many were filed, and what the FCC's procedures for at least trying to verify their veracity, became an ongoing dialog, though some Dems would say monologue, with the FCC in the run-up to the FCC's December 2017 vote to roll back net neutrality regs.  

In a letter to the Hill, Pai had explained that to enable the filing of bulk comments, the FCC system in 2016 was reconfigured to allow automated submissions, and that while it uses commercially available tools to protect the system from cyber attacks, it "is fundamentally an open, public-facing system, which limits our ability to shut down inappropriate bots accessing [it]." 

There is also no limit to the number of comments that can be filed, other than a size limit of 25 MB for each comment, and five files per submission, including attachments. 

The FCC is expected to take public comments into consideration, though in an age of millions of such comments, it is arguably a practical impossibility.

Fortunately, how many comments are filed is not supposed to be a determinative factor in decision-making, any more than the loudest voice or the biggest pockets are supposed to decide whether or not a policy is good or bad.  

Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have reintroduced the bipartisan Startup Act, a bill that would allow highly skilled, high-tech savvy immigrants to remain in the country where they could help fuel the start-up community. They first introduced the bill back in September 2017.

The act, which is backed by CTIA and the Consumer Technology Association would, would among other things create "entrepreneur" and "STEM" categories of visas for "highly-educated individuals" so they can innovate in this country and create products that fuel economic growth and American jobs, so they can remain in the United States legally to promote new ideas, fuel economic opportunity and create good-paying American jobs.

For example, the bill would adjust the status of no more than 50,000 aliens with masters and doctorate degrees in a STEM field to "conditionally admitted for permanent residence," and allow them to remain in the country for up to a year after the expiration of a student visa of indefinitely if they remained in a STEM field. 

CTA in particular has pushed hard for allowing the best and brightest from around the globe to get to and stay in the country.

According to its sponsors, the bill would also: "accelerate the commercialization of university research and creative inquiry that can lead to new ventures, review and improve the regulatory processes at the federal, state and local levels, and modernize a critical Economic Development Administration (EDA) program to spur economic growth and promote innovation."

“I’ve spent most of my career in the private sector so I know the importance of advancing innovation,” said Warner a former telecom executive. “By encouraging entrepreneurship and helping attract and retain talented individuals, this bipartisan bill will help Virginia promote capital investment while boosting our economy and promoting U.S. competitiveness.” 

“Startups and small businesses are engines of job creation and economic growth,” said Klobuchar, a potential presidential candidate. “Our bipartisan bill would make it easier for students and innovators to get their ideas off the ground, encourage new ideas, and strengthen our workforce to keep the U.S. competitive in the 21st century economy.” 

“By creating both an Entrepreneur and a STEM visa, this legislation will allow startup founders to stay in the U.S. and create the next great American company,” wrote Evan Engstrom, executive director of Engine, and Julie Samuels, executive director of Tech:NYC in a letter earlier this month advocating for the legislation's return. “Technology startups are a vital and growing part of the American economy and the U.S. should take measures to ensure that technology companies continue to develop here.”

CTA tweeted its support:

[embed]https://twitter.com/CTATech/status/1091013001946255360[/embed]

“The Startup Act would help position U.S. firms for success in the fierce competition for capital and talent worldwide," said Computer & Communications Industry Assocaition President Ed Black. "We appreciate the senators’ taking steps to ensure the US has both the ideas and the workforce to remain a global leader in innovation. It’s crucial to encourage more entrepreneurs to launch their startups here and this legislation would do that.”

CTIA, the wireless association, has launched a new cybersecurity certification program for Internet of Things (IoT) devices developed in collaboration with nationwide carriers including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Devices can be submitted for testing starting in October.

Related: IoT Poses New Security Threats for Cable

CTIA says it will provide a more secure network for smart cities, connected cars, telehealth and other applications connected by wireless nets.

It could also help head off government regulations, particularly since it is based in recommendations from the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications & Information Administration and the National Institute of Standards & Technology.

“America’s wireless industry has long been a leader in cybersecurity best practices and establishing an industry-led cybersecurity certification program for IoT devices is a major step in building a trusted, secure wireless ecosystem for the Internet of Things,” said Tom Sawanobori, CTIA SVP and CTO, in a statement.

The mobile wireless broadband marketplace is either wildly competitive or definitely not so, depending on whom you ask.

In comments to the FCC Thursday (July 26) for a new congressionally-mandated report on competition in mobile wireless broadband, the major wireless carriers--individually (Verizon and AT&T) and collectively (from CTIA and others)--the marketplace is full of cut-throat competitors, while competitive carriers said much of the country lacks reliable service from anyone, much less competition.

Related: Free State Foundation Says Mobile Is Now Substitute For Fixed

The major carriers said the FCC should echo the finding of its 2017 report that there is effective competition in the mobile broadband marketplace, especially since the marketplace has gotten even more wildly competitive since then, while the Competitive Carriers Association said that conclusion was a mistake that the FCC should use this report to correct that misperception.

This from AT&T, for example: "Competition over unlimited plans and associated features resulted in a 'price war” that “underscor[es] the cutthroat nature' of competition among the leading wireless carriers," it said, quoting a news story that made that claim. And this from CTIA: "The wireless market in the United States is vibrant, innovative, and highly competitive. Consumers today have unparalleled choice among wireless providers, services, plans, and devices."

But ostensibly looking at the same players and marketplace, the Competitive Carriers Association drew strikingly different conclusions.

