Public Knowledge tells FCC C-band restrictions threaten 5G access for homes near airports

Public Knowledge wrote to the Federal Communications Commission urging them to reconsider calls by the aviation community for rule changes related to C-band deployments. The November 22 letter states that as a consequence of systemic discrimination and historic patterns of red-lining, many of the neighborhoods closest to airports (and therefore within the “buffer zones” around the airports subject to potential mitigation measures) are low-income and/or majority non-white communities. For many such households, Public Knowledge says, mobile broadband service is the primary means of internet access. Public Knowledge Vice President Harold Feld reminds the FCC in the letter that diversity, equity and inclusion are not afterthoughts, but are core responsibilities of the FCC. Feld urges the FCC to reject requests to impose either a permanent rule change to C-band deployments or a temporary rule change of indefinite length.