from the handouts-everywhere dept
From the massive handout to already-wealthy Americans to the possible deadly cuts to Medicaid, there’s loads to be disgusted by within the GOP Finances invoice accepted by Congress right now.
However there’s additionally plenty of little items in there to companies that may possible fly below the radar, together with a massive new handout of valuable federal wireless spectrum holdings to wireless giants like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. It’s simply the wi-fi {industry}’s newest reward for being utterly feckless, sniveling boot lickers within the face of historic authoritarian corruption.
Senator Ted Cruz just lately killed a program to provide free Wi-Fi to poor, rural school kids as a result of the plan upset massive carriers like AT&T. That was adopted up by efforts to pull billions in federal funding from states that attempt any sort of AI oversight. Cruz’s newest telecom industry-friendly effort includes a massive handout of valuable federal spectrum to wireless giants like AT&T.
Cruz’s plan may take frequencies away from Wi-Fi and different, extra publicly useful wi-fi efforts, and reallocate them for the unique use of wi-fi carriers:
“The Cruz plan may take 200 MHz or extra away from the 1,200 MHz presently allotted to Wi-Fi between 5.925 and seven.125 GHz. It may additionally take spectrum from the Residents Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), which works from 3.55 to three.7 GHz.”
Meaning doubtlessly slower Wi-Fi requirements total. The Wi-Fi 6E normal added help for six GHz spectrum, and the in-development Wi-Fi 7 is meant to take full benefit of the band. Neither will wind up being as helpful, quick, and sturdy if Congress simply dumps a large trove of that spectrum into the lap of AT&T.
The transfer would possible be significantly dangerous for efforts to supply main connectivity at locations the place lots of people collect, together with faculties and libraries. The transfer additionally has the potential to hurt Web of Issues (IOT) improvement, given 6GHz’s specific advantages for indoor wi-fi use.
It’s ironic (?) as a result of Trump’s first time period FCC boss Ajit Pai was key in allocating the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi within the first place back in 2020. Now that he’s shifted over to being the top lobbyist for the wireless industry, he’s enjoying a starring position in making certain this public useful resource is handed over to main carriers.
Earlier than Pai was a lobbyist, his FCC argued that “making the entire band obtainable for Wi-Fi “promotes extra environment friendly and productive use of the spectrum,” whereas “repurposing massive parts of the 6 GHz band for brand new licensed providers would diminish the advantages of such use to the American public.”
Humorous how a brand new job as a lobbyist modified his outlook. New Trump FCC boss Brendan Carr can also be busy trying to transfer a massive swath of valuable spectrum from Dish Community (which the primary Trump FCC created as a distracted from {industry} consolidation) to Elon Musk’s Starlink Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc broadband community.
Whereas wi-fi {industry} lobbyists insist the {industry} wants extra spectrum, privately, many carriers like AT&T are telling traders they don’t really need it. They’re simply pushing for a serious chunk of 6 GHz spectrum as a result of they’ll, and due to Trump 2.0, we’ve entered the golden age of corruption the place the general public curiosity is the very very last thing on anyone’s thoughts.
Filed Below: 6ghz, broadband, corruption, cronyism, fcc, lobbying, revolving door, spectrum, telecom, wireless
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