Page 135 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

looking to maintain strong competition in the market Wimborne Minster in East Dorset and Edinburgh in
by imposing a 37 per cent cap on the overall spectrum Scotland. Radio Melksham will be a local radio service
available to any one company. Spectrum Group for the community of Melksham and the surrounding
Director at Ofcom Philip Marnick said the move would area. Radio Wimborne will provide local news and
bring “a much-needed capacity boost”, as demand for content for the people of Wimborne Minster and
data was continuously soaring, and argued the step neighboring towns and villages. Thornbury Radio will
would help “cement the UK’s place as a world leader provide a radio service for the residents of Thornbury
in 5G”. The authority’s initial plan from December 2018 with local information and news and opportunities to
was to impose binding coverage obligations, which reduce social isolation and make new friends. And Sam
would have forced up to two UK operators to increase Radio will serve Edinburgh’s Asian community with an
coverage in rural areas. However, Ofcom decided to interactive service of entertaining, informative and
cancel this as the four major operators in the country educational programmes, broadcasting in Hindustani,
reached an agreement earlier this month over a £1 Punjabi and Arabic. Meanwhile, three further services
billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) plan for sealing have been turned down – East Coast Radio in Grimsby
coverage gaps across the UK. and LCR in Lutterworth were refused without a
(March 13, 2020) commsupdate.com published reason whilst Bux FM in South Bucks was
not awarded a license as Ofcom says there are no
Three community radio groups in England have been suitable FM frequency available for the proposed
awarded a broadcasting license, along with one in service. The licenses are awarded for a five-year period
Scotland. The new stations will serve communities in and will start within the next two years as each station
Melksham in Wiltshire, Thornbury in Gloucestershire, starts broadcasting. (March 3, 2020) radiotoday.co.uk

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ensure those networks remain up and running," said
announced that its Wireless Telecommunications FCC chairman Ajit Pai. "We have been encouraged by
Bureau has granted temporary spectrum access the feedback we have received so far both regarding
to 33 wireless internet service providers (WISPs) the ability of their networks to handle changes in
United serving 330 counties in 29 states to help them serve usage patterns caused by the coronavirus outbreak
and how networks are performing so far." The Justice
rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
States The Special Temporary Authority (STA) allows these Department, Defense Department CIO, and NTIA’s
companies to use the lower 45MHz of spectrum in the Office of Spectrum Management all pitched in to speed
5.9GHz band (5850MHz-5895MHz) for a period of 60 the applications. (March 21, 2020) broadcastingcable.com
days. The STAs will help serve communities in Arizona,
California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has
Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, announced the conclusion of Auction 103, its third
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, auction of 5G suitable millimeter wave (mmWave)
New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, spectrum to date. The process got underway on 10
Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, December 2019 and comprised spectrum in the upper
Wisconsin, and West Virginia. An additional ISP, 37GHz, 39GHz and 47GHz bands. According to FCC
Broadband VI, which covers Saint Croix, Saint John and data, the auction generated gross proceeds of USD7.57
Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, is also included billion. A total of 35 qualified bidders successfully bid
in the FCC documentation. (March 31, 2020) commsupdate.com on 14,142 of the available 14,144 available 100MHz
Partial Economic Area (PEA) licenses. The watchdog
AT&T and Verizon have gone back to the FCC for noted: ‘Bidding in Auction 103 has concluded. The
additional special temporary authorities (STAs) for FCC will release the Closing Public Notice in the next
added spectrum as they deal with the increased few days that provides official notification to winning
broadband load of a pandemic-sequestered populace bidders, specifies the deadlines for payments and
trying to work and learn and get medical treatment long-form applications, and gives details for other
and play online. The FCC said it has granted three post-auction procedures.’ (March 9, 2020) commsupdate.com
more STAs, bringing the total to six. AT&T got access
to some spectrum licensed to Dish for the next 60 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vot-
days as well as access to some AWS-3 spectrum in ed unanimously to establish application and bidding
the FCC's inventory. Verizon also got access to some procedures for the auction of the 3.5 GHz band, which
of that AWS-3 spectrum. The FCC has been agreeing starts June 25. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai noted that the
to sharing arrangements, among usual competitors, auction, known as Auction 105, will offer more than
for both wired and wireless spectrum. “The FCC has 22,000 licenses, the most ever offered in a single auc-
been coordinating closely with network operators to tion. The 3.5 GHz Priority Access Licenses (PALs) up

135 MARCH 2020