Airlines warn upcoming 5G deployment will interfere with radio altimeters

Airline industry executives have ramped up their warnings that an upcoming type of 5G service will interfere with radio altimeters.

Radio altimeters measure the altitude above the terrain beneath an aircraft by timing how long it takes a beam of radio waves to travel to ground, reflect, and return to the craft. They are, of course, a key safety feature.

In February, the FCC completed a “C-band” (3.7–3.98 GHz) auction and issued licenses to several wireless network...

17 December 2021 | 5G

Jessica Rosenworcel is officially the FCC’s first chairwoman

The Senate has officially declared Jessica Rosenworcel as the Federal Communications Commission’s first chairwoman.

President Biden’s nominee has served as the acting chair of the FCC since January 2021 following the resignation of her predecessor, Ajit Pai.

The Senate voted 68 to 31 to confirm Rosenworcel as chairwoman which also grants her an additional five-year term.

“It is a tremendous honor to be confirmed and designated as the first permanent...

8 December 2021 | 5G

FCC: Verizon can acquire TracFone subject to ‘demanding conditions’

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted Verizon approval to acquire TracFone, but it will be subject to “demanding conditions”.

Verizon announced its intention to acquire TracFone Wireless for $6.25B back in September 2020.

TracFone is the largest reseller of wireless services in the US and has around 21 million subscribers. The proposed deal naturally caught the eye of regulators.

One of the major concerns is that Verizon could hike prices...

23 November 2021 | Legislation & Government

FCC bans China Telecom from operating US services

The FCC has actioned a Trump-era recommendation to ban China Telecom from operating services in the United States.

China Telecom Americas is based in Virginia and sells mobile services which target Chinese Americans, tourists, and businesses.

In April last year, the Trump administration’s Justice Department recommended that the FCC revoked China Telecom Americas authorisations to provide international telecoms services to and from the US. The department went on to note...

27 October 2021 | China Telecom

LightBox releases a US broadband map while the FCC fixes its own

The FCC’s more accurate US national broadband map is expected to be a year away, but LightBox is providing one in the meantime.

A previous map of broadband availability used by the FCC was criticised as being inaccurate and greatly overestimating both the coverage and speeds available to Americans.

The inaccuracies – hindering critical decisions like funding allocations – were due to a reliance on data from ISPs themselves who were incentivised to overstate their...

9 September 2021 | Broadband

FCC hopes its OpenRAN showcase will encourage operators ‘to invest in network security’

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced the US telecoms regulator will host an OpenRAN showcase next month.

OpenRAN is one of the industry’s most exciting new trends. The interoperable equipment provides greater flexibility to carriers and helps them to avoid vendor lock-in.

Governments are increasingly becoming cheerleaders of OpenRAN due to the security benefits of having many vendors in a network. This is especially true in many Western countries...

28 May 2021 | Legislation & Government

FCC allocates spectrum for US commercial space industry, including today’s Crew-2 launch

The FCC has allocated spectrum to support the growing number of US commercial space launches, including today’s Crew-2 mission.

SpaceX’s Crew-2 launch will send four astronauts – National Aeronautical Space Administration’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency – into orbit.

Weather-permitting, the launch is scheduled for 10.49am BST (5.49am EDT) at...

23 April 2021 | Legislation & Government

FCC is re-establishing its 5G security council which disbanded in March

The FCC is re-establishing its Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), with a primary focus on improving 5G network security.

CSRIC VII was disbanded in March. Recent cyberattacks such as the high-profile SolarWinds breach have demonstrated the need for CSRIC to re-establish and continue its crucial work.

Jessica Rosenworcel, Acting Chairwoman of the FCC, said:

“I am committed to working with our federal partners and the...

16 April 2021 | Legislation & Government

FCC wants the public to help measure actual broadband speeds

The FCC is encouraging the public to download and use its Speed Test app to help the regulator gain a greater understanding of the speeds consumers are actually receiving.

Data used by regulators is often not representative of real-world experiences. The FCC’s broadband coverage maps, for example, have come under repeated scrutiny for being inaccurate—predominately due to what internet access advocates claim is a weak definition of coverage by the FCC which allows carriers to...

13 April 2021 | Broadband

FCC considers revoking China Telecom’s license to provide US services

The FCC has announced that it’s launched a review into whether to revoke China Telecom’s license to provide services in the United States.

The US telecoms regulator says the proceedings will “determine whether to end China Telecom (Americas) Corporation’s authority to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services within the United States under section 214 of the Communications Act.”

According to the FCC, the action seeks to safeguard...

11 December 2020 | China Telecom