Page 103 - SAMENA Trends - December 2023
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REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES  SAMENA TRENDS

                          access  to broadband  by  giving  the  FCC  the  authority   download  and  20Mbps  upload  “low-latency  internet”
                          to  finish  transferring  previously  auctioned  spectrum   across  642,925  locations  in  35  states,  funded  by  the
                          to companies that offer 5G coverage.’ Controversially,   RDOF. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel justified
                          in  March the  US  Senate  allowed the  FCC’s  spectrum   the rejection, stating that the applicant failed to meet
                          auction authority to lapse for the first time since 1994.   the burden required for nearly $900 million in universal
                          A bill that would have extended the regulator’s spectrum   service funds—emphasizing the FCC’s commitment to
                          authority  to  19  May  was  passed  by  the  lower  house   ensuring reliable and affordable high-speed broadband
                          but  objections  in  the  Senate  delayed  the  legislation,   for consumers nationwide.  “The  FCC  is  tasked  with
                          resulting in the lapse. To date, the FCC has held more   ensuring consumers everywhere have access to high-
                          than 100 auctions and has raised more than USD233   speed  broadband  that  is  reliable  and  affordable.  The
                          billion in revenues. Auction 108 drew to a close on 29   agency also has a responsibility to be a good steward
                          August 2022 after 73 rounds of bidding. Participating   of limited public funds meant to expand access to rural
                          companies successfully bid on 7,872 2.5GHz licenses,   broadband, not fund applicants that fail to meet basic
                          generating  gross  proceeds  of  USD427.790  million.   program requirements,” said  Rosenworcel. “The  FCC
                          T-Mobile US secured the bulk of the available licenses,   followed a  careful  legal,  technical,  and  policy review
                          bidding  USD304.325  million  for  7,156  regional   to determine that this applicant had failed to meet its
                          concessions. (December 13, 2023) www.commsupdate.com  burden to be entitled to nearly $900 million in universal
                                                                        service  funds  for  almost  a  decade.”  However,  FCC
                          The  FCC  has  denied  Elon Musk’s  Starlink  a hefty   commissioner Brendan  Carr dissented,  arguing  that
                          $886 million subsidy from the Universal Service Fund,   the FCC has never previously demanded award winners
                          allocated  for  expanding  broadband services in  rural   to  demonstrate  meeting  service  obligations  years  in
                          areas.  The  rejected bid, originally  intended  for  the   advance. Christopher Cardaci, head of legal at SpaceX,
                          Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program, faced   defended Starlink’s bid in a letter to the FCC, asserting
                          criticism as  the FCC  deemed Starlink  incapable  of   that  Starlink  remains  the  most  viable  option  for
                          proving its  ability  to deliver the promised broadband   connecting Americans in rural and remote areas “where
                          service.  This  decision  echoes a similar  move by the   high-speed,  low-latency  internet  has  been  unreliable,
                          FCC  last  year,  prompting  an  appeal  from  SpaceX,   unaffordable, or completely unavailable, the very people
                          Musk’s  aerospace  company  behind  Starlink.  SpaceX   RDOF was supposed to connect.”
                          had  previously  secured  a  bid  to  deploy  a  100Mbps   (December 13, 2023) www.telecomstechnews.com




                          The  Zambian  government  is  planning  to  phase  out   to Beeline Telecom Zambia (Zedmobile) – which was
                          2G  mobile  technology  in  the  near  future.  Speaking  at   issued a mobile license in February 2021, but has yet
                          an awards ceremony to celebrate  the  ICT, postal  and   to stage a commercial  launch – Mutati  commented:
                          courier sectors, Felix Mutati, Minister of Technology and   ‘I  remain  hopeful  that  Beeline,  which  is  a  Zambian
        Zambia            Science, commented: ‘We are eliminating 2G because   majority-owned  company,  will  take  advantage  of
                                                                        several efforts by government to establish an enabling
                          we want all towers to be internet-enabled. Every tower
                          from  now  on  will  only  be  4G  and  upwards  internet-  environment for them to commence operations within a
                          enabled. We have a duty to use ICT as an enabler to   reasonable timeline, as committed.’
                          deliver change to the people of Zambia.’ With reference   (December 12, 2023) The Zambia Monitor



























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