In keeping with tradition on New Year’s Eve, I’m taking stock of what happened during the year. In no particular order, below is my list of the top ten telecommunications decisions of 2009. These are probably skewed toward wireless broadband decisions, but aren’t intended to be limited to any particular issue. Given the transition in administrations, it was a very slow year, so you might find some of my choices unusual.
- Stimulus funding
- National Broadband Plan
- Certification of equipment in the upper 25 MHz of the 3.65 GHz band
This one is a no-brainer. The decision of Congress to allocate a portion of the stimulus funding for broadband dominated the year for broadband suppliers, service providers, and anyone else even remotely interested in broadband deployment and adoption.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 also mandates that the FCC create a National Broadband Plan. The FCC is scheduled to deliver its report to Congress on February 17, 2010.
Yes, an equipment certification makes the list. Although this flew under the radar generally, it has generated significant buzz in the 3.65 GHz community. For the first time since the rules were enacted, the FCC authorized equipment to use the “unrestricted” upper 25 MHz of the 3.65 GHz band. Read the rest of this entry »