INCOMPAS News -- August 16, 2021

Vol. 17, No. 32

August 16, 2021

DISH Executive Tom Cullen to Keynote The 2021 INCOMPAS Show

5G Innovator to Share Network Deployment Updates

Tom Cullen, executive vice president of Corporate Development at DISH, will deliver a keynote address at The 2021 INCOMPAS Show, taking place October 25-27 in Las Vegas.

In his address, “Building the Network of Networks – DISH Talks 5G,” Cullen will provide updates on implementation of the DISH 5G network, including the underlying network architecture and how the company is partnering with other industry leaders to deliver on the promise of a nationwide 5G network.

“DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G broadband network,” said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. “Just two years ago, at our show in Louisville, DISH shared the vision for its 5G network. Now we are excited to have Tom return to offer details on the execution of this plan, including the impressive progress made in such a short time and the lessons learned so far during deployment.”

Cullen’s keynote will take place on Tuesday, October 26 at 2 p.m. PST at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Three Weeks Left to Cash In On Discounts

Take advantage of savings if you secure your INCOMPAS Show hotel room and register before September 6, 2021.

Book at our host hotel - The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - AND save $100 on registration by planning ahead. In order to receive the discount during the registration process, you must have your hotel confirmation code.

INCOMPAS, BroadLand Comment

on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Broadband Infrastructure Bill

On August 10, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 3684 - The INVEST in America Act - a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. It includes funding for greater broadband access and deployment, as well as important affordability measures to help connect Americans to the internet.

“Today the Senate moved one step closer to our transformative “internet for all” goal that has the potential to bring faster speeds, lower prices and more competition to every family and small business across America," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. “While there is still much work to be done, the bipartisan commitment toward improving broadband access, deployment and affordability is significant. While the FCC and Congress must continue to address the United States’ slow speed benchmark, the infrastructure bill includes priority language for building scalable, future focused networks that can support 5G - and only fiber can do that."

In addition, the middle mile section of the bill calls for speeding the deployment of new networks to communities. These networks will help attract investment and competition, which is the ultimate solution for broadband affordability challenges.

“I want to thank Senators Bennett, King and Portman for framing the broadband infrastructure package around the BRIDGE Act, insisting that both unserved and underserved communities have access to better broadband speeds, lower prices and competition," Pickering added.

USDA Announces Rural Broadband Investments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it is investing $167 million to provide broadband service in rural areas in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The investments are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.

House Committee Seeks Standards to Avoid Spectrum Interference

Last week, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), along with Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Ok.), of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology sent letters to the FCC expressing concerns about out-of-band emission (OOBE) limits to protect the integrity of global weather forecasting, satellite-based climate measurements, and ground-based radio astronomy observations in the 23.6-24 GHz band.

“We urge the FCC to modify section 30.203 of its rules to fully conform its domestic OOBE limits for the 24 GHz band with the international limits articulated in Resolution 750,” said Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas in the letters. “We also ask that FCC pay particular attention to the docket filings by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, National Academies’ Committee on Radio Interference, American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union and National Weather Association on implementation questions that would have a significant impact on reducing the threat of harmful interference with passive earth science observations.”