FCC Updates 4.9 GHz Licensing Freeze

The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus on Friday updated the 4.9 GHz band licensing freeze, consistent with an order commissioners approved last month (see 2410220027). The changes take effect immediately, the bureaus said. They added to the list of affected applications “applications filed by incumbent 4.9 GHz licensees to modify existing licenses in the 4.9 GHz band, whether for permanent fixed sites or geographic areas” and “applications filed by incumbent 4.9 GHz licensees for new permanent fixed site operations located within their licensed service areas.” A critic of the order noted last week that the FCC expanded the freeze in a way that was likely not well understood by public safety agencies when it was handed down (see 2411130027). The bureaus said the FCC would continue accepting some applications, including to renew existing licenses without modification or seeking to modify existing licenses by deleting frequencies or fixed sites.