U.S. negotiators and Industry Canada agreed on three...
U.S. negotiators and Industry Canada agreed on three “interim” spectrum sharing arrangements, the FCC said Tuesday. The arrangements “will help pave the way for improved wireless broadband deployment along the U.S.-Canada border for consumers and businesses, among other multiple public…
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and commercial benefits,” said acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn. “The arrangements are also critical to maximizing interference protection for commercial licensees operating along our common border with Canada, and will also promote more efficient use of spectrum.” Clyburn said the announcement follows negotiations by her agency, NTIA and the State Department and Industry Canada. More information is at http://fcc.us/14zibMD. The first agreement, Arrangement V, covers fixed services in the 71-76, 81-86, 92-94 and 94.1-95 GHz bands. “This new Arrangement ... will facilitate deployment of fixed services within the border area, and will allow licensees to provide a broad range of products and services, including backhaul for mobile broadband networks, high-speed wireless local area networks and broadband Internet access over high bandwidth point to point links,” the FCC said. The second covers air-to-ground services in the 454.6625-454.9875 and 459.6625-459.9875 MHz bands. “This new Statement of Intent allows for creation of a nationwide digital system covering the sharing and coordination of spectrum for the establishment and operation of general aviation air-ground services,” the FCC said. “It provides for sharing of spectrum when operations are located within various distances (ranging from approximately 490-580 kilometers) of the common border.” A third agreement, Arrangement U, covers Specialized Mobile Radio Services at 896-901 and MHz 935-940 MHz. “This new Arrangement, which governs the sharing and coordination of such services operating within 100 kilometers of the common border, simplifies the criteria for permitting secondary users in the band, thus enabling more efficient use of the spectrum while protecting primary users,” the FCC said. “Because Arrangement U may become part of a larger treaty or replacement agreement governing services operating above 30 MHz, the operational provisions of Arrangement U will be applied on an interim basis pending further review by legal officers.”