2026 Agenda

The Federal Communications Commission's annual wireless coverage deployment report to Congress has traditionally measured only outdoor wireless coverage, despite Americans spending 90% of their time indoors where 70-80% of wireless data usage occurs and 80% of 911 calls originate. The Safer Buildings Coalition's groundbreaking proposal challenges this decades-old approach, arguing that the FCC should measure telecommunications capability where people actually use these services - inside buildings. This paradigm shift becomes critical as 5G's higher frequencies penetrate buildings worse than 4G, creating new indoor coverage gaps while assessment methods remain unchanged.

This session examines why measuring only outdoor coverage creates a fundamental disconnect from usage reality, how third-party platforms like Ookla already collect billions of indoor measurements that could inform policy, and why international competitors are advancing systematic indoor connectivity evaluation while U.S. policy explicitly excludes indoor environments. Speakers will discuss the emergency communications implications when 911 calls use the same wireless infrastructure as data services, and explore actionable steps for comprehensive coverage assessment that reflects where Americans live, work, and seek help. The FCC will likely have completed its 2025 wireless coverage deployment report by the conference date, and the panel will provide updates on whether indoor coverage assessment was included and next steps for stakeholders.

Takeaway

1. Fundamental policy challenge: FCC measures outdoor coverage while Americans spend 90% of time indoors using 70-80% of wireless data and making 80% of 911 calls
2. 5G technology creates worse indoor penetration than previous generations, making outdoor-only assessment increasingly inadequate for determining actual service availability
3. Third-party measurement platforms already collect billions of indoor RF measurements that could provide comprehensive coverage intelligence without new data collection mandates
4. International markets demonstrate indoor coverage assessment feasibility while U.S. policy creates competitive disadvantage by maintaining outdoor-only evaluation
5. Emergency communications convergence requires indoor wireless coverage assessment as VoLTE/VoNR voice services use same infrastructure, directly impacting 911 capability