Telecom Alert: Lumen Sale to Brightspeed; 12.7 GHz Band NOI; 10-10.5 GHz Band Petition for Rulemaking; ECF Funding [Vol. XIX, Issue 41]
Lumen Sale to Brightspeed
Last week, Lumen (f/k/a CenturyLink) sold its ILEC operations and assets in 20 Midwestern and Eastern states to new entity Connect Holding, LLC (d/b/a Brightspeed), which says it plans to invest $2 billion in these areas over the next five years to make fiber available to as many as 3 million homes and businesses. Lumen is retaining its ILEC operations in 16 Midwest and Western states and Florida. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).
12.7 GHz Band Notice of Inquiry
The FCC will Consider a Notice of Inquiry at its Open Meeting on October 27 seeking input on how the 12.7-13.25 GHz Band is currently being used and its potential for mobile broadband or other expanded uses. The Commission proposes either permitting mobile broadband use coexisting with existing licensees in the band or relocating incumbents to open up the band for mobile broadband use. It also seeks comment on whether it should establish a spectrum management system similar to devices in the CBRS band or mimic the light-licensed approach used in the 70/80/90 GHz band (Vol. XVIII, Issue 45). For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
10.0-10.5 GHz Band Petition for Rulemaking
The Coordinated Sharing Coalition – comprised of Cambium Networks, Public Knowledge, Open Technology Institute at New America, and WISPA – filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the FCC last week asking the Commission to open the 10.0-10.5 GHz band for shared point-to-point use. Specifically, the Coalition asks the FCC to allow the band to be licensed on a non-exclusive basis for non-federal point-to-point communications that would be governed by an automated frequency coordination (“AFC”) system. Under its proposal, non-federal uses would operate on a secondary basis. For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (kunkle@khlaw.com; 202.434.4178).
$96 Million in ECF Funding
Last week, the FCC announced that it is committing $96 million in new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Fund. These commitments support applications from all three application windows and will support approximately 170 schools, 30 libraries, and one consortium. Nearly $53 million will benefit areas impacted by recent hurricanes, with the Puerto Rico Department of Education receiving support for 225,000 mobile hotspots and Pinellas County Schools near Clearwater, Florida receiving support for nearly 15,000 laptops. For more information, please contact Casey Lide (lide@khlaw.com; 202.434.4186).
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