AWS-3 Licensees Push for Longer Licensing Terms While Government Clears Out
The clock is ticking on AWS-3 licensee build-out requirements, and licensees generally agree about longer initial license terms and later build-out deadlines, though not about who should get them, in docket FCC 18-104 comments. They were due Tuesday to a…
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Wireless Bureau inquiry on possible extensions of up to three years, 12-year license terms and associated build-out requirements (see 1804060060). Federal agencies likely are sticking to plans for relocating from the bands, since there were no updates since May 2017, T-Mobile said. A servicewide extension isn't warranted, and the FCC instead should make any extensions specific to geographic areas and spectrum where there's evidence agencies can't relocate, it said. CTIA said there should be three-year extensions for licensees that entered market-specific coordination requests in the early entry portal system but were subsequently denied because the federal system hadn't transitioned out. It said most AWS-3 licenses expire April 2027, but "a large portion" of federal operations aren't expected to relocate until 2025, and many AWS-3 licenses have interim build-out requirements due in April 2021. It said three more years would ensure licensees have time after the expected 2025 clearing to start network deployment. Blue Ridge Wireless also pointed to government relocation timeframes in calling for a three year delay. 2014 AWS Spectrum Bidco, with AWS-3 licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz band, said extension for all would give more time for government relocation in some bands and coexistence mechanism development in others. It said government users won't be relocating operations from the unpaired A1 and B1 blocks of 1695-1710 MHz, and there needs to be development of long-term coexistence plans, and talks with NOAA produced progress and raised questions requiring lengthy technical analysis. AWS-3 licensees Chester Telephone, FTC Management Group and Sandhill Communications encouraged three more years. They said agencies "appear to be working diligently" on relocation, but that process and requirements such as accepting interference from federal operations until those operations vacate the band has slowed commercial AWS deployment. Those plus rural challenges such as shortage of tower collation opportunities mean there's less time for meeting "already challenging buildout deadlines," they said.