Reps Upton and Pallone Urge FCC to Improve High-Band Spectrum Siting to Help Spur Innovation

Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler urging the FCC to take action to ensure that the United States maintains its global leadership in mobile broadband distribution and innovation. The committee leaders applaud Chairman Wheeler and the FCC for taking action in the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding and urge the commission to “adopt Spectrum Frontier service rules that will enable rapid investment and innovation in these [higher frequency] bands.”

Reps Upton and Pallone noted, “In the US these bands will pave the way for investment and innovation in both licensed and unlicensed offerings, providing consumers with much faster and more responsive broadband, and delivering connectivity to many more devices including in the developing Internet of Things market.” The bipartisan committee leaders also urged the FCC to take steps to improve the siting process in order for 5G to be a success, writing, “5G will involve more densified wireless networks, with smaller antennas that have a more limited physical presence and lesser impact. ... The FCC, therefore, should promptly complete its nationwide programmatic agreement proceeding to eliminate unnecessary review processes for collecting small wireless antennas.”