FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, tasked by Chairman Ajit with overseeing an overhaul of rules for the 3.5 GHz shared band, emphasized in a Tuesday speech to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service Alliance he wants to leave the structure for the band in place, while making the licensed part more attractive. O’Rielly’s remarks, posted by the FCC, build on comments last week (see 1707250049). O’Rielly spoke to the group at Qualcomm’s headquarters in San Diego.
PCTel joined the CBRS Alliance, a group promoting use of the shared 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service band. “PCTEL and the CBRS Alliance believe that efficient use of this underutilized 3.5 GHz spectrum will expand coverage and capacity to meet growing wireless data demands,” the company said in a Thursday news release. “PCTEL scanning receivers currently support LTE network testing on the 3.5 GHz CBRS band.”
Google opposes proposed changes CTIA and T-Mobile sought to rules for the 3.5 GHz shared band, saying the FCC needs to keep its eye on stability. Verizon supported the CTIA petition over that of T-Mobile, consistent with its earlier stance (see 1706200081). Comments were due on the petitions Monday, and dozens filed in docket 12-354, as the FCC considers changes to rules for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly discussed the rules Tuesday (see 1707250049).
The FCC is under pressure not to make major changes to rules for the 3.5 GHz shared band and complicate launch of services. Commenters filed in docket 12-354 on T-Mobile and CTIA petitions seeking changes to rules (see 1706200081). Sony said rules for spectrum access system administrators and others already are settled and changes would mean delays in launch of the much-anticipated band. “The Commission should not undertake rule changes that would result in new or different certification obligations for SAS administrators,” Sony said Friday. “Such changes would waste already invested resources, unnecessarily raise costs, and inevitably delay the SAS certification process.” Broadband Corp., a wireless ISP in Minnesota, said it invested $1 million in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service spectrum, but stopped investing in light of recent uncertainty. “That one of the petitioners is a major mobile carrier, and the other is an association of mobile carriers I find concerning, these are the same large companies who have collectively increased the costs of spectrum to the point that only large mobile carriers can afford it, pricing spectrum out of range for companies like ours,” wrote Vice President Anthony Will. Tampa-based WISP Rapid Systems said it also made big investments and needs the band to open. “The ability to access up to 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum is desperately needed to enable higher service tiers for our rural customers,” the company said. The WISP Association called the CTIA and T-Mobile petitions “ill-conceived and destructive” and said the FCC should reject them. The proposals would transform 3.5 GHz into a “5G-only” band and “decelerate the provision of fixed broadband service to those that lack access and choice, foreclose innovative uses, stifle investment, and damage the ability of existing broadband customers to continue receiving service,” WISPA said.
T-Mobile said the FCC shouldn't forget about mid-band spectrum and its importance to 5G. In a Friday blog post, T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray made clear the carrier’s interest in the 3.5 GHz shared band, though the changes it sought in the rules for the band were controversial with some Wi-Fi advocates (see 1706200081). T-Mobile seeks changes that go further than Verizon. Former FCC officials said the focus remains on Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who's working on proposed changes to the 3.5 GHz rules (see 1704190056) approved during the Obama administration.
Charter got a temporary license from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology to run tests in the 3650-3700 MHz band. Tests are to start July 1 and run through the start of 2018, said a report posted by the FCC. The application's purpose is to test “a variety of experimental equipment,” the document said: “The testing will evaluate coverage, capacity, and propagation characteristics in the 3650-3700 MHz band. The proposed operations will advance Charter’s understanding of technology and network potential in the band and will advance deployment of fixed and mobile services.” Tests also will look at coexistence of devices in that band and in the FCC’s adjacent Citizens Broadband Radio Service band, said a filing by the cable ISP. It said it's working with Federated Wireless, one of coordinators in the CBRS band. The tests will take place in the Tampa, Florida area.
The fight over the future of the 3.5 GHz band is heating up, with T-Mobile breaking with other carriers to propose its own version of rule changes. CTIA recently also proposed revised rules (see 1706190067). A coalition of companies and groups concerned about protecting unlicensed use of the band asked the FCC to not make major changes to the rules, which took years to develop. The filings come as Commissioner Mike O’Rielly takes the lead on changing the rules to better assure the band will be a success (see 1704190056).
Seventeen companies and associations urged the FCC to act to open the 3.5 GHz band and said it would slow deployment if it made major rule changes. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly is working on revisions (see 1704190056). The Thursday letter says small changes aren't a problem.
The idea of dividing 47 GHz and 50 GHz bands into four sub-bands, championed by an array of satellite operators, will face wireless industry opposition, wireless officials told us. The sub-band proposal raises wireless red flags because such band segmentation would make it harder for the FCC to establish the contiguous blocks that would allow terrestrial 5G operations, they said.
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) urged the FCC to move forward on key parts of its remaining work on the 3.5 GHz shared band, in a letter posted in docket 12-354. A year ago, the FCC approved final rules establishing a three-tiered access and sharing model between federal and nonfederal incumbents, priority access licensees (PALs) in the 3550-3650 GHz part of the band and general authorized access users (see 1504170055) in the band. Industry has demonstrated interest in the citizens band radio service spectrum (CBRS) in a number of developments since, DSA said. “These include a recent successful test deployment of a private LTE network, a rural broadband project that demonstrates the types of investments and innovation that private enterprise has made since the adoption of the rules, and technological advancements for improving the indoor cellular experience," DSA said. “These and other developments have been made primarily by the 42 companies participating in the CBRS Alliance.” Now the FCC needs to move, the letter said. DSA urged the FCC to develop rules for a PAL auction and certify the spectrum access systems and environmental sensing capability of operators who will help manage sharing “as soon as possible in order to open the 3.5 GHz band for companies poised to deploy their networks.” DSA also reacted to reports the FCC will revise rules for the band (see 1703160029). “Finally, in light of the recent news that there may be interest at the Commission in considering changes to the Part 96 framework, we also caution that injecting regulatory uncertainty at this late stage will have the effect of reducing or stranding current investment, deterring future investment, and ultimately setting back active use of the 3.5 GHz band to square one,” DSA said.