NTIA Urges FCC to Address Communications Needs of Offshore Wind Farms

to be that the FCC should move forward on wind farms, but providers urged the agency to do so with caution (see 2207280032). “The FCC should support the Administration’s goals of increased offshore renewable energy production and related scientific research and economic growth by ensuring offshore operations are not unduly limited by a lack of spectrum access,” NTIA said: “As the Commission recognizes, there are already several options for providing connectivity offshore. But as data volume and the sophistication of monitoring and analytics grows, offshore operations will likely seek higher bandwidth options, justifying an inquiry into offshore spectrum demand.” The FCC must protect maritime and aviation safety, radioastronomy, and research and coastal operations “such as space launch sites, test and training ranges, telemetry stations, and radar facilities,” the filing said. Offshore operations also present unique concerns, the agency said. “On the open ocean, without the clutter and terrain of land, radio waves will generally tend to propagate farther,” it said: “Ducting presents another important concern with offshore operations. If the atmospheric conditions are right, stable layers of water vapor can develop, leading to the wave-guiding effect known as ducting.” NTIA said existing commercial, private and unlicensed bands, if modified for offshore operations, now “are likely adequate to meet offshore demand.”