The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized organization of the United Nations which addresses international communications and information technology, regulatory, and policy issues. Its origins date back to the formation of its predecessor in 1865, the International Telegraph Union. It plays a crucial role in promoting efficient sharing of spectrum and compatibility of communications
This Update is intended for enterprise IT, telecom, procurement staffs, and in-house counsel responsible for telecommunications management and procurements, focusing on strategies to maximize savings and optimize services to meet projected enterprise requirements.
Industry Consolidation
XO Communications is now part of Verizon, CenturyLink has acquired Level 3, and, among the cable operators, Charter has acquired
Funding for a portion of the federal government expired on December 21, 2018, beginning a partial federal government shutdown. The agencies affected by the lapse in funding include the FCC. While the FCC managed to hang on longer than some of the other agencies affected, the Commission suspended operations starting mid-day on January 3, 2019.
The year of 2018 at the FCC could be considered the year of déjà vu. Sure, the Commission broke new ground in some areas, but many of the headline-grabbing items rehashed old proceedings. For instance:
Net Neutrality
The ink was barely dry on the FCC’s net neutrality rules when, in January, the agency released
In late September, MissionCritical Communications posted several online articles about network-based and wireless handset-based emergency location technologies that will provide local public-safety answering points (PSAPs) the physical location of wireless callers dialing 9-1-1. These articles coincided with the FCC’s implementation of Kari’s Law, which Congress enacted this year.
Kari’s Law was enacted in response to
On October 23, 2018, the FCC adopted a Report and Order in its 3550-3700 MHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) proceeding. The Report and Order makes several modifications to rules governing the band, including extending license terms to 10 years, adding license renewability, and increasing the size of Priority Access License (PAL) areas from census
The FCC’s small cells order (Declaratory Ruling and Third Report and Order, WT Dk. No. 17-79 and WC Dk. No 17-84, released September 27, 2018) is a big win for the wireless industry. The FCC largely adopted the industry’s vision that deployment of 5G technology will require hundreds of thousands of so-called “small cell” sites
The 2004 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Trinko is generally understood to mean that an incumbent local exchange company is not obligated under the antitrust laws to open its network to a competitor.[1] In the context of recent FCC decisions, it is noteworthy that Justice Scalia’s opinion in Trinko was grounded on the fact
Earlier this month, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau implemented a temporary freeze on applications for new and modified authority for Land Mobile systems operating in the 896-901/935-940 MHz band. The freeze was effective as of September 13, 2018.
The freeze stems from a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) issued by the FCC in 2017, seeking input
The FCC last week released a DRAFT order, scheduled for a vote at its September 26 meeting, designed to dictate the process and fees that state and local governments must apply to small cell wireless antenna installations on government-owned poles and similar facilities, and on newly-constructed poles the wireless carriers want to install in state