"[M]uch of the country still lacks access to reliable mobile wireless service including 3G and 4G," CCA said. "In reality, the increasing concentration of the wireless market between the two largest providers—AT&T and Verizon—combined with existing regulatory barriers to wireless market expansion negatively impact competitive entry and competitive expansion, particularly in rural and remote areas...[T]he experience of CCA members and the on-the-ground experience of consumers—including statistics obtained just by driving through many parts of the country—make clear that mobile wireless service is not yet available everywhere, much less on a competitive basis," CCA maintained.

Incumbents' argument that the market is effectively competitive is important because such a finding is a deregulatory trigger, a trigger that CCA argues is nonexistent, indicating laws and regs are still needed to help achieve a competitive market.

"The Commission must recognize regulatory barriers to competitive entry and expansion in the mobile wireless market and address limitations affecting the mobile wireless ecosystem," said CCA, which argues that is necessary if the FCC is to close the mobile competitive digital divide, particularly in the rural areas where it is most evident.

CTIA's annual wireless survey found significant growth in data use, cell sites and data-only devices as the industry prepares to transition to 5G and continues to search for spectrum to meet consumer demand.

The survey found that Americans used a record 15.7 trillion megabytes of mobile data in 2017, almost four times the traffic in 2014 and 40 times the volume in 2010.

Or as CTIA put it, that record data usage is the equivalent of "nearly 250 million people simultaneously binge-watching every episode of Game of Thrones in HD." Not to mention, though CTIA did, 2.2 trillion voice minutes and 1.5 trillion texts.

Related: CTIA Wants FCC to Designate July Midband Month

Other big numbers were the 323,448 cell sites in operation at the end of 2017, up more than 50% in the last decade; the $25.6 billion in capital expenditures by wireless providers; and the 400 million mobile devices in service (or 1.2 for every American).

CTIA put in a plug for modernized rules that allow for that big spectrum pipe.

“This year’s report shows that wireless is on the cusp of a transformation to tomorrow’s 5G networks and the Internet of Things, underscoring the need for continued efforts to modernize infrastructure rules and create a spectrum pipeline that ensures continued U.S. wireless leadership in the global race to 5G," said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker.

That call comes as the FCC is preparing this week to propose opening up more spectrum -- the C-band used for broadcast and cable network delivery -- for wireless broadband, one of many such efforts to expand the pipeline.

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe has signed a bill to advance the deployment of the small cell infrastructure needed for next-gen 5G wireless broadband.

According to a summary, the bill (SB 1282): "Provides a uniform procedure for the way in which small cell facilities on existing structures are approved by localities and approved and installed in public rights-of-way. The measure includes provisions that establish requirements applicable to the location of micro-wireless facilities. The measure also addresses restrictions by localities and the Department of Transportation regarding the use of public rights-of-way or easements and specifies when a permittee may be required to relocate wireless support structures."

Related: Virginia Governor Threatens to Veto Muni Broadband Bill

Governor McAuliffe said in a statement: “I am proud to sign this new law placing Virginia at the forefront of all the economic benefits that will flow from even faster 5G Internet connections. I have made it a top priority to spur investment and job opportunities across the Commonwealth, and this law will help deliver that goal whether through improved education opportunities, better healthcare delivery, or autonomous transportation systems.”

The FCC has made speeding deployment of mobile and fixed broadband a priority.

Related: FCC Slates Broadband Deployment Webinar

The CTIA, which represents wireless broadband providers, says the bill will spur hundreds of millions in investment and create thousands of new jobs in the state.

“CTIA and the wireless industry commend Governor Terry McAuliffe and the Virginia General Assembly in supporting 5G wireless legislation that will boost business opportunity and enhance consumers’ lives,” said CTIA President Meredith Attwell Baker.

According to CTIA, Accenture estimates the bill will translate to $371 million in Virginia Beach, the largest city in the state, and $179 million investment in the state capitol, Richmond.

CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker said the wireless industry's need for spectrum will outstrip all the current efforts to find it, share it or free it up.

In a speech at the National Telecommunications & Information Association's (NTIA) International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) in Boulder, Colo., Thursday (May 14), Baker suggested the government has no "what next" plan beyond its current spectrum efforts, and it needs to have one.

"Mobile broadband demand cannot be met by improved spectral efficiency alone," Baker told the audience. "More towers and more wireless infrastructure can never be enough; AWS-3 and the incentive auction will not suffice."

Baker is the former head of the NTIA, which oversees government spectrum use, just as the FCC oversees commercial use (she is a former FCC commissioner as well).

To handle an expected six-fold increase in already hefty data flows, the country needs infrastructure, standards and technologies, but mostly, it needs spectrum, she said, particularly licensed spectrum. Baker said while sharing spectrum is good, it should not be a substitute for clearing spectrum.

The AWS-3 auction, which freed up licensed spectrum for auction, was not a laurel to rest on, she suggested, because it would take 20 years to bring it to consumers. That is too long, particularly given that "we are already behind in identifying what’s next."

"We just had AWS-3, and the broadcast incentive auction looms ahead of us," Baker said. "and after that, right now, we don’t know what’s next."

The Obama administration in 2010 came up with a 10-year plan for freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum, but Baker said it has no plan beyond 2020.

"Because spectrum policy is a long game, we need to start planning today," she said. "Just months after AWS-3, it may seem strange to be here, saying we have to start again. But we do."

Of the need for more licensed spectrum, she said: "As a country, the U.S. cannot settle too quickly into sharing regimes that rely on unproven and complex government roles and nascent or untested technologies. We can’t ask carriers to depend upon limited and undefined access for the spectrum they need to serve tens of millions of subscribers every day."