The FCC remains busy with the so-called “Rip & Replace” program, meant to compensate smaller carriers for removing untrusted gear from their networks. The agency seeks public input on the “Supply Chain Reimbursement Program Report,” a catalog of eligible expenses and estimated costs with a list of categories of suggested replacement equipment and services.
Congress directed the Commission to publish a list of suggested, trusted replacement gear. To do so, the agency contracted with Widelity, the same company that developed a replacement cost catalog for the television repack expense reimbursement program.
Widelity produced an initial replacement list, a cost catalog and a report noting expected steps to move forward with Rip & Replace. The reimbursement program is aimed at providers with up to 10 million or fewer customers.
In its report, Widelity focused on the removal, replacement, and disposal of communications equipment and services produced or provided by Huawei and ZTE. Widelity acknowledges the reimbursement process will be “complex and resource intensive” but concludes the reimbursement program “can be achieved with the desired outcomes.” The FCC decided the replacement list should include equipment and services equipped, or upgradable to, those that can be used in Open Radio Access Networks, or in virtualized networks.
“There are a number of locations that an eligible entity might use for the installation of their wireless access equipment,” states Widelity. “In the replacement project we expect that we will see every type of installation in use.” That includes monopoles, lattice towers, guyed towers, COWs, water towers and rooftop installations (see page 54 of the report below.)
Widelity says: “The implementation of any required modifications that come out of the structural analysis will need to be coordinated with tower crew and field crew resources. Tower modifications can then take four to six weeks to get material prepared and another four to six weeks to install.”
This portion covers negotiating with tower or site owners.
- “Entities making antenna changes usually have to negotiate with the tower owner or the site owner to modify their antenna location. It is likely that the process of installing new equipment, while maintaining service to customers, will require the addition of the new equipment while the equipment to be removed is still active. This will involve adding equipment at a new temporary Radiation (RAD) center height of the antennas on the structure. The process of removing equipment on a tower to replace the antenna with a different size/model antenna. Wireless entities may also have to negotiate for more ground space in the equipment building, and in extreme cases for rights to use a new tower.”
The portion that covers tower crews begins on page 63 and tower work requiring helicopter lifts on page 64.
- “In some cases, helicopters may be the preferred installation methodology for RAN installation work, either for lifting equipment into place on towers, or water towers, or for building new towers to replace older towers that can no longer support the new loading requirements. Where helicopters are used, this can reduce the amount of time a tower crew must spend on the tower or potentially solve severe access issues.”
Widelity notes that, unlike the broadcast repack effort where lifts often involved heavy TV antennas weighing thousands of pounds, this replacement program will have antennas that are much lighter. “Lighter equipment will vastly expand the inventory of helicopters that can be used for installation in the U.S. The lighter lift helicopters (generally lifts under 6,000 lbs) are also well distributed across the country so mobilization costs will be lower as travel distances will be minimized.”
The cost catalog and replacement list contains five basic areas for network replacement: (1) access layer equipment; (2) distribution layer equipment; (3) core layer equipment; (4) software; and (5) services. The cost catalog provides a range of estimated costs for each category and the replacement list notes suggested categories of replacement equipment and services while not identifying specific equipment and services or manufacturers. The Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on the proposed replacement list. It asks if there are other categories of replacement equipment and services that should be included.
Comments to WC Docket No. 18-89 on the Widelity report are due April 26.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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