WCAI, WISPA Call on FCC to Change White-Spaces Antenna Rules
The Wireless Communications Association (WCAI) called on the FCC to increase a limit on white-spaces antennas of 76-meter height above average terrain (HAAT). Making that change would “enable consumers, businesses, and schools in rural, hilly parts of the country to receive broadband via white space spectrum,” the association said. The Wireless Internet Service Provider Association (WISPA) meanwhile offered two concessions on its proposal for raising the HAAT limit. Others also filed reply comments as the commission deals with five petitions for reconsideration filed in January (CD Jan 10 p 4).
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"Several parties in this proceeding have identified the 76-meter HAAT limit as a significant problem,” WCAI said, citing a petition for reconsideration filed by WISPA and others. “Based on this evidence, WCAI believes that a 250-meter HAAT limit would benefit ISPs and consumers … and, so long as incumbents can be protected at the same levels, would not harm incumbents.”
WISPA offered a compromise on antenna height after discussions with NAB and the Association for Maximum Service Television: antenna height plus elevation would not be allowed to exceed 250 meters. The association also proposed that fixed devices not be able to communicate with mode I personal/portable devices.
"In proposing these modifications, the Joint Petitioners appreciate the willingness of other parties, particularly MSTV/NAB, to acknowledge the substantial benefits the public will receive from having greater operational flexibility,” WISPA said. Signing on to its comments were the Federation of Internet Solution Providers of the Americas, the Native American Broadband Association, Spectrum Bridge, Comsearch and Carlson Wireless Technologies.
Motorola Solutions shot back at critics of its recon petition, which asks that devices be allowed to operate under looser adjacent channel out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limits from specified distances beyond the protected contours of adjacent channel TV stations. The “stringent requirement” in rules approved by the FCC last year “precludes the use of existing, off-the-shelf technologies and would instead require the development of unique transmitter and variable frequency filtering solutions,” Motorola said. Criticisms of its proposal are “based on faulty legal and policy arguments and, therefore, should be rejected,” the company said.
Shure filed an objection to the Motorola proposal, saying it would “materially undermine the interference protections put in place to ensure that new devices operating in the TV bands do not harm incumbent operations.” Cellular South said the FCC should approve its petition seeking protections from adjacent channel interference for lower block A licensees operating on former TV channel 52. “Significantly, no party questioned the fact that without additional interference protection, Lower Block A licensees would likely suffer destructive interference,” the company said.