SpaceX Asks Starlink Customers for Support in Battle with DISH

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

SpaceX is asking customers for help in its fight with DISH Network over 12 GHz frequencies used to operate its Starlink internet broadband network. Some Starlink customers received an email this week urging them to contact the FCC and members of Congress in order to support SpaceX in the ongoing dispute, reports The Verge. SpaceX and OneWeb use the 12 GHz band for their satellite broadband networks. The FCC in January 2021 opened the door for the band being used for 5G. DISH and RS Access submitted studies on ways their networks could use the band. RS Access was founded in 2018, to acquire spectrum in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band and operate wireless networks. The companies also formed a “5G for 12 GHz Coalition,” along with other companies, to lobby the Commission to change its rules and open up the band for 5G. Continue Reading

Battle Lines Clear Over Pole Attachment Disputes

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FCC opened a can of worms when it invited comments concerning public input on establishing clear standards for how utilities and attachers must share in pole replacement costs. Comments in the Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking were due Monday evening.   The agency wants to further streamline its pole attachment rules before billions in broadband dollars start flowing. The FCC asked questions such as who should pay the cost of pole replacement when that isn’t determined by a new attachment request, and whether utilities benefit from various types of pole replacements. It asked if it should require utilities to pay a proportional share of all replacement costs. Continue Reading

EU’s Proposed Connectivity Infrastructure Act May Require Big Users to Pay

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

UPDATE The European Union has been working to bolster the flailing 5G rollout among EU-based mobile network operators like Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, and Telefónica. An outcome of that effort suggests the EU wants Big Tech’s largest platforms, namely the U.S.-based companies, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Netflix, to help cover the cost of 5G deployments in Europe. The EU argues Big Tech companies generate a disproportionate volume of mobile data traffic and should contribute towards the cost of building and operating the mobile networks to handle that traffic. To that end, the European Commission plans to present a new Connectivity Infrastructure Act in the fall, according to POLITICO. Continue Reading

These States Regulate Pole Attachments

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The state of Florida recently certified to the FCC that it implemented its regulatory authority over pole attachments. The Commission said certification by a state preempts the FCC from accepting pole attachment complaints. The FCC compiles and occasionally publishes a list of states that have provided certification. This list supersedes the last one published by the Wireline Competition Bureau in 2020.   The following states have certified that they regulate the rates, terms, and conditions for pole attachments in their state: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

5G Usage Outlook Has Big Implications for Wireless Infrastructure Demand

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

The new Ericsson Mobility Report is here! This highly regarded and oft-cited annual analysis quantifies and forecasts a myriad aspects of the global wireless business. The June 2022 issue presents 2021 baseline data with an outlook to 2027. Two major variables drive the need for wireless infrastructure: coverage and capacity. These variables are a function of 1) the number of devices connecting to the network (that’s the coverage part), and 2) the amount of data traffic that each device uses (the capacity part). The product of these two variables is the total traffic demand on the network. This figure tells network planners how, where and when they must expand and upgrade the network to meet that demand. Continue Reading

DISH Loses Spectrum Auction Bidding Credit Appeal

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

A federal appeals court said the FCC was correct when the agency ruled that two companies tied to DISH Network were ineligible to receive $3.3 billion in bidding credits that were available to small businesses that took part in a 2014 spectrum auction. SNR Wireless LicenseCo LLC and Northstar Wireless failed to show that the Commission violated a remand order in a prior ruling by not properly negotiating with the companies over how to secure “de facto” independence from DISH. So ruled Judge Patricia Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, reported Bloomberg. New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin writes in a note for analysts that while the appeal process can continue, “it is all but done.” That means the FCC would soon be free to re-auction the licenses that were turned back into the Commission when it challenged the DISH/DE relationship, saying it was “contrary” to its rules. Continue Reading

DISH and T-Mobile Expand Network Partnership Pending DOJ Approval

Pending approval by the Department of Justice, DISH Network (NASDAQ:DISH) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) have signed an amendment to the 2020 Master Network Services Agreement (MNSA) that provides customers of DISH's retail wireless brands, including Boost Mobile, access to T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network. 

The agreement stipulates that T-Mobile will help DISH in migrating DISH's 3G CDMA customers to 5G handsets. In turn, DISH will pay T-Mobile "not less" than a total of $3.3 billion through January 21, 2027.  The Term Sheet will not be effective unless it receives DOJ approval by August 14, 2022.

Analyst Jonathan Chaplin of New Street Research said, “If approved, we believe the deal will increase EBITDA and FCF at Boost materially. This should in turn improve access to capital, helping alleviate the most significant issue weighing on the equity. We see no reason why the deal won’t be approved.” Continue Reading