FCC Approves 5-0 NPRM Sought by Ligado Looking at Reallocation of 1675-1680 MHz Band
Commissioners disagreed on the significance of an NPRM reallocating the 1675-1680 MHz band for 5G, approved 5-0 at Thursday's meeting. Ligado, which wants to combine the spectrum with other bands it controls, has pushed for the NPRM, but still has work to do before it can make 40 MHz available for 5G. The company is hoping for FCC action this summer on its broader license modification proposal, officials said. The band must be shared with weather satellites.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Ligado had sought tweaks to the NPRM, including language that would allow for the auction of a nationwide license for the band. “There were no significant, substantive changes,” Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale said after the meeting. The draft NPRM was tweaked on the definition of small-business entity, he said. Chairman Ajit Pai said the FCC has made no decisions on other parts of Ligado’s plan.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel charged that the NPRM does little to address what she sees as a major problem -- that the U.S. has made too little mid-band spectrum available in the pipeline for 5G and has no auctions scheduled. “This small step involving a small block of mid-band spectrum does not change a big truth,” she said. The U.S. “has a mid-band spectrum problem,” she said. “Over the past two years, this agency has flooded private markets with high-band airwaves. But this country is increasingly alone in its mission to make millimeter wave spectrum the core of its domestic 5G approach.”
Pai fired back. President Barack Obama had also called for action on the band as part of budget requests, Pai said. “Nothing happened,” he said. “It was all talk and no action. Under this administration, things have changed.” NOAA is still studying sharing in the band, Pai said: “Our goal is to free up more spectrum for wireless broadband while also including safeguards to ensure that any new commercial operations don’t result in harmful interference to incumbent federal operators. ... Our consideration of how best to accomplish these objectives will be informed by the results of NOAA’s study.”
“The 5 MHz before us is a small sliver of spectrum, to be sure,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr: “If it’s combined with adjacent and nearby channels, we could have a 40 MHz block that offers high-throughput at great distance.” Carr highlighted the work under Pai to find more mid-band spectrum for 5G.
The NPRM “proposes a plan to repurpose this spectrum while protecting federal weather systems and advancing our national priorities,” said Ligado CEO Doug Smith in a statement: “It will open up critical mid-band spectrum and also lead to distribution of critical weather data more reliably to more people, institutions and research centers across the country at a small fraction of the expense facing these entities today.”
“We are glad to see the FCC’s proposal to open up the 1675-1680 MHz band for commercial use,” said Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs. “It is a good government effort that enjoys bipartisan support, and can be a catalyst for quick action across the spectrum agenda.” Reps. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Billy Long, R-Mo., recently wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to urge action on the band.