The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily 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 a TMI Briefing.

FCC

          Spectrum Leasing Arrangements

The FCC has approved a spectrum leasing arrangement between Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and Nextlink Wireless, LLC, a subsidiary of XO Holdings.  (This is a separate transaction from the Verizon Wireless acquisition of XO Holdings.)  As a result of this spectrum leasing arrangement, Verizon Wireless will lease from Nextlink spectrum associated with 93 Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS; 28 GHz) licenses and nine 39 GHz licenses in all or parts of 289 CMAs, covering approximately 63% of the U.S. population.  The 39 GHz spectrum included in the leasing arrangement is “crucial to 5G deployment.”  In addition, Verizon Wireless will use the 28 GHz and 39 GHz spectrum to meet its “substantial and evolving needs for wireless backhaul to support existing mobile broadband services.”

Florida

The PSC approved Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc.’s annual budget with a reduction as recommended by Staff including a decrease in the telecommunications relay surcharge.  The reduction is due to projected lower costs by Sprint Communications Company, L.P., Florida’s Relay System (FRS) provider and review of the requested budget items.  The statewide relay system provides a functionally equivalent service to that used by hearing persons to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, or others who communicate with them. TMI Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 7/26/16.