Government Reports on Early Clearing of AWS-3 Band
The Commerce Department reported on efforts to clear the AWS-3 band, in a first report released Tuesday. The department also updated clearance results for the AWS-1 band, sold by the FCC in a 2006 auction. Ten years later, work remains.…
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All 12 federal agencies with operations in the AWS-1 bands said “they have ceased operations of their systems in the 1710-1755 MHz band, where required to do so, clearing the way for commercial licensees,” Commerce said. Six agencies -- the departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, Tennessee Valley Authority and Postal Service -- “completed their relocation efforts and achieved comparable capability of systems by relocating to new frequency assignments or by utilizing alternative technology.” Other agencies are still working with industry to clear spectrum, the report said. The Treasury Department said it expects to “achieve comparable capability in 2016 as it procures the necessary video surveillance equipment from the manufacturer,” Commerce said. The departments of Defense, Interior and Justice said "they now expect to complete efforts to achieve comparable capability in 2017,” Commerce said. Slowing progress were “various civil construction and contractor delays for the DOD, administrative delays for the DOJ, and obtaining enhanced security at specific locations for the DOI,” the report said. The departments of Energy and Homeland Security also expect to wrap up their moves in 2017, the report said. In 2015, the eligible federal agencies spent $138 million on the AWS-1 transition, with total expenditures so far of $1.3 billion, the report said. It warned that clearing the AWS-3 spectrum is expected to take almost a decade, without delays. “While it is early in the transition period, affected federal agencies report that they are adhering to the original approved transition timelines and cost estimates for the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1780 MHz bands,” Commerce said. Last year, federal agencies spent $5.534 million to clear the 1695-1710 MHz band and $25.238 million to clear the 1755-1780 MHz band, the report said. “For the 1755-1780 MHz band, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Treasury, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Capitol Police reported that they have transitioned from using the spectrum,” Commerce said. “Full transition from the spectrum for the remaining agencies is projected for 2025.” The record-setting AWS-3 auction ended in January 2015, after 341 bidding rounds, with almost $45 billion in provisionally winning bids (see 1501290059).