Trip

I'm confused. You must mean something different from what I think you mean; I thought you were referencing the fact that I was connected to sector 43 but hadn't noticed the SCC line at the bottom. What do you mean then? - Trip

The engineering screen is in the background. It has a PCC and two SCCs. - Trip

The graph in this Washington Post article I think hits on why people are so concerned about Sprint's response this week. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/02/14/your-complete-guide-to-choosing-an-unlimited-data-plan/?utm_term=.b6dd5dde9bb5 Look at all the asterisks on Sprint's plan. Look at the things the others offer and Sprint doesn't. For me personally, I'm not terribly bothered. I don't have a use for unlimited service, I tether rarely, and I have been out of the country thrice in my life, two of those times to Mexico on behalf of the FCC, when I had a government phone anyway. And, of course, there's Sprint roaming onto US Cellular, which will keep me as a customer for the foreseeable future. But the optics of it are really bad. Particularly the "Requires new account?" line. - Trip

I don't do speed tests (3GB plan shared with my wife) so I wouldn't know. But the proof is here: http://imgur.com/kwOBG9k - Trip

Yes, I spotted 3xCA a few days before the Inauguration here in DC on the one tower I've seen with third carrier. - Trip

Ironically, it's Sprint's roaming agreement with US Cellular which keeps me on Sprint. Verizon and AT&T have no service in the place I need it. I'm definitely not typical though. For Sprint, this is probably going to hurt. - Trip

Yes, and those analysts were influenced by the results of AWS-3. After that auction ended, all the estimates went up to account for this great jump in value from AWS-3. As I said previously, if not for AWS-3, this would have been considered a success. And as far as the Chairman is concerned, I remind you that one of the largest concerns were that supply-side participation (from broadcasters) would be diminished. Of course he was going to sell it as a big deal to get them to come to the table. Wouldn't you? You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. - Trip

Flop is, of course, a relative term here. If AWS-3 hadn't adjusted people's expectations skyward, this auction would be considered a huge success. It's already raised more than almost any other auction other than AWS-3, and bidding is on-going. I'm inclined to disagree. While there were certainly people who would have liked to see 126 MHz reallocated, the fact of the matter is that given the market-based mechanism behind it, broadcasters would have had to believe their businesses to be worth very little money to make that number work. You can find plenty of analysts and experts who argued 84 MHz was the "sweet spot" going back several years. The FCC allowed 126 (then 114, and 108) to go forward because it didn't want to pre-judge the market, not because it necessarily looked like those numbers were going to be feasible. When you say things like "than was originally hoped", the necessary follow-up is "says who?" Different people "hoped" different things. I can rattle off lists of people who wanted 126, people who wanted 84, and people who wanted the whole thing to collapse. - Trip

Montgomery County's permit search doesn't provide terribly helpful information. I would know, I've dug into it. The closest I can get you to useful information is this: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cable/towers/home.html - Trip

If one doesn't care about roaming, I suppose. - Trip

Asterisk. T-Mobile already killed tiered data for new customers and it's entirely possible that Sprint may do the same down the road. - Trip

NSG allows band locking, which is the reason I use it. SCP does my actual logging; NSG is just there to lock my phone to a particular band. If there's another app out there that does that, I'm all ears. I don't actually like NSG that much for multiple reasons. - Trip

Anyone using Network Signal Guru, DO NOT LET IT UPDATE. They've now started nickel and diming every feature in it at insanely high prices. I didn't actually look, but the latest reviews on Play store are saying between $20-$50 for 30 days. The phone that impacts me least (my T-Mobile non-B12 phone) updated and NSG is essentially useless now. - Trip

The nTelos AWS spectrum has already been traded away, I believe to US Cellular. - Trip

This is correct. Bidding is on-going. - Trip

No, I don't do speed tests. I am on a 3GB plan shared with my wife, so I can't be wasting data on them. I don't even have a speed test app on my phone. - Trip

Here we are, EARFCN values for DC and 3xCA on the LG G5 all in one. http://imgur.com/kwOBG9k - Trip

I'm horribly confused about what everyone is going on about here. The 70 MHz sold is nationwide (split into PEAs for sale) and the bidding is on-going. All that is known is that the auction will now close at this stage; the final forward auction price has yet to be determined. - Trip

Here, at long last, is third carrier in DC: http://imgur.com/F5H0zG5 And here's a capture of what I assume is a COW: http://imgur.com/z56lfwo Additionally, here's the gear for AT&T and Verizon that I spotted. http://imgur.com/3FWr97U http://imgur.com/1lP0SR7 In the second photo, you can see half of the AT&T logo at the bottom left. I believe the antenna on the roof of the building to be Verizon. - Trip

Broadcasters have a much better incentive. Congress has mandated the FCC can only reimburse for three years. Beyond that, broadcasters are on their own for any costs they incur. Any extension will have to come from Congress itself, which is certainly possible, but much more likely to come with some kind of accountability. - Trip

That's my impression as well. I actually didn't get to go back over there today as I got a ride to my meeting, but I intend to wander around one day before or after work. I will report what I see. - Trip

They're now running two 5x5 LTE carriers instead of just the single 5x5 on G-block. That lit up a few months ago on select sites, including ones I've spotted in DC. As best I can tell, it is NOT running inside the Metro stations. They need to hurry up if they intend to have third carrier live by next week. It's still not running here, as far as I can determine. I can't imagine why they would put the gear in place and then leave it off. That seems ridiculous. One thinks they would turn it on so that if there's some fault in it, it is more likely to become apparent before tens of thousands of people are depending on it. - Trip

In short, the issue is that the other three carriers have COWs or temporary equipment set up, and Sprint doesn't, at least not yet. I was showing that I was connected to the normal Sprint site (which has a note indicating it's on the Department of Energy) while the others had no notes (indicating I'd connected to them for the first time). - Trip

I was really early today, so I got off at the Mall exit of Smithsonian Metro instead of the 12th and Independence exit. Next to the Freer Gallery of Art (diagonally across from the Department of Agriculture building) is an AT&T COW. Here's what I got from it: B17: http://imgur.com/nAkVtMk B2: http://imgur.com/0a3Lx44 B4: http://imgur.com/pCiDEZw B30: http://imgur.com/ZNfw55i On the roof of the building was another antenna, which I've concluded is temporary Verizon equipment: B13: http://imgur.com/NmXFSsh B4: http://imgur.com/X2Mk5Um B2: http://imgur.com/l64ZQst Somewhere else on the mall there must be T-Mobile equipment. My B12 capable phone is not with me, but here's what I did see: B4: http://imgur.com/I0dISzt I forgot to check for Band 2. I'll try to do that later this morning when I'm headed back over there to get on the Metro for a meeting. I'll also try to get a picture of the Verizon and AT&T gear if possible. And then, to compare, here's what Sprint had: http://imgur.com/QbbpFI6 Granted, there is still time, but the other carriers seem to be ready to go. Not sure what Sprint is waiting for. - Trip

Mike, I'd like to report a bug that I hope is pretty easy to fix. When my new AT&T phone is connected to Band 30, the app display works fine, but the notification icon, rather than showing "LTE" without a band number (I remember your explanation about the icons), simply freezes on the last value it had. See this picture I took of a Band 30 site this morning after using Network Signal Guru to force my phone onto it from Band 2: http://imgur.com/ZNfw55i You can't see from the picture, but all the text in the pull-down menu also freezes on the last value. In lieu of making special "LTE 30" icons for it, just using the generic "LTE" icon would at least fix the display. - Trip