Carolina West Wireless asked the FCC for designation as a high-cost eligible telecommunications carrier in eight counties in North Carolina. Carolina West is the lone wireless carrier serving those counties, said a filing posted Monday in docket 09-197.

The FCC shouldn't accept or receive comments on AST SpaceMobile's plans to use the 700 and 800 MHz bands for supplemental coverage from space services until AST makes public its interference analysis on those bands, T-Mobile said. In a posting Friday (docket 25-201), T-Mobile said AST should also first provide more information about the spectrum it will use and the geographic area that its proposed SCS operations cover, including coverage maps for each block of spectrum it leases.

The proposed restoration of the FCC's spectrum authority coming out of the Senate Commerce Committee (see 2506250054) isn't ideal, "but half a loaf and all that," consultant Richard Bennett wrote last week. A better pipeline would have made the whole 3 GHz band available for civilian use, but the 800 MHz of federal and nonfederal spectrum it makes available "will probably hold us over for 5-7 years, at which time we can begin to create a pathway for the next generation of mobile broadband." Unaddressed is a clawback of the overallocation of the upper 6 GHz and lower 7 GHz bands, Bennett said. "This would be a good candidate for reassignment, obviously, but nothing good happens in DC without a fight."

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved commercial operations for Axon Networks' 6 GHz automated frequency coordination system. The approval lets Axon's AFC system manage access to spectrum in the 5.925-6.425 GHz and 6.525-6.875 GHz portions of the 6 GHz band for standard power access points and fixed client devices, OET said Friday (docket 21-352). Separately, OET approved a modification of Comsearch's 6 GHz AFC system.

Cisco Systems continues to lobby the FCC 10th floor regarding its proposal that the commission end rules that prevent use of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi on cruise ships. In a docket 18-295 filing Wednesday, it recapped a meeting with an aide to Chairman Brendan Carr, during which it argued that earth exploration satellite services migrating out of the 6 GHz band make obsolete the agency's prohibition on 6 GHz low-power indoor access points on boats to protect EESS. Cisco had similar talks with Commissioner Anna Gomez earlier this month (see 2506170061).

The T-Mobile/SpaceX direct-to-device service will be commercially available starting July 23, T-Mobile said Monday. The service, T-Satellite, will include SMS texting, multimedia messaging service and picture messaging, it said. Starting Oct. 1, it will expand to offer data service, T-Mobile added. It said the service will automatically connect with most smartphones made in the past four years, and recent beta testing had nearly 1.8 million users.

Mobile virtual network operators' success depends in large part on the regulatory environment, management consultancy Arthur D. Little said Tuesday. The open-access mandate for MVNOs at nondiscriminatory wholesale rates in the EU has meant big growth for operators there, it said, while the complex licensing procedures and controls on infrastructure in India, China and Thailand have made it difficult for new entrants. A well-negotiated network access contract is also a must, it added, given how network traffic costs vary widely for MVNOs depending on the host mobile network operator and targeted customer segment. The firm highlighted Mint Mobile, which has found success in the U.S. through its simple product line of three subscriber plans and discounts that incentivize subscribers.

The Rural Wireless Association is fighting Grain Management's proposed purchase of T-Mobile's 800 MHz spectrum in exchange for cash and Grain's 600 MHz spectrum portfolio (see 2503210033). In a docket 25-178 petition to deny posted Monday, the group said the deal raises red flags about spectrum aggregation, competitive access and spectrum warehousing. A Grain/T-Mobile deal would be in the public interest if the FCC denied the related waiver requests and put conditions on T-Mobile's acquisition of the 600 MHz spectrum, the filing said. It urged the agency to keep the current license renewal timelines and buildout obligations for the to-be-assigned 800 MHz licenses, ensuring that Grain promptly makes the spectrum available to utilities, rural and regional carriers, and enterprise providers. Meanwhile, T-Mobile should be required to partition the 600 MHz licenses and make the spectrum available to small and rural carriers to lease long term or acquire, the association said.

The FCC’s Wireless Bureau and Office of Native Affairs and Policy will hold a videoconference July 15 to allow tribal groups to consult with agency staff about a CTIA petition (see 2503270059) that asked the FCC to streamline its rules involving the National Environmental Protection Act, said a public notice Monday. The consultation opportunity is “in furtherance of the Commission’s express desire to work with Tribal Nations” on proposals involving its environmental review processes, the notice said. “Attendance will be limited to elected and appointed leaders or duly appointed representatives of federally-recognized Tribal Nations and NHOs [Native Hawaiian Organizations], including Tribal Historic Preservation Officers.”

The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector has no objections to T-Mobile's proposed purchase of UScellular's wireless operations, NTIA said Monday (docket 24-286).