As part of its ongoing effort to free up spectrum for the nationwide deployment of 5G technology, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed to allocate a portion of mid-band spectrum for 5G use.
Issued in late September, the Commission’s Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking lays the groundwork for making 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for 5G use. Specifically, the Report and Order adopts a 2019 FCC proposal to remove secondary, non-federal allocations from the 3.3-3.55 GHz band as a first step to facilitate spectrum sharing between federal incumbents and commercial operations.
The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes: 1) allocation changes to the band to enable future commercial use; 2) coordination between future commercial users and federal incumbents that remain operational within the band; 3) relocation logistics for non-federal secondary users; and 4) technical, licensing and operating rules to foster a successful coordinator of band use between the parties.
Comment on the FCC’s proposed changes can be filed through the agency’s electronic comment filing system (ECFS) at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs// (reference WT Docket No. 19-348). Comments are due by the beginning of November.
Read the complete text of the FCC’s Report and Order on facilitating shared use.
