NTIA Studying Sharing in 7.125-8.4 GHz Band; Controversy Expected
NTIA put a relatively unexplored spectrum band on the table Tuesday for potential sharing, between federal incumbents and other users -- the 7.125-8.4 GHz band. It's in “early stages” of considering a feasibility study of future sharing there, Charles Cooper, associate administrator in the Office of Spectrum Management, told the first meeting of the reconstituted Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The frequencies are adjacent to the 6 GHz band, which is being looked at for sharing with Wi-Fi by the FCC. Officials at the CSMAC meeting said Cooper’s announcement wasn’t a shock since the band is targeted in the Studying How to Harness Airwave Resources Efficiently Act (HR-4462), the subject of a House Communications Subcommittee hearing last week (see 1909270063).
NTIA has been reviewing 3.1-3.550 and 7.125-8.4 GHz in work tied to last October’s National Spectrum Strategy memo by President Donald Trump, Cooper said. “Other bands will be added after consultation."
The administration failed to meet a July 22 deadline for completing the national strategy (see 1907310033). “NTIA has been hard at work” on the report, said Doug Kinkoph, acting deputy administrator. “Last month, we released a report that showed significant progress on spectrum repurposing efforts. That includes efforts like making 5.9 GHz available for terrestrial wireless and 5G.” The agency has completed work on the spectrum strategy, he said: It’s “under review at the White House, and we hope will be released in the coming weeks.” CSMAC will play a “vital role” in the strategy, Kinkoph said.
And 7.125-8.4 GHz is heavily used for federal fixed point-to-point links, similar to commercial links in the 6 GHz band, industry officials said. In February, in comments on the 6 GHz proceeding, CTIA said the FCC “together with NTIA and federal stakeholders, should explore whether a portion of the band can be made available for non-federal, commercial use.” CTIA didn’t comment Tuesday.
“Isn't it inevitable that virtually every band, federal or non-federal, will eventually be reviewed for sharing opportunities?” CSMAC member Mark Crosby, president of the Enterprise Wireless Alliance, told us. “The 7-8 GHz bands are next." Other members expect some resistance, particularly from DOD, a heavy user of those airwaves.
“The 7 GHz band is underutilized, but since it would be extremely difficult to clear federal users from large contiguous portions of it, the bipartisan Share Act is correct to identify the band for potential shared use by fixed wireless operators and perhaps by low-power unlicensed networks,” said CSMAC member Michael Calabrese of New America. “Studying additional federal bands for clearing or sharing is most welcome, especially if it is made available on terms that will enable robust use of the band by small and large players,” said new CSMAC member Claude Aiken, Wireless ISP Association president.
The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition, which he represents, filed a petition for rulemaking asking for sharing of 7.125-8.4 GHz in March 2010, said Mitchell Lazarus of Fletcher Heald. Private fixed licensees “have an extremely effective and reliable frequency coordination systems that results in zero interference” in 6 GHz, Lazarus told us.
“I don’t know how the federal government does it or how their system works, but presumably it should be possible to integrate the systems,” Lazarus said, noting the 7-8 GHz band isn't a substitute for the widely used 6 GHz band. Forcing fixed wireless operations to leave 6 GHz “would be economically and logistically disastrous,” he said.” Twenty years ago, FWCC members had to relocate from 2 GHz to 4 and 6 GHz, he said. “That was contentious, expensive, time-consuming, frustrating.”
"Unlicensed operations proposed for the 6 GHz band will not affect the RF environment in the adjacent 7125-8400 MHz band and, therefore, NTIA's effort to review the federal uses in this band to support future 5G wireless deployments is not of particular concern,” emailed Alex Roytblat, Wi-Fi Alliance senior director-regulatory affairs.
On another band, NTIA carried out the engineering and software development for testing spectrum access system administrators in the 3.5 GHz band, which allowed the FCC to certify them, Cooper said. “NTIA will remain involved in tracking and monitoring how these systems perform” and is waiting for 30-day progress reports, he said: “We’re in it for the long haul.”
CSMAC this term (see 1909270047) has “four good questions and very complicated ones,” said co-Chair Charla Rath, ex-Verizon. “We have our work cut out for us.” Members said the work of the four subcommittees is just getting underway. CSMAC is targeted to meet again early next year, officials said. This was its first meeting since July 2018 (see 1807240057).