Page 80 - SAMENA Trends - April 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

FCC Outlines Details of Planned US$9 Billion Fund for Rural 5G Rollouts

Details of plans under which up to US$9 million of whom already have access to million reserved to support 5G networks
billion would be distributed via the major providers’ 5G networks – and would serving Tribal lands as part of Phase I.
Universal Service Fund to support the include a special focus on deployments Meanwhile, a second phase would target
deployment of 5G connectivity across that support precision agriculture’. As per at least USD1 billion in support to bring
rural America have been published by the the FCC’s proposals it confirms it intends wireless connectivity to ‘harder to serve
Federal Communications Commission to make up to USD8 billion available in and higher cost areas, including farms and
(FCC). With the regulatory body having Phase I, with this funding to support the ranches’, with a view to helping facilitate
adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking rollout of 5G networks in rural areas that the adoption of connected precision
seeking comment on establishing the are unlikely to see a ‘timely’ deployment agriculture technologies. According to the
‘5G Fund for Rural America’, it said that without such support or as benefit FCC, the 5G Fund for Rural America will
this fund would ‘help ensure that rural from deployment commitments that use a competitive reverse auction format
Americans enjoy the same benefits from were conditions of its approval for the to award funding for wireless broadband
[the US’] increasingly digital economy as T-Mobile/Sprint merger. The proposed services, and it is seeking comments
their urban counterparts – more than 200 5G Fund budget also includes USD680 on two different possible approaches to
identifying eligible areas for the Phase I
reverse auction. The first approach would
see an auction held in 2021 by defining
eligible areas based on current data sources
that identify areas as particularly rural
and thus in the greatest need of universal
service support; funding would prioritize
areas that have historically lacked 3G or
4G connectivity. Alternatively, the FCC is
considering the option of delaying the 5G
Fund Phase I auction until at least 2023,
after collecting and processing improved
mobile broadband coverage data through
the Commission’s new Digital Opportunity
Data Collection.

FCC Adopts New Rules Approving Use of 6GHz Band for Unlicensed Use

Having earlier this month published draft band currently populated by, among other
rules permitting unlicensed devices to things, microwave services that are used to
operate in the 6GHz (5.925GHz-7.125GHz) support utilities, public safety, and wireless
band, the US Federal Communications backhaul, the FCC notes that unlicensed
Commission (FCC) has now confirmed devices will share this spectrum with
their adoption. In a press release, the incumbent licensed services under rules
regulator claimed that the new regulations crafted to protect those licensed services
– which make 1,200MHz of spectrum in and enable both unlicensed and licensed
the 6GHz band available for unlicensed operations to thrive throughout the band.
use – will ‘usher in Wi-Fi 6, the next The regulator noted that the regulatory
generation of Wi-Fi, and play a major role decision authorizes indoor low-power across the 6GHz band to support high
in the growth of the Internet of Things’. operations over the full 1,200MHz, while data rate applications including high-
Further, the FCC claims that opening the standard-power devices can operate over performance, wearable, augmented-reality
6GHz band for unlicensed use will also 850MHz in the 6GHz band. Meanwhile, a and virtual-reality devices. This notice also
increase the amount of spectrum available further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is seeks comment on increasing the power
for Wi-Fi by nearly a factor of five and help now seeking comment on a proposal to at which low-power indoor access points
improve rural connectivity. With the 6GHz permit very low-power devices to operate may operate.

80 APRIL 2020