As part of its effort to support the deployment of 5G cellular services in the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed updated rules applicable to over-the-air reception devices (OTARDs) that would include an exemption for hub and relay antennas.
Hub and relay antennas are expected to play an important function in the infrastructure build-out required to support 5G deployment, especially in underserved rural and urban areas. However, they are currently not included in the list of exempt devices under the Commission’s OTARD regulations.
Issued in mid-April, the Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is a response to a request from the Wireless Internet Service Providers Organization (WISPA) for the Commission to update the OTARD rules to apply to “all fixed wireless transmitters and receivers, regardless of whether the equipment is used for reception, transmission, or both, so long as the equipment meets the existing size restrictions for customer-end equipment.”
Public comments on the broadening of the current exemptions in the FCC’s OTARD rules can be submitted until mid-May through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) (reference WT Docket No. 19-71).
Read the complete text of the Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in connection with OTARDs.
