FCC Takes Next Steps to Facilitate Spectrum Frontiers

The Federal Communications Commission took additional steps today to make available spectrum above 24 GHz to help ensure American leadership in wireless broadband, which represents a critical component of economic growth, job creation, public safety, and global competitiveness. 

Specifically, the FCC now:

• Makes available an additional 1700 megahertz of millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum for terrestrial 5G wireless use;
• Maintains the unlicensed use of the 64-71 GHz band, and modifies Part 15 rules to allow unlicensed operation on board most aircraft during flight in the 57-71 GHz band;
• Maintains spectrum in the 48.2-50.2 GHz and 40-42 GHz bands for satellite use;
• Adjusts the earth station siting rules in core terrestrial wireless bands to provide incentives to site satellite earth stations in less populated areas while continuing to limit the potential for interference of satellite operations to mobile wireless use in these bands; and
• Declines to cap the amount of spectrum in the 24 GHz and 47 GHz bands that a bidder can acquire in an auction, and incorporates these two bands into the previously-adopted mmW spectrum threshold for reviewing proposed secondary market transactions.

In addition, the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

• Proposes to allow more flexible FSS (fixed-satellite service) use of the 24.75-25.25 GHz band;
• Seeks comment on another option for terrestrial mmW licensees to meet performance obligations, which could accommodate IoT deployments and other innovative services; and
• Proposes to eliminate the cap on the amount of spectrum in the 28, 37, and 39 GHz bands that a bidder can acquire in an auction.