FCC To Take Next Step, Release NPRM on High Frequency Spectrum, Wheeler Says
The FCC will likely release an NPRM later this year as it continues its examination of how new developments in technology could increase the viability of operations in bands above 24 GHz, Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a blog post…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
Monday. The FCC approved a notice of inquiry on the topic in October (see 1410170048). “The NPRM will focus on developing a flexible regulatory framework that will allow maximum use of higher-frequency bands by a wide variety of providers, whether the service they provide is mobile, fixed, or satellite,” Wheeler wrote. “I anticipate that we will explore a range of regulatory strategies depending on the specifics of each proposed higher-frequency band, including licensed, unlicensed, and hybrid shared models.” Wheeler also predicted that lower-frequency bands will play a role in 5G. “For example, the timing of the incentive auction makes the 600 MHz band a prime candidate for deployment of a wide-area 5G coverage layer,” he said. “In much the same way that 700 MHz paved the way for America's world-leading deployment of 4G, so could 600 MHz accelerate U.S. deployment of 5G.” Wheeler also said the FCC will look at bilateral sharing of spectrum. The Department of Defense in particular has advocated rules under which government agencies also could share underutilized commercial bands (see 1503190041). "In addition, we will encourage and support other agencies' efforts to fund research on 5G and will encourage building cybersecurity protections for new 5G networks from the start," he said.