FCC Likely to Consider 1675-1680 MHz Band, After Ligado Approval
Having approved Ligado license modifications, the FCC is expected to consider the 1675-1680 MHz band, on which the agency took comment last year. NOAA is preparing a report on potential effect on federal users of sharing the band, but it’s unclear whether it will be made public, industry officials said in interviews. Ligado asked for the NPRM and could combine it with its other spectrum, for 40 MHz for 5G.
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Opposition to the auction continues in docket 19-116. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has shown he's willing to act on spectrum reallocation despite opposition, and all recent decisions have been contested, said lawyers active in the proceeding. Commissioners approved the NPRM 5-0. The past seven presidential budgets have sought an auction of the spectrum.
If the commission isn’t inclined to reconsider the Ligado waiver order, “Pai would have every reason to proceed quickly to auction that 5 MHz, since it would remove the final uncertainty around Ligado’s spectrum holdings,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. Parties filed recon petitions last week (see 2005280005).
The proposal on 1675-1680 MHz would mean “devastating interference” for real-time connections to NOAA weather satellites, said Renee Leduc, principal at Narayan Strategy. For weather companies, the swath is more of a threat than the license modifications approved in April, she said. Clarke said the comment cycle last year was short enough that weather interests didn’t feel they could fully respond to the threat. Her “expectation” remains the FCC will approve an auction. The American Meteorological Society hasn’t heard anything definitive on further action, said Executive Director Keith Seitter.
“The policy to auction this spectrum for commercial use has shared bipartisan support going back to the last administration and in Congress,” a Ligado spokesperson emailed, noting NOAA got federal funds to study how to enable sharing. “This FCC has taken great steps to free up more spectrum to ensure all Americans stay connected, and every bit counts,” the company spokesperson said: “We look forward to seeing final rules and participating in an auction in the near term.” The FCC and NOAA didn’t comment Monday.
"In light of the hardships our country has suffered since March, now more than ever we need to reallocate the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared use,” said Free State Foundation Policy Studies Director Seth Cooper, who filed on the NPRM last year. “Doing so will enable broader deployment of economically vital advanced wireless services, including 5G.”
Meteorological groups wrote the FCC in April. “The interference that will be caused by sharing spectrum with NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) will prevent meteorologists from getting the information they need to help save lives in severe weather,” the groups said. AccuWeather, the American Meteorological Society, American Weather and Climate Industry Association, and National Weather Association were among signers. Clarke said meteorological interests raised similar concerns in a meeting with Pai before the FCC issued the NPRM, citing 2018’s Hurricane Michael and the loss of fiber facilities caused by the storm.
Iridium CEO Matt Desch noted that if Ligado uses only the uplink parts of the 35 MHz L band, it wouldn’t resolve interference concerns (see 2005290030). “As Ligado devices increase, they will create interference into our band since there is not a sufficient guard band specified,” he emailed.