3.7-4.2 GHz

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Incumbent earth stations operating in the 3700-4000 MHz range are entitled to have eligible space station operators provide a turnkey solution to transition them out of the band to the upper 200 megahertz of the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band. All of an earth station’s actual, reasonable, and necessary transition costs, for such transitions are reimbursable. As an alternative to having the space station operator conduct the transition, earth station operators may choose to accept a pre-determined per-earth station lump sum – still being worked on by the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC’s”) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau – for all their earth stations as sole compensation for moving out of the band themselves regardless of what solution is pursued after the transition, including moving to another band or off the radiofrequency spectrum altogether. (Previously, we covered the Commission’s schedule for the C-Band transition in detail.) The trick, however, is that, to qualify for reimbursement or the lump sum option, the earth stations must be “incumbent.” On Monday, July 6, 2020, the International Bureau (“Bureau”) issued a preliminary list of incumbent earth stations that would qualify for reimbursement or the lump sum. The Bureau, in the accompanying Public Notice, provided ten (10) days for interested persons to comment on the list, until Thursday, July 16.
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Continue Reading C-Band Earth Stations: The FCC Made the List; It’s Worth Checking It Twice

On March 3, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) released its Report and Order and Order of Proposed Modification (FCC 20-22) (respectively, the “C-Band Order” and the “Proposed License Modification”) realigning the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band in the contiguous United States and proposing to modify most of the satellite, earth station, and fixed service licenses in the Band. If one sorts out the significant deadlines established by the C-Band Order leading up to the target date for the auction of the 3700-3980 MHz range, namely December 8, 2020, and the transition of incumbent space station and earth station operations and fixed service stations which must be completed in the auction’s wake, the heavy lifting required before the auction proceeds is plain. In the attached advisory, these deadlines are discussed in some detail.  Here, they are presented in abridged fashion.

For more information, register here for our April 2 C-Band Update webinar.…

Continue Reading Scheduling the Race to the “C-Band” Auction

On March 25, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission announced a one-month postponement of the 3.5 GHz auction (3550-3650 GHz) in the Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service (“CBRS”), a.k.a. Auction 105. The Commission cited the need “to protect the health and safety of Commission staff during the auction and [the ancillary benefit” that parties have additional time to prepare to participate.”  FCC Chairman Ajit Pai reiterated the agency’s commitment to hold the auction this summer. The band is the first in the so-called mid-band, a range of spectrum seen as critical to the roll out of 5G wireless applications. Commissioner Michael O’Rielly tweeted today that a further delay would be unlikely absent absolutely compelling circumstances. The start of the auction has been postponed to July 23, 2020, (from June 25, 2020), and the new short-form application filing window is April 23 through May 7, 2020.

The Commission also postponed indefinitely its Auction 106, which was set to begin April 28, 2020, and was selling through competitive bidding construction permits in the FM broadcast service.…

Continue Reading FCC Postponing 3.5 GHz Auction on Account of COVID-19; Agency Hopes to Keep 3.7-4.2 GHz Auction on Track

Following a recent episode on the FCC’s C-Band Proceeding addressing use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz spectrum range, Partner Chip Yorkgitis is back to discuss the recently released draft Report and Order, which is expected to be adopted at the FCC’s February 28th meeting. The Order would transition the use of the C-Band to make the…

On Thursday, February 6, in a speech at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai outlined his proposal for the realignment of 3.7-4.2 GHz, the so-called C-Band. Later in the day, the FCC website posted a summary of the Chairman’s proposals, and Republican Commissioners Carr and O’Rielly released statements in support of the initiative. A draft order is expected sometime today, February 7, which will fill in a lot of gaps missing from the broad brushstrokes the Chairman outlined.
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Continue Reading Pai Offers Highlights of His 3.7-4.2 GHz Band Proposal; Particulars Presently Forthcoming

Our “Tuning into Spectrum” podcast series takes a close look at hot topics and issues in radio spectrum. Recently, in a letter to Senator Kennedy (R-LA), Chairman Pai stated that he intends to conduct a public auction of the 3.7-4.2 GHz spectrum range (commonly referred to as the C-Band) that would clear 280 megahertz for…

The FCC is requiring fixed-satellite service (“FSS”) operators to provide the Commission with information about their current use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (“C-Band”) by May 28, 2019, according to a Public Notice released jointly earlier this month by the FCC’s International Bureau, Wireless Bureau, and Office of Engineering and Technology. The FCC will use the information to consider potential rules that allow new commercial terrestrial services in the Band while protecting incumbent satellite and earth station operators. The Band is currently allocated to FSS and the fixed service, but the Commission has proposed adding a mobile, except aeronautical mobile, allocation, which would allow commercial wireless providers to operate 5G services in the Band. The amount of spectrum to be reallocated or shared, the extent of protection for incumbents, and the means of protection for incumbents are all, as yet, undetermined, and they are topics of substantial debate among stakeholders.
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Continue Reading FCC Seeks Further Information About Satellite Use of C-Band from FSS Space and Earth Station Operators

At its August Open Meeting, the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission” or “FCC”) unanimously initiated a major inquiry proceeding into what it labels “mid-band spectrum,” namely the frequencies between 3.7 GHz and 24 GHz.   The proceeding has major potential spectrum management ramifications for the coming years as the record developed could serve as a catalyst for future allocation and rule proceedings in a number of bands.  Recall that in late 2014, the Commission launched its Spectrum Frontiers inquiry proceeding into spectrum above 24 GHz, which led to an order adopting rules for flexible licensed and unlicensed use of almost eleven (11) gigahertz of spectrum in July 2016, and a further notice which may lead to as much as another eighteen (18) gigahertz becoming available in the near future.

In adopting its Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”), the Commission cited the need to meet “future demand” and the desire to “evaluate spectrum bands in all ranges.”  According to the Commission, in extremely general terms given the more than six-fold increase in wavelength between the bottom and top of the so-called “mid-band” range and the many pre-existing allocations throughout the range, these bands have better propagation characteristics (at least in some regards) than higher frequencies and hold out the promise for greater channel bandwidths than lower frequencies.
Continue Reading August 2017 FCC Meeting Recap: FCC Commences Major Study of Spectrum Management Issues Involving “Mid-Band” Frequencies