Spectrum

One way we can expand connectivity is promoting more efficient and productive use of underused spectrum. This month, we tackle mid-band spectrum in the 2.5 GHz range.  Significant portions of the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum in this band currently lie fallow across approximately one-half of the United States, mostly in rural areas.  And we haven’t granted new access to the entire 114 MHz of spectrum in this band for over 20 years.  In other words, a scarce public resource that could be used to connect millions of Americans for a long time hasn’t been put to the best use, if

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Public Notice seeking comment on proposed application and bidding procedures for the auctions of the 28 GHz and 24 GHz spectrum bands.

The Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau announced the issuance of a further allocation of the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund in the amount of $742 million to reimburse eligible full power and Class A broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) (together, Eligible Entities) for expenses related to the construction of station facilities on reassigned television channels. With this further allocation, Eligible Entities have access to a total of $1.742 billion.

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced a five-year cooperative research and development agreement with the University of Colorado Boulder to develop a wireless test bed. NTIA’s Boulder-based Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) will work with the university to install spectrum monitoring sensors throughout the CU Boulder campus, with data to be available to both parties for spectrum management research.

There are two general approaches to expanding access to high-speed broadband in small towns and rural areas: with wires (fiber) and without (fixed wireless). Because trenching fiber is very costly in low-density areas, there is a growing recognition that “wireless fiber”–otherwise known as fixed wireless access–can provide broadband at high capacity (100/10 Mbps or better) at a fraction of the cost and also far more quickly.

The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subjects listed below on Tuesday, April 17, 2018:

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced it will not stand in the way of Straight Path’s millimeter wave (mmWave) license transfer to Verizon, denying a request from the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) to stay a Jan. 18 order approving the transfer. The bureau said CCA failed to meet its burden for a “grant of an extraordinary remedy” of a stay.

Several organizations representing the interests of rural telecommunication and electric cooperatives recently met with Federal Communications Commission staff to discuss rules for the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)—namely, that they want the rules to remain much the same as they were crafted in the first place.

A Google-led plan to overhaul how valuable airwaves are used for calls and texts is gaining momentum across the wireless industry, giving the company the chance to play a central role in networks of the future. Citizens Broadband Radio Service, or CBRS, is a fat slice of the US airwaves being freed from the military’s exclusive control. Instead of just zipping messages between aircraft carriers and fighter jets, the spectrum will be shared by the Navy, wireless carriers like Verizon, cable companies including Comcast, and even hospitals, refineries, and sports stadiums.