FCC Eyes Spectrum Harmonization and Sharing, Milkman Says
The FCC has many tools at its disposal to tackle spectrum constraints, whether it’s improving spectrum efficiency or freeing up more spectrum, Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman said at the Wireless Communications Association conference. The commission is looking at spectrum sharing and harmonization opportunities, and is willing to work with industry to come up with a solution to better inform consumers on throughput, she said Wednesday. It takes time to bring spectrum to auction, so “we have to start now” to avoid a spectrum crunch that will result in poor quality of service for consumers, Milkman said.
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There’s no spectrum crisis, but a spectrum use crisis, Trey Hanbury, a director with Sprint Nextel said, saying large carriers have lots of underused or unused spectrum. He also urged the FCC to auction existing spectrum. There are several proceedings at the commission that would make more spectrum available, said Cathy Massey, Clearwire vice president.
Data shows that 4G networks require new backhaul networks to accommodate additional throughput in the last mile, WCA CEO Fred Campbell said. The agency hasn’t got “a ton of consensus” on backhaul issues, so there’s a fair amount of work to do, Milkman said. Her bureau is working with the Wireline Bureau on an access proceeding, she noted. Hanbury urged the commission to take immediate action to revamp special access. Clearly there needs to be more backhaul built, whether it’s 3G or 4G, said Hank Hultquist, an AT&T vice president. Regulators need to promote investment in backhaul and give carriers the flexibility to make a good return on investment, he said.
The latest 3GPP standards accommodate 20 MHz channels and are eventually expected to accommodate 40 MHz and larger channels to maximize throughput, said Campbell. The FCC needs to look at the bigger blocks as international standard groups like 3GPP move toward 20 MHz and 40 MHz bands, said Massey. The question is how to have the most spectrum usable in most places, said Paul Sinderbrand, WCA regulatory counsel, noting spectrum pairing would be an issue. Hanbury attacked AT&T’s plan to buy T-Mobile, saying the deal, if approved, would allow a single carrier to capture a large chunk of spectrum. If Congress gives the FCC incentive auction authority, the commission will initiate a rulemaking process to look at auction design, among other things, Milkman said. And “you gotta look at the band plan,” she said. Certain bands aren’t going anywhere, she said.
A way to repurpose federal spectrum is through sharing, Milkman said. To ensure the measure would work, “we have to prove it out on the commercial side first,” she said. There will be some types of spectrum that will be compatible with dynamic sharing, she said. International harmonization could be a challenge, partly because the U.S. is ahead of the world in deploying spectrum, said Sinderbrand. Spectrum harmonization is also about harmonizing technical rules, he said. The 1755 MHz band is very “attractive” because it’s globally harmonized, Milkman said. There’s need for domestic harmonization too, said Hanbury. Sprint and some small and rural carriers have been advocating for 700 MHz roaming, he said. International harmonization is difficult, but it’s critical for the industry, Hultquist said.
Data shows that the actual throughput available to a mobile subscriber at any particular time varies by the number of people accessing the base station, distance from it, topography, subscriber movement and noise, Campbell said. The issue is to figure out an alternative, Sinderbrand said. It would be good to have an industry consensus, so there’s a base for consumers to look at and do comparisons, he said. The FCC’s goal to better inform consumers is appropriate, Hultquist said. The challenge is that there might not be a single throughput standard, and many consumers might not understand the combination of issues affecting throughput, he said. It’s good to have some industry standardization, he said. The commission wants to work with the industry to come up with something that works for everyone, Milkman said. Driven by competition, the industry has put out a lot of information for consumers, Hanbury said. Competition is the answer to transparency, he said.
Panelists agreed wireless is an important element of the Universal Service Fund. “We are moving from a system built on public utilities” to a system based on procurement process, Hultquist said. It’s important to promote investment in mobile backhaul as the FCC revamps USF, he said. The National Broadband Plan technical paper said wireless solutions are among the lowest cost solutions, and wireless costs grow less quickly as density falls, Campbell said. Sometimes it’s not about lower cost, Milkman said: It’s the gap between the cost and expected revenue that might be less for wireless than wireline.