FCC Adopts Wireless Backhaul Order, Further Notice
The FCC adopted an order that the commission said will help peel back several previous rules and allow fixed microwave operation in the spectrum bands that had been previously restricted. License holders will also be able to use adaptive modulation, “which will allow them to take advantage of the latest technology to maintain the reliability of links,” the FCC said. The FCC also eliminated the so-called “final link” rule, saying Tuesday’s rules would give broadcasters “flexibility” by letting them use fixed microwave links more frequently. The commission also launched a rulemaking seeking comment on ways to make microwave communications “more flexible and cost-effective."
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FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Tuesday’s unanimous vote was “a trifecta: It’s another important step in our spectrum agenda, recognizing the powerful role that wireless communications can play in economic revitalization. It’s another important step in our Broadband Acceleration Initiative, recognizing the importance to job creation of accelerating broadband build-out and reducing its costs. And it’s another important step in our regulatory reform agenda, recognizing our ongoing commitment to remove or reform outdated regulations."
Commissioner Robert McDowell said he was voting to support Tuesday’s revisions “consistent with my longstanding commitment to creating meaningful competitive opportunities for cost-efficient backhaul, which ultimately benefits America’s consumers.” McDowell said he was “pleased” the commission was “removing regulatory barriers that unnecessarily hamper the ability to enter the marketplace for wireless backhaul and other point-to-point and point-to-multipoint communications. … We are also making additional spectrum available for this purpose, as well as seeking comment on allowing wider channels and smaller antennas in certain bands. With these actions, the Commission is taking another step to spur the construction of advanced broadband services."
Commissioner Michael Copps said the vote will help make microwave available in rural America and will “set the stage for more action to decrease deployment costs of this technology -- something that is becoming increasingly important as we move toward a 4G world. … The current spectrum crunch is also a backhaul crunch, and microwave is often the answer in rural areas where it may not be economical to run fiber. The benefits of mobile broadband are at this point obvious; what’s equally obvious is that no one should be left behind because of where they happen to live.” Regulators should “guard against interference” and should “promote spectrum efficiency,” Copps said. “But examining our current technical standards for antennas, efficiency, and channel size presents additional opportunities to increase the presence of, and competition in, microwave backhaul,” he said. “As an example, tower siting costs and a lack of desirable antenna positions drive up provider costs; exploring our antenna standards may bring relief."
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said she “was pleased to see that the item does not stop at adopting rules to permit more use of microwave communications in rural areas.” The further rulemaking notice also presents great opportunities, Clyburn said. “The proposal to permit wider channel bandwidths in the 6 and 11 GHz bands is also promising for those rural areas that are hardest to serve,” she said. “Wider channels allow providers to build backhaul links that are more reliable and able to accommodate increased demand for broadband services. It is possible, in the least populated rural areas, that there is sufficient spectrum available in the 6 and 11 GHz bands, to allow the use of wider channels, and spur greater deployment of wireless broadband services.”