Turn on 5G, turn off old landlines: FCC plans future of phone networks

Two votes taken by the Federal Communications Commission today could have big implications for the transition to faster mobile networks and the discontinuance of old landline networks.

The two votes aren't directly related, but they each prepare for a future that could rely more on wireless technologies for voice and Internet service. In one item, the FCC voted to open up high-frequency spectrum to help carriers create 5G networks that would be faster than existing 4G ones.

The second vote will make it easier for carriers to turn off old landline phone networks as long as they replace them with either wired or wireless equivalents. Copper landlines can be replaced with fiber or wireless technology if they offer the same performance, reliability, coverage, access to 911, and compatibility with systems including medical monitoring devices.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the 5G spectrum vote might be the most important decision the agency makes this year. The FCC wants to "turn loose the incredible innovators of this country" by providing high-band spectrum without dictating what technologies the industry should use to deploy it, he said.

"These new rules open up nearly 11GHz of high-frequency spectrum for flexible, mobile, and fixed use wireless broadband—3.85GHz of licensed spectrum and 7GHz of unlicensed spectrum," the FCC's announcement said. The frequencies are in the 28GHz, 37GHz, 39GHz, and 64-71GHz bands. As we've previously written, these frequencies are much higher than the ones used for 4G LTE and other existing networks. With the higher bands, the FCC can allocate spectrum in blocks of at least 200MHz, instead of the standard 5MHz or 10MHz, allowing networks to carry a lot more data.

But while high-band spectrum could allow multi-gigabit speeds, the high-band airwaves are more easily blocked than lower-frequency ones, making it a challenge for phone companies to cover long distances and indoor locations. When it comes to providing LTE throughout the US, the most coveted spectrum is below 1GHz.

Carriers have begun 5G research and testing, but the industry hasn't settled on what standards and technologies will be used to deploy next-generation networks. In all likelihood, the industry will use a mix of low- and high-band spectrum, since high frequencies are more suited to densely populated areas.

Lobby groups representing wireless carriers and network suppliers praised the FCC's vote. "The FCC’s plan frees a significant amount of new spectrum for mobile use, and does so without attaching strings or taking a wait-and-see approach," the Telecommunications Industry Association said.

Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge said the FCC's plan is good overall, but it didn't get universal praise. Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America's Open Technology Institute, called the FCC order "extremely shortsighted."

"Because the big carriers will use these bands only in city centers and high-traffic indoor venues, exclusive and indefinite licenses over large geographic areas is a recipe for leaving these millimeter bands vacant in more than 95 percent of the country and millions of venues," Calabrese told Ars. Calabrese wants public access to all unused spectrum in the new bands.

Turning off landlines

Today's second vote could speed up the shift from copper-based landlines to IP-based voice service over fiber and wireless networks. Because of the vote, carriers' applications to discontinue legacy TDM (time-division multiplexing) voice service will be automatically granted in 30 days if the carrier "meets a clear, objective, three-pronged test," the FCC said. Requirements are as follows:

• Network performance, reliability, and coverage are substantially unchanged for customers.
• Access to 911, cybersecurity, and access for people with disabilities meet current rules and standards.
• Compatibility with a defined list of legacy services still popular with consumers and small businesses, including home security systems, medical monitoring devices, credit card readers and fax machines,

That last requirement on compatibility with legacy services is set to expire in 2025.

Carriers seeking to turn off TDM voice service in a given area can choose either the new, expedited application process or the FCC's "normal adjudicatory channels." This flexibility "recogniz[es] that a shift from traditional networks to new technologies will never be a purely apples-to-apples comparison," the FCC said.

Advocacy groups, customers, and union representatives have frequently accused carriers such as Verizon and AT&T of failing to properly maintain copper phone networks. Though the FCC hasn't punished the carriers, it has taken a few steps to help customers through the transition away from copper landlines. Because of an FCC vote last August, carriers have to notify customers of plans to retire copper networks at least three months in advance. They also must notify customers that new phone systems won't remain in service during power outages and offer the option to buy backup batteries. The backup requirement also applies to cable companies that offer VoIP service.

Public Knowledge—which is a frequent critic of carriers and pushed the FCC to adopt strong rules—seems to be satisfied by today's vote. "Today’s FCC Order does more than protect the tens of millions of businesses and local governments, the thousands of public safety systems, and the more than 50 million Americans still using the legacy copper phone network," Public Knowledge Senior VP Harold Feld said. "Today’s action ensures that as telephone companies spend billions of dollars to upgrade our national communications network, it will genuinely be an upgrade for all Americans, not an upgrade for some and a downgrade for others."

Though advocacy groups and carriers have clashed over what rules should apply to the phone network transition, today they took the unusual step of issuing a joint statement pledging to "work together in the spirit of cooperation and good faith rather than in an atmosphere of confrontation and suspicion." The joint statement from Verizon, AT&T, the United States Telecom Association, Public Knowledge, and the Communications Workers of America also said, "We look forward to working with the next Administration, and with each other, to make the upgrade of the phone system an upgrade for everyone."