WCA ‘Highly Concerned’ by FCC Licensing Spectrum in Gulf of Mexico
Broadband radio services rules approved by the FCC were a mixed bag but will help rollout of wireless broadband in the 2496 to 2690 MHz band, the Wireless Communications Association said Friday. The FCC approved rules for the unassigned broadband radio spectrum auction, sought comment on licensing educational broadband service spectrum, and set up a BRS service area for the Gulf of Mexico, a step firmly opposed by WCA and Sprint Nextel. The FCC counts more than 70 BRS basic trading areas unassigned and available for auction, it said.
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“Although not without its flaws, yesterday’s FCC decision goes a long way towards providing licensees in the 2.5 GHz band, a regulatory environment that will promote the deployment of high-speed, mobile wireless broadband access across America,” said WCA President Andrew Kreig. “The Commission is to be applauded for responding to the various industry concerns that are addressed in this decision.”
But the association is “highly concerned” about licensing spectrum in the Gulf of Mexico under the existing 2.5 GHz band technical rules, Kreig said. “The oil and gas industry has ample spectrum, much of it today unused, that can be employed to meet its communications needs, and there is no compelling reason for the Commission to be jeopardizing land-based wireless broadband service. WCA had proposed rules that would have permitted operations in the Gulf, without jeopardizing land-based services.” A BRS industry source said a petition for reconsideration challenging parts of the order “will be given serious thought.”
The American Petroleum Institute, which supported Gulf leases, did not have immediate comment.
In the order the FCC seconded the American Petroleum Institute on the need for better communications in oil and gas production areas in the Gulf. “In light of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, API’s members have re-evaluated their communications needs,” the FCC said. “In particular, the oil and natural gas industry has placed increased importance on the use of rapidly deployable IP-enabled broadband services to support both permanent facilities and disaster recovery efforts … We are concerned that currently the Gulf of Mexico may be an underserved area where spectrum licenses generally are not available.” The FCC also said, “API persuasively argues that the 2496-2690 MHz band is one of the few bands available and adequate for operations in support of off-shore oil and gas facilities.”