Spectrum Harmonization a Big WRC-19 Challenge, International Bureau Chief Says
Spectrum harmonization might be a particularly big challenge at the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19), said FCC International Bureau Chief Tom Sullivan at an FCBA event Thursday. Countries in the past have converged on a particular spectrum segment for particular use, but the focus increasingly is on spectrum slivers for uses that don't always align across different geographies, he said.
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The FCC's goal is to proselytize for a "more expansive view of harmonization" that would perhaps have multiple segments of spectrum identified for a particular use, with national regulators then having the option to decide which band to use, Sullivan said. He said the growing harmonization challenge can be seen as a positive development because it reflects a rise in services that sometimes take root in one market but not others.
The 28 GHz band isn't part of the WRC-19 framework, but it's being studied and deployed in the U.S., and other nations, such as Japan and South Korea, are doing likewise, Sullivan said. Thus one goal of the U.S. at WRC-19 is to make sure a conversation about 28 GHz "gets put on the global stage," he said.
ITU's "International mobile telecom (IMT) for 2020 and beyond" program also will be a big WRC-19 issue, said bureau Chief Engineer Bob Nelson, saying there's a large focus on trying to ascertain if sharing among different services, such as satellite and IMT, is possible. Beyond IMT, other priority WRC-19 issues for the U.S. include spectrum for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites, earth stations in motion and high-altitude platform stations, Sullivan said.
With two NGSO constellation applications -- Telesat Canada and Space Norway -- currently on circulation at the FCC (see 1709260035), it seems likely the other NGSO applications will get similar treatment instead of being handled at the bureau level, Sullivan said. The constellations all have unique characteristics, including frequencies used in some cases, and Chairman Ajit Pai wants to be sure the commissioners have the chance to evaluate each of them, Sullivan said. He said Satellite Division staff is working its way through other applications, but didn't comment on timing.
Sometimes operating somewhere between International Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology oversight, small satellites often "don't fit in anywhere," said Assistant IB Chief Jennifer Gilsenan. She said the bureau is working on a proceeding to address smallsats, with it possibly coming early next year.
The bureau also is considering a look at its orbital debris rules, Sullivan said. There are some linkages between smallsats and debris, but any debris rules proceeding will be handled on a separate track and take a "holistic view," he said.
For now, the bureau isn't looking at setting up rules specifically about on-orbit satellite servicing, Sullivan said. He said such a proceeding has been under consideration, but the bureau is watching the market to see how it develops. Added Gilsenan, more commercial proposals might show the need for a proceeding.