
FCC Expands Telecoms’ Spectrum Access to Bolster Wireless Capacity During Pandemic

WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has granted requests from AT&T and Verizon to use additional spectrum to help meet escalating wireless demand during the coronavirus outbreak.
AT&T has been granted authority to operate in the AWS-4 band Spectrum licensed to DISH, and both AT&T and Verizon have been granted permission to use the AWS-3 spectrum currently held in the FCC’s inventory.
Access to both spectrums is temporary and will lapse in 60 days unless extended.
“Consumers and businesses across the country are making the necessary adjustments to maintain social distance during the coronavirus pandemic. This means an increased reliance on wireline and wireless broadband services,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
“The FCC has been coordinating closely with network operators to ensure those networks remain up and running,” he continued. “We have been encouraged by the feedback we have received so far regarding the ability of their networks to handle changes in usage patterns caused by the coronavirus outbreak and how networks are performing so far.”
Pai said despite these steps, the agency is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
He thanked DISH for its willingness to allow this use of the spectrum for which they hold licenses, and he also applauded AT&T and Verizon for seeking out ways to meet increased consumer demand.
Among the federal entities that helped move the applications forward were the Justice Department, Defense Department CIO, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Spectrum Management.
In The News
Health
Voting
Telecom
BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late... Read More
BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. T-Mobile said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and... Read More
A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “It was... Read More
A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “It was just a headache,” said Neville, who lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Orleans whose residents are almost all Black or Latino. “When I was getting... Read More
WASHINGTON — Seven voice service providers face removal from a key database managed by the Federal Trade Commission if they... Read More
WASHINGTON — Seven voice service providers face removal from a key database managed by the Federal Trade Commission if they fail to demonstrate they’re taking concrete steps to comply with the agency’s anti-robocall rules. The first-of-their-kind FCC Enforcement Bureau orders give the companies until Oct. 18... Read More
BUCHAREST, Romania — An American was chosen to be the first woman to lead the United Nations’ telecommunications agency, the... Read More
BUCHAREST, Romania — An American was chosen to be the first woman to lead the United Nations’ telecommunications agency, the International Telecommunication Union, in its 157-year history after an overwhelming vote Thursday in Romania. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the new secretary general of the agency, received 139 votes... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is looking at ways to help deaf incarcerated people connect better with their families... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is looking at ways to help deaf incarcerated people connect better with their families through improved telecommunications services, including video chatting, in prisons and jails throughout the country. “Incarcerated people face considerable barriers to stay in touch with their loved... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission formally added Pacific Networks Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet and China Unicom... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission formally added Pacific Networks Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet and China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited to its list of companies whose telecom equipment and service pose a national security threat. The commission along with national security agencies created... Read More