Spectrum Seen as FCC, Hill Area of Bipartisanship, Amid 3.5 GHz Schism
Whether the 3.5 GHz band paradigm becomes the new norm or a specialty tool for particular occasions was debated by FCC Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel at a WiFiForward coalition event Thursday. "It's almost radical," eschewing the binary approach of licensed vs. unlicensed spectrum and going instead with the hierarchy of incumbents, secondary licenses and opportunistic use, Rosenworcel said. She hopes that approach will be used in other bands globally.
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"Clear, licensed bands" need to remain a priority for the FCC as it looks at bands like the C-band and millimeter wave bands, O'Rielly said. He said the 3.5 GHz approach won't be the new paradigm though it's "a good one to have in our toolbox."
The two disagreed on the Trump administration's spectrum strategy. Rosenworcel said the memorandum's failure to mention unlicensed means it's "fundamentally flawed." She also repeated her critiques from a recent commissioners' meeting (see 1811150028). The FCC isn't waiting for the administration to move on 5G and is pushing forward in issues like spectrum and regulatory relief, O'Rielly replied.
On other issues, the two commissioners largely agreed. Rosenworcel said that she and O'Rielly working jointly on spectrum means the issue is "getting more attention at the agency," and there could particularly be opportunities in the 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz bands. Both repeated their call for opening the 5.9 GHz band to other uses than dedicated short range communications, on which comments were recently received (see 1811290023). Seemingly noting General Motors' announcement it's ending its Cadillac CTS model after 2019, that being the only vehicle that employs a DSRC system, O'Rielly said the activities of one major car company should mean no one being "too comfortable about past promises" of using the spectrum for automotive safety.
Policymakers need to promote more dynamic sharing, spectrum reuse and more employment of “use it or share it” requirements, said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “I think we will see a form of” the latter in the 5.9 GHz band that's far underused by the auto industry, he said. Calabrese said the agency is moving into a sharing regime more quickly than generally had been expected. He cited a trio of NPRMs adopted in recent months that rely on databases for automated frequency coordination -- 6 GHz, the C-band and 37-37.6 GHz band.
Speakers talked about the need for more unlicensed spectrum in wide channels to accommodate Wi-Fi. Broadcom Chris Szymanski, director-product marketing and government affairs, said that next-generation Wi-Fi will require more 80 MHz and 160 MHz channels, particularly in the midband. He said there's hope the FCC will move quickly on the 6 GHz band. The sole current 160 MHz channel in the 5 GHz band “is just not going to be enough,” added Danielle Pineres, NCTA associate general counsel.
Spectrum policy is an area of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, and that should keep going even with the incoming freshman class in the House, said Congressional Wi-Fi Caucus co-founders Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Jerry McNerney, D-Calif. Wi-Fi is "not a Republican-Democrat issue," Latta said. Added McNerney, “People come here … they want to do things."
Rosenworcel is pleased 5G deployment could bring nontraditional players into the wireless market. “It's fantastic. Bring it.” Increased innovation means there needs to be increased spectrum allocation, she said. She said spectrum auctions need to be structured to have as broad a base of participation as possible.
Asked about a wireless spectrum crunch, Latta said there needs to be more understanding of use by federal agencies. “We need to be able to squeeze everything we can get out,” he said.
There’s a strong economic case for preserving unlicensed spectrum, with 75 percent of U.S. households using Wi-Fi, said Raul Katz, Telecom Advisory Services president. He said the value of all unlicensed spectrum has grown 129 percent since 2013, and should expand another 59 percent through 2020. Other developed nations are seeing similar rates of growth in value of unlicensed spectrum, Katz said. He said that's driven by increased mobile device use and adoption of wearables. Compared with the rest of the world, “the U.S. is really at the forefront” of assigning spectrum for Wi-Fi needs, he said, noting FCC efforts to open the 6 GHz band to unlicensed use (see 1811050030).