Enterprise Wireless Insider, Volume 12, Issue 2

EWA Supports TAC Recommendations

• Interference Realities: No radio environment is free of interference. TAC recommends that all wireless services, and the systems deployed on their allocated spectrum, be designed to provide for a reasonable degree of interference-resistance and should plan for instances of service degradation or interruption.
• Responsibilities of [Radio] Services: Just as transmitters are responsible for minimizing the amount of energy they transmit outside their authorized frequencies and geographic areas, receivers should be designed to protect against receiving interference outside their assigned channels.  
• Regulatory Requirements and Action: The TAC recommends principles intended to help the Commission make the best possible allocation decisions. Decisions regarding appropriate interference protection levels should be based on quantitative analyses of interactions between the services involved.   

LMCC Members Meet with FCC on Key Issues

In late January, member representatives from the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) met with Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) staffs on issues of concern to LMCC members and the private wireless industry. While nothing is imminent, LMCC members discussed the potential release of additional 854-860 MHz Sprint-vacated channels; 319 800 MHz interstitial channels; and potentially 80 800 MHz Expansion Band and Guard Band channels. The FCC also reported no particular progress towards the release of proposed rules identifying how they plan on implementing the repurposing 470-512 MHz (T-Band) for uses other than for public Safety and B/ILT wireless systems.  

Who’s on First – the CMRS Presumption Quandary

Recent proceedings have implications for the ongoing issue of whether non-interconnected Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) service operators are to be classified as telecommunications carriers and/or common carriers and/or Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS). EWA will meet with WTB staff this week to discuss this subject. (WT 16-240; WC 27-108)

Petitions Respond to FCC License Renewal Policies

On January 18, the FCC issued a Public Notice providing an opportunity to respond to Petitions for Reconsideration and Clarification filed in response to the License Renewal and Discontinuance of Operation proceeding. EWA requested clarification regarding whether Public Safety entities were to be exempted from the renewal standard. EWA’s petition was one of 4 for which the FCC now seeks comment. Oppositions to these Petitions must be filed on or before February 12. Replies to an opposition must be filed on or before February 20.

Report Concludes No Harm from Unlicensed RLAN Devices at 6 GHz

Last summer, the FCC adopted a Notice of Inquiry examining frequencies between 3.7 GHz and 24 GHz (“Mid-Band”) for potential unlicensed wireless broadband use, including shared federal and non-federal use. A broad range of interested parties all urged the FCC not to include the 6 GHz band for this purpose. On January 26, an engineering report submitted by RKF Engineering on behalf of a coalition of parties including Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and QUALCOMM concluded that unlicensed Radio Local Area Network (RLAN) devices can be deployed nationwide in the 6 GHz band using “established RLAN mitigation techniques and regulatory constraints similar to those applied in the neighboring 5 GHz band.” Ericsson supported licensed and unlicensed service at 6 GHz “provided that incumbent fixed service point-to-point operations are protected from harmful interference.” (GN 17-183)

AIRWAVES Legislation to be Introduced in House

In coming weeks, Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) will introduce into the House a bill intended to “facilitate a national pipeline of spectrum for commercial use, and for other purposes.” In August of last year, this legislation, the “Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum Act” (AIRWAVES) was introduced into the Senate by Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO). Since its initial reading, the bill has languished in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 

The AIRWAVES Act proposes to invest in wireless broadband Internet access by identifying what is termed “Mid-Band” spectrum for both licensed (auctioned) and unlicensed use. The bill emphasizes rural deployment and suggests exploring the use of unlicensed spectrum for rural healthcare access, distance learning, and facilitating innovations in agriculture.

FCC Establishes Office of Economics and Analytics

On January 30, the FCC voted to create an Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), a new unit that will help to ensure that economic analysis is incorporated into the FCC’s regular operations. The focus of the office is to provide economic analysis for rulemakings, transactions, adjudications, and other Commission actions. The FCC will shift the functions of the current Office of Strategic Planning and Policy into this office and will also move personnel from throughout the Commission into the OEA. When this will happen and what impact it will have remains to be seen, although it does appear to align with certain TAC recommendations. (MD 18-3)