Pai Circulates Ligado Order -- With Conditions -- as Quick Vote Sought
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated a draft order to OK with conditions Ligado’s application for a low-power terrestrial nationwide broadband network, the agency confirmed Thursday morning in a long-anticipated move. The L-band operations could support 5G and the IoT, the regulator said. “This draft order would both promote more efficient and effective use of our nation’s spectrum resources and ensure that adjacent band operations," including GPS, "are protected from harmful interference,” it added.
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Some inside and outside the FCC seek and/or expect a quick vote, we are told. Some FCC members could vote very soon, an official said. But there doesn't appear to have been much consideration or discussion of the draft among commissioners, another official said. No draft is expected to be made public, in keeping with the custom for commission actions that aren't initially slated for meeting votes. A commission spokesperson had no immediate comment.
“After many years of consideration, it is time for the FCC to make a decision and bring this proceeding to a close,” said Pai. “We have compiled an extensive record.” He noted the company previously agreed to lower the power of its operations due to interference concerns.
As with some other spectrum matters, the federal government wasn't of one mind on how the FCC should proceed here. "Although I appreciate the concerns that have been raised by certain Executive Branch agencies, it is the Commission’s duty to make an independent determination based on sound engineering," Pai said. "The draft order would authorize downlink operations at a power level that represents a greater than 99% reduction from what Ligado proposed in its 2015 application.”
Attorney General William Barr hopes "the full Commission moves forward quickly.” His statement cited the need to keep up U.S. leadership on 5G. "Freeing up L-band spectrum for use in tandem with the C-band, as the Chairman proposes, should greatly reduce the cost and time it will take to deploy 5G throughout the country and would be a major step toward preserving our economic future," he added. NTIA didn't comment right away.
Commissioner Mike O'Rielly tweeted that he appreciates that Pai is “circulating an item on a long pending issue. As always, I will read and vote quickly.”
The other commissioners didn't immediately make any statements and their staffs had no immediate comment.