CBRS

Comments are due Dec. 12, replies Dec. 24, on the Wireless ISP Association and Utilities Technology Council request for more time for grandfathered wireless broadband licensees in the 3650-3700 MHz band to transition to the Part 96 citizens broadband radio service rules, said an FCC Wireless Bureau public notice in Wednesday's Daily Digest.

That the fight over license size in the 3.5 GHz band is over didn't stop a skirmish at an FCBA CLE that ran through Monday evening. Verizon Assistant Vice President-Federal Regulatory Patrick Welsh said it's disingenuous for General Electric and other massive companies to imply they lack resources to compete with national wireless carriers in a 3.5 GHz auction.

The dynamic sharing framework the FCC adopted for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band may not translate elsewhere, said a Friday report to Congress. The FCC responded to instruction in the Spectrum Pipeline Act and earlier took comment on rule changes and on proposals to open 1 GHz of spectrum between 6 GHz and 56 GHz (see 1809120043). Commissioners didn’t vote on the 14-page report, by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology. Work on the 3.5 GHz band is bearing fruit, the report said. “Intended to protect incumbent uses while encouraging innovative technologies and services," it "has fostered significant investment in the 3.5 GHz band,” the FCC said. “Most comments … coalesced around the adoption of a wait-and see-approach before the Commission decides to apply these techniques elsewhere.” Groups like the WinnForum are looking at similar sharing in other bands, the FCC said. “It is too soon to know whether other bands may be suitable for licensed or unlicensed use based on the techniques used in the 3.5 GHz band.” The 3.5 GHz rule changes were approved 3-1 at the October commissioners' meeting (see 1810230037). The staff report defends the changes. They "set the stage to: (1) promote investment in the band; (2) encourage rapid and robust network deployment; and (3) protect federal and non-federal incumbent users,” the report said. On proposals to reallocate spectrum for broadband above 6 GHz, the regulator “has made spectrum available for unlicensed use of the 64-71 GHz band and licensed fixed and mobile use in the 24 GHz, 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands,” the report said. It notes the 6 GHz NPRM also approved in October (see 1810230038). The document said fixed service operators “heavily” use that band. “More than 27,000 licenses are issued for point-to-point operations” there, it said: “This proceeding has not been finalized and may not ultimately require use of automated frequency control systems throughout the band or involve a full one gigahertz of spectrum."

Though it's unclear what will come out of the comprehensive national spectrum strategy ordered by President Donald Trump last week (see 1810250018), industry officials said government is right to do everything it can, given the escalating demands for spectrum amid coming 5G. Some are skeptical.

The Wireless ISP Association is “disappointed” with the FCC’s 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service rules (see 1810230037), said a Wednesday news release. “We commend the FCC for rejecting the idea of auctioning CBRS licenses at the very large Partial Economic Area (PEA) level,” said WISPA President Claude Aiken. “However, the new combination of county-sized licenses, package bidding, long license terms, and renewal expectancy will shut out a significant portion of our members from using licensed CBRS spectrum to bring affordable, reliable broadband services to under-served rural areas.”

The FCC approved revised rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, as expected (see 1810160068), over a dissent by Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who crafted the revised rules, said changes were necessary to spark interest in the priority access licenses that will be sold as one tier of the band.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr met aviation, satellite communications and weather data groups with concerns about Ligado's proposed broadband terrestrial low-power service, said a docket 12-340 posting Friday. The groups said economic, public safety and consumer benefits of GPS, satellite communications, aviation and environmental satellite data communities "are too important to jeopardize" with Ligado's service, calling its benefits "speculative." They said it would threaten reliability of position, navigation and timing services like GPS, undermine investment in commercial satellite systems by changing the interference environment, and take 40 MHz of spectrum from satellite use. They are Aerospace Industries Association, Airlines for America, Aviation Spectrum Resources, Iridium, Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation and Narayan Strategies. Ligado emailed that "as needs emerge and technology evolves, spectrum bands will transition. The 3.5 GHz (CBRS), 5.9 GHz, C-band, and L-band proceedings are all evidence of that principle and that the country is moving forward to achieve ‘5G First’. We are prepared upon FCC approval to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to help build this 5G future.”

CTIA Meredith Baker spoke by phone with FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly in support of proposed new rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service, urging the “investment-friendly changes,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-258. “The Draft Report and Order would provide for longer license terms; a balanced, compromise approach to license geographic areas; and an expectation that licenses will be renewed -- while largely leaving unchanged the unique framework.” The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition called for smaller license in the band, meeting an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “The current proposal makes licensed spectrum unobtainable for small providers eager to serve rural and other underserved areas," the group said.

The Wireless ISP Association told the FCC members will be left out if the agency approves only county-sized priority access licenses in the citizens broadband radio service band. The proposed rules appear headed to a 3-1 vote at Tuesday's commissioners' meeting (see 1810160068). WISPA representatives met aides to all commissioners. WISPA asked the order be changed to approve at least two census-tract-sized PALs per market. “While county-based PALs may be acceptable to larger WISPA members, the majority of WISPA members are small broadband providers that would be able to participate in the auction in greater numbers and with better opportunities for success if the Commission auctioned PALs by census tracts,” the group said Wednesday in docket 17-258. “Because many counties contain urban cores where large companies could easily satisfy their build-out obligations, the rural areas surrounding those urban areas would, in many cases, be left unserved with PAL spectrum.” Auctioning PALs by county “would give an insurmountable advantage to large cellular carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Union Cellular (a regional provider serving our area),” said Lariat, a WISP. CTIA repeated support for county-sized PALs, as did the Competitive Carriers Association (see here and here).

The FCC is expected to vote 3-1 on Oct. 23 to adopt revised rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band largely as circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1810020050). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is expected to dissent. A question remains whether she will be able to get a few changes that would allow her to vote for part of it. Rosenworcel voted for part of the wireless infrastructure order last month after getting a few concessions. Observers think a similar dynamic could develop here (see 1809260029). Interested parties got an extra day to lobby since the sunshine notice was delayed a day after the agency was closed Monday (see 1810150023).