37 GHz Sharing and Satellite Spectrum Top April FCC Agenda

“We’ve been moving aggressively to get things done since Day One of the new Commission,” and “this is especially true of our work on spectrum,” Carr said in a blog post.The 37 GHz band “may be used to support services like fixed wireless broadband and the Internet of Things,” Carr wrote. “This spectrum is currently shared by the government and commercial entities, but there are no clear sharing rules for this spectrum, which is keeping companies from moving forward with deployments.” The commission will vote on establishing “a new licensing framework for this band, effectively opening up 600 megahertz of spectrum for new commercial services.”

NTIA last year released the first of the band-specific reports called for in the Biden administration’s national spectrum strategy (see 2403120056), which examined the 37 GHz band. The report was developed with DOD and recommended a federal and nonfederal co-primary sharing framework for the lower 37 GHz band. In 2023, after the FCC sought comment on the 42 GHz band, several commenters also weighed in, seeking a nonexclusive licensing approach there and in 37 GHz (see 2310020041).

Also on the FCC agenda is an NPRM assessing spectrum-sharing rules in the Ku and Ka bands between geostationary orbit (GSO) and non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems. Carr said the aim is “even faster and more robust broadband services from space.” He added, “New innovations have been held back by FCC technical rules that we adopted thirty years ago.” Power limits dating to the 1990s to protect GSOs from interference also restrict NGSO performance, “even though advancements in sharing technology arguably make the rules of the past no longer necessary.”

SpaceX, in a 2024 petition (see 2408120018) regarding NGSO/GSO spectrum sharing, complained that decades-old power limits on NGSOs “do not reflect sound engineering or physical realities, and the United States has demonstrated that they are significantly overprotective of GSO networks.” It added that there’s evidence those limits “constrain NGSO capacity in Ku-band by eight times more than necessary to protect GSO operations.” Amazon’s Kuiper also has urged a proceeding about NGSO/GSO sharing involving the Ku and Ka bands (see 2502030027).

The robocall item tackles a gap in the commission’s secure telephone identity revisited (Stir) and signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens (Shaken) authentication rules. “We are not taking this month off” on robocalls, Carr said: “We’re looking to plug another loophole that bad actors may be exploiting.” The caller authentication tool currently works only for calls that traverse IP-based networks, Carr said. “The Commission will consider a proposal to close this gap in our robocall defenses by seeking comment on caller ID authentication tools that can be implemented for non-IP networks while we [are] also encouraging providers to keep modernizing their networks.”

Commissioners also will consider an NPRM regarding codification of the FCC’s foreign ownership rules, which in some cases haven’t been codified, Carr said. “Unwritten rules only make it harder for entities to understand and navigate our requirements, they risk inconsistent outcomes, and they can needlessly raise costs.” He poked gentle fun at President Donald Trump's new tariffs, which are also directed at some extremely remote locations, inhabited only by seals and penguins. “Over the years, those regulations have increased almost as quickly as interest in the Heard and McDonald Islands,” Carr said.