With a broad boost from U.S. Reps. Anna G. Eshoo and Jackie Speier (D-Palo Alto, Hillsborough), a large coalition of Western cities and counties are waging a legal showdown with a shuttered federal government in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over control of 5G wireless installations. Eshoo's bill, H.R. 530 -- called the Accelerating Wireless Broadband Development by Empowering Local Communities Act of 2019, "essentially resets the clock on the FCC's new rules by erasing what the federal government has implemented in the under-the-wire maneuver." Eshoo noted "5G is essential for our country's communications network and economy, but it must be deployed responsibly and equitably."
Germany to allocate 5G frequencies in the second half of 2019, won’t ban Huawei
Germany’s telecom regulatory body, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), announced that it is preparing to allocate frequencies for local 5G networks in the second half of this year. BNetzA said companies will be able to apply for spectrum in the 3.7-3.8 GHz band for use in i...
How New York City will make 5G accessible and affordable
After asking three companies – Neutral Connect Networks, Fiberless Networks, and Edge Fibernet – to experiment with 5G on Governors Island Park, New York City officials have "learned that deploying 5G will be challenging, but the benefits are significant." The tests we...
Taneytown officials consider limits on installation of small cell wireless technology
The Taneytown, MD Mayor and City Council discussed an ordinance "that would place limits on the implementation of small cell wireless apparatuses erected on public grounds in the city." The ordinance "would establish a framework for aesthetic criteria that a small-cell provider wo...
5G’s deployment’s downside? Dip in small cell spend
AGL Media Group reported that there may be other factors affecting small cell rollout, such as regulatory uncertainty surrounding the FCC small cell order. Crown Castle’s Scott Longhurst was quoted stating "we are in a strange 90-day window. Even though the small cell order ...
Georgia Senate OKs rural broadband bill
Georgia senators voted 53-1 for a bill primarily aimed at increasing broadband deployment in rural Georgia and would allow the state’s 41 electric membership corporations (EMCs) to get into the broadband business. In a statement, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said that, "Broadband a...
Viewpoint: D.C. needs to speed up 5G deployment
Vincent Orange, president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, penned an op-ed in the Washington Business Journal stating "the robust development of revolutionary 5G networks throughout the city is well overdue." Orange highlighted the benefits of small cells, ranging from pub...