Spectrum

We are thrilled to announce that all agency requests for funding to complete the Lower 3 GHz and 7/8 GHz band studies have been approved by the Technical Panel established by the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act. The Lower 3 GHz and 7/8 GHz bands pose both promise and unprecedented complexity for evaluating repurposing possibilities that meet those needs.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking information and public comment on the potential impact on the GPS L1 signal at 1575.42 MHz of the increasing deployment of mobile devices capable of operating on satellite systems in the L-band at 1610-1660.5 MHz. Under current FCC rules, these devices are permitted to operate subject to a substantially less restrictive out-of-band emission limit than similar devices transmitting on the same frequencies and connecting to terrestrial base station systems.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed the allocation of additional spectrum resources necessary for space launch communications needs. The Chairwoman has championed U.S. leadership in space launch activities and making Commission processes simpler and more open to new entrants. These rules would add spectrum to support space launch activities and build upon Commission action in 2023 that will enable companies to conduct launch activities without needing to request temporary authority from the FCC for each space launch.

This week, Congress passed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, this year's version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The law authorizes $895.2 billion for Department of Defense programs, defense-related activities, and national security programs in the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) said he hoped the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off spectrum could be restored in a budget reconciliation bill in 2025. Latta chairs the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which deals with telecommunications issues. It’s part of the House Commerce Committee, which Rep Latta said is “going to play a large part in” a reconciliation bill. Budget reconciliations allow lawmakers to bypass the Senate’s filibuster and move spending bills with a bare majority.

In my first public remarks on the space economy after becoming Chairwoman, I laid out three priorities for the FCC’s space agenda.

Scientists at University College London recently achieved a speed on a wireless link of 938 Gbps. That’s over 4,000 times faster than the current average speed being delivered by T-Mobile, the current fastest cellular provider in the U.S. The team is researching techniques for multiplexing multiple radio transmissions into a coherent transmission. The scientists achieved the speeds by utilizing a huge span of spectrum between 5GHz and 150 GHz.

Despite the furor over T-Mobile’s shares after CEO Mike Sievert’s comments about their fourth quarter earnings, the wireless chief actually had plenty of other issues to talk about, particularly his company’s wireless spectrum and how that might be used in the future. Sievert talked about the use and availability of its midband spectrum, both 2.5 GHz and C-Band, at

The Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to expand very low power device operations across all 1,200 megahertz of the 6 GHz band alongside other unlicensed and Wi-Fi-enabled devices. This added flexibility in the 6 GHz band will bolster a growing eco-system of cutting-edge applications like wearable technologies and augmented and virtual reality, which will enhance learning opportunities, improve healthcare outcomes, and bring new entertainment experiences.

When AT&T first floated a proposal to move Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) from 3.5 GHz down to the lower 3 GHz band, it sounded like a joke to some of the folks who work with CBRS on a daily basis. Such a move would be highly disruptive to the CBRS industry, which includes users as diverse as airports running private networks, farmers using precision agriculture and broadband providers serving rural areas.