FCC granted in part and denied in part Skybridge petition for reconsideration on nongeostationary orbit (NGSO) fixed satellite services (FSS) sharing Ku-band frequencies with geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite and terrestrial services. Commission also denied Hughes petition for reconsideration on radio frequency (RF) safety rules. In decisions released Tues., Commission granted 4 Skybridge requests and amended its rules as follows: (1) NGSO FSS uplink operations can operate in 13.15-13.2125 GHz portion of 12.75-13.25 GHz band outside 50 km radius of top-100 TV markets. Gateway operations will be allowed in 13.15-13.2125 GHz on co-primary basis and changes will reflect effective isotropically radiated power (EIRP) limits of 3.2 dBW at 0 degrees elevation. (2) Co-frequency operations don’t need individual coordination because power flux density limits for NGSO FSS in 10.7-11.7 GHz are sufficient. “Should interference occur, the new entrant shall continue to be responsible for resolving the interference to an acceptable level,” Commission said. (3) NGSO FSS earth station gateway definition is amended to limit their use to support NGSO FSS and not for exclusive use of any one customer. (4) ITU EIRP limits of 59 dBW will be adopted for federal radiolocation operations in 13.75-14 GHz band that will protect GSO and NGSO FSS operations. Commission denied Skybridge requests to restrict EIRP limits to 6 MHz in 13.77-13.78 GHz band and to require ITU protection levels to share frequencies with radio astronomy services. It also addressed Hughes petition that Commission shouldn’t require professional installation of 2- way subscriber antennas for RF operations. FCC denied requests, saying professional installation wasn’t requirement but was merely suggestion. “In addition, the Commission may examine RF safety concerns and NGSO FSS antenna rules on professional installation, labeling, interlocking measures and instructional materials in a future proceeding,” agency said.

In new filings on ultra-wideband (UWB), AOL Time Warner, Viacom, Warner Bros. and others said they supported petition for reconsideration by Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA). FCC plans to vote at Thurs. meeting on reconsideration of Feb. 2002 UWB rules and other pending issues. HBO, Turner Bcstg. and