The FCC and NTIA jointly released coordination procedures...

a vote of commissioners. The document provides guidance to AWS-3 licensees and affected federal incumbents on coordination for shared use of the two bands. “The rules are a milestone in providing commercial access to new spectrum bands through a spectrum-sharing arrangement with incumbent federal users,” said a Friday public notice (http://bit.ly/WnCwYt). “As part of that arrangement, the Commission’s AWS-3 rules require successful coordination with Federal incumbents prior to operation in Protection Zones.” Pai said in a statement (http://bit.ly/1kDMk5M) that a draft order circulated to commissioners purported to change some of the AWS-3 geographic coordination zones adopted by the FCC in March, but with a “catch.” The proposal “did not say what the relevant new zones would look like,” Pai said. He said he asked how the document changes the protection zones. “I had thought that these were quite reasonable inquiries,” he said. “So I was surprised when my requests for this basic information were denied. Instead, I was told that after the Commission adopted the item, I would be briefed on the new zones.” The item was ultimately pulled from circulation and approved instead at the bureau level, he said. “This is no way to run a railroad.” A senior official responded to Pai on behalf of the chairman, saying the Wireless Bureau acted only because of timing considerations. Wheeler circulated the order July 2, with the hope commissioners would vote by the end of the day Tuesday, the official said. “Chairman Wheeler offered his fellow commissioners the opportunity to vote on the notice,” the senior official said. “But, because some commissioners did not vote on the notice by the deadline, and in the interest of swift work on behalf of the American public, the bureau released the notice.”