Enterprise Wireless Insider, Volume 14, Issue 5

EWA Requests Blanket Extension to Construction Deadline

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) has requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to waive until August 31, 2020, the requirement that site-based and mobile-only wireless systems complete construction of facilities with buildout deadlines between March 15, 2020 and August 31, 2020. Granting temporary waiver relief would be consistent with other public interest actions the Commission has taken in response to the extraordinary disruption being caused by the coronavirus pandemic and would relieve the FCC of having to act on a large number of individual waiver requests that otherwise could be filed.  

EWA Hosts 3.5 GHz Webinar

On March 18, 2020, EWA convened a well-attended webinar on the upcoming Auction 105 for 3.5 GHz, confirming that there is significant interest in this opportunity from both private enterprise entities and the dealers/vendors that support them. EWA has posted a recording of the webinar to its website and will make the presentation available upon request.

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EWA and FCC Activity Status During Crisis

EWA has taken steps over recent years to fully prepare its workforce for telecommuting. Your Spectrum Advisor is available during standard business hours of 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Eastern time, to discuss your projects and answer questions. In addition, EWA’s application portals Cevo® and Cevo Go™, are available for submitting application requests 24/7. 

The FCC continues to operate with most employees telecommuting. We understand that the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), are overwhelmed with requests for Special Temporary Authority (STA), waiver requests, and other requests for extraordinary relief in response to the COVID-19 emergency. While normal work continues, expect delays in processing times particularly if the matter requires the involvement of multiple persons.

B/ILT Coordinators Seek Rule Changes

On March 9, EWA together with other major Business/Industrial Land Transportation frequency advisory committees filed a Petition for Rulemaking requesting clarification with respect to mobile-only system protection requirements and the application of the “safe harbor” tables. The Petition recommended that systems with no fixed facilities or identified center coordinates utilize itinerant frequencies and, if not, that any areas of operation greater than 80 km receive secondary status.

EWA Attends T-Band Hill Day

EWA represented the interests of business and industrial users of T-Band spectrum at the T-Band Press Conference and Hill Day on March 10, 2020, joining over 11 organizations representing the interests of Public Safety T-Band licensees. The same group followed up with a March 17 letter to Senate and House leadership emphasizing the critical importance of supporting legislation to repeal the auction mandate. While the repeal of the T-Band mandate initially had been in the COVID-19 stimulus bill, it was not part of the final package.

800 MHz Guard Band Waiver Supported

The WTB had asked for comment on a waiver request from the company providing security, maintenance, and other services at the new stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders are scheduled to begin playing in the Fall of 2020. The applicant has requested three Guard Band Channels, which are not yet available because Las Vegas is within the buffer zone beyond the Mexican Border Region which has been subject to an FCC freeze since 2013.

EWA submitted comments urging the Commission to expeditiously grant the relief requested. Supporting comments were also filed by the NFL. 

CBRS Auction Delayed - Incumbents Receive Six Months

• Short-Form Application (FCC Form 175) Filing Window Opens:  April 23, 2020, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 
• Short-Form Application (FCC Form 175) Filing Window Deadline:  May 7, 2020, 6:00 p.m. ET 
• Upfront Payments (via wire transfer):  June 19, 2020, 6:00 p.m. ET 
• Bidding Tutorial Available (via Internet):  No later than July 9, 2020 
• Auction Registration Materials:  By July 15, 2020, 12:00 p.m. ET
• Mock Auction:  July 20, 2020 
• Bidding Begins in Auction 105:  July 23, 2020

IWCE Rescheduled for August

The IWCE Conference and Expo has been rescheduled for August 24-28, 2020 and will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. EWA President Mark Crosby will participate on two panels covering the realignment of the 900 MHz band and an update on T-Band.

“Administrative Inadvertence” No Excuse

On March 23, the FCC denied a Petition for Reconsideration filed by the Nevada State Parks Division which sought reinstatement of its license to operate under call sign WQYH709 or a waiver of FCC rules in order to complete construction of the facilities authorized under the license. Nevada had been granted its license in October of 2016 and failed to file a Notice of Construction within the deadlines established by FCC rules. In its Petition, filed December 7, 2017, Nevada State Parks noted that it did not have a “communication specialist here for a couple of years” in defense of its failure to construct. In response, the FCC stated that it “is well settled that claims of administrative inadvertence are inadequate to excuse either a failure to construct or to timely submit a construction notice.”

C-Band Auction Scheduled

At its February 27 meeting, the FCC approved an approach to consolidating satellite use of C-Band that will allow an auction of 280 MHz of this mid-band spectrum for terrestrial wireless. The FCC proposed rules to allow increased power on unlicensed TV whitespace (TVWS) to address lack of rural broadband coverage and proposed Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction procedures, another initiative intended to expand rural broadband service.