Carr: No Single U.S. Path to 600 MHz of Spectrum for 5G
The U.S. has a variety of paths to reach 600 MHz of high-power spectrum for carriers' use, the often-discussed goal of Congress, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters Tuesday following remarks at CTIA’s 5G Summit. The challenges that China presents also dominated discussions.
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“We need to find a way to get to at least 600 MHz,” but "in terms of any specific band, there has been no final decision made on that front,” Carr said. The U.S. can hit its goals without the DOD-controlled lower 3 GHz spectrum, he said. “I think there are a lot of ways you can get there -- there’s not one sort of particular way to do it.” The lower 3 GHz contains airborne and other systems that could prove the most difficult to relocate (see 2502180064).
Carr said he hasn’t had a chance to read a petition that CTIA and other major associations filed last week, seeking an NPRM on enforcement issues (see 2505050028). “If you look back over the years, some of the work of the Enforcement Bureau has raised concerns across industry,” he said: “I get that. I hear that.”
Carr also told reporters there's precedent for the FCC to consider diversity, equity and inclusion programs as it reviews transactions. “All we’re doing is applying the law as passed by Congress.” He noted that when the Biden administration approved Verizon’s buy of prepaid leader Tracfone, it cited DEI commitments made in the record. “If people are engaging in intentional race- or gender-based discrimination, that’s an issue."
Under Threat
During his conference speech, Carr said “the reality is we have fallen deeply, deeply behind China” on spectrum. “This is the same spot we were in 2017,” he said. “We have a playbook that we have used before that we need to get going on.” He also emphasized the importance of spectrum to U.S. leadership on AI.
“American leadership” on 5G “is under threat,” said House Select Committee on China ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. The Chinese Communist Party has made 5G a top priority, and China “is now at parity and moving ahead” of the U.S. Krishnamoorthi joked that Congress should follow the broad advice of President Donald Trump: “We need a big, beautiful auction of spectrum.” The U.S. needs to work with traditional allies to make wireless safer and not push those countries away, he added.
The COVID-19 pandemic “only enforced the importance of what we do,” said Laurent Therivel, CEO of UScellular and CTIA chairman. Wireless carriers can expand their networks in two primary ways, he said: by investing in spectrum or deploying towers. Adding towers is usually about twice as expensive, he added.
“What does it take for wireless companies to open up their pocketbooks?” Therivel asked. “The spectrum needs to be licensed.” It takes a lot of money to deploy a network, and carriers “need to know” they will have access to a band if they invest in radios and other gear, he said. “Just buying spectrum does not mean that it’ll be available,” and companies don’t want to take that risk.
Power levels are critical, and high power means fewer towers, Therivel said. Carriers also want globally harmonized spectrum because volume means lower equipment costs.
Wide bands are important as well, Therivel said. “It doesn’t help carriers to have really narrow bands here and there that you can bid on,” he said: “It’s not technically efficient. The broader the spectrum bands that we have, the more we can bring carrier aggregation into play, the more speed, the better experience we can provide for our customers.” Midband spectrum is key and will remain so in the 6G era, he added.
New CTIA President and CEO Ajit Pai repeated calls for the federal government to allocate 600 MHz of new spectrum for 5G and 6G, but he didn’t offer details on which bands should be targeted. “We need a clear spectrum pipeline.”
Pai said he believes in “American exceptionalism” and wireless's role in advancing that. Decisions in the months to come will determine whether the U.S. is a “driver” of the world’s wireless future or only “a spectator.”
Pai argued that at the end of the first Trump administration, the FCC led the world on wireless, but it has since fallen to third, with China leading the way. During the past four years, “we did not act with urgency and a shared sense of purpose,” he said. “We can reverse this trend.”