NPR, GCI Urge Reimbursement of C-Band Relocation Operational Costs

fixed microwave services from the 2160-2165 MHz band required emerging tech service providers to guarantee relocation cost payments to incumbents, including costs that relocated fixed microwave licensees might incur from operating in a different band or migrating to another media, NPR said. In the 800 MHz band reorganization, the FCC considered operating costs as reimbursable relocation costs, it said. It's "beyond reasonable dispute" that C-band receive-only earth stations having to relocate to accommodate 5G use should be held harmless even for increased operational costs, NPR said. GCI, in meetings with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, urged that Alaska be excluded from future reallocation of the C band given the state's weather and topography and that federal land regulations make it particularly reliant on the band. CGI urged protections including requiring commitments from satellite operators and MVPD programmers to maintain the status quo of Alaskan C-band operations, maintaining full-band full-arc coordination policy, and reimbursing Alaska earth station operators for any impacts to their operations stemming from C-band service relocation even if that's exclusively in the lower 48 states.