Today:  Colorado Approves Sprint and T-Mobile Merger, Nebraska Deadline For Dedicated Wireless Support Applications, FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel on 6G And Blockchain 

Colorado Approves Sprint and T-Mobile Merger

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a joint transfer application filed by Sprint Communications and T-Mobile.  The Applicants requested PUC authorization for a transaction where Sprint Communications, the holder of PUC issued authorities will become an indirect subsidiary of T-Mobile as part of a merger occurring at the corporate parent level of both Sprint Communications and T-Mobile.  Sprint Communications will continue as the provider of Telecommunications Relay Services for the State of Colorado following the anticipated merger.  Also, Virgin Mobile USA, L.P. will continue its obligations and responsibilities as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in Colorado following the anticipated merger.  The PUC determined that the proposed transfer of control of the certificate of public convenience and necessity and telecommunications authorities held by Sprint Communications is not contrary to the public interest and therefore it granted the Joint Application for transfer to that extent.

Nebraska Deadline for Dedicated Wireless Support Applications

The Nebraska PSC set November 1, 2018, as the deadline for wireless providers to file applications seeking dedicated wireless program support.  The total- amount of support allocated for the program in 2018 is $3.2 million.  The Order sets forth the information that must be included in applications, including tower location, proposed service area and anticipated number of covered households.  The PSC will publish notice of each application.  Protests or petitions for intervention would need to be filed within 30 days.

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel on 6G and Blockchain

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel became the first FCC Commissioner to talk about 6G wireless service, including the potential use of blockchain, in a speech before the Mobile World Congress Americas.  She noted that the sixth generation of wireless service will feature terahertzfrequency networks and spatial multiplexing, which will require an “unprecedented level of network densification, so imagine base stations miniaturized and embedded all around us. This will make it possible to have hundreds and even thousands of simultaneous wireless connections with as much as 1000 times higher capacity than what we expect with 5G service. Finally, while 5G applications are expected to evolve around a single-beam approach to data transfer, 6G could be designed around hundreds of simultaneous beams, yielding much higher data rates.”  She discussed three things the FCC should revisit for the spectrum policy of the future— valuation, auctions, and distribution. 

With regard to spectrum distribution, Commissioner Rosenworcel discussed the potential of dynamic spectrum access and new sharing paradigms that can make it possible to have a whole range of activities in a single spectrum band.   This includes taking it “further into the future through new technologies that enable smarter and more decentralized dynamic spectrum access techniques—like blockchain.”  Her idea is that ”Instead of having a centralized database to support shared access in specific spectrum bands, we could explore the use of blockchain as a lower cost alternative. If the effort succeeds, this could reduce the administrative expense of dynamic access systems and increase spectral efficiency. We also could foster new hierarchies of band-specific rights and new models for lightweight leasing. Plus, the public quality of recording this information using distributed ledger technology could  help expose patterns that inspire new technical innovation and even change the way we use wireless.”

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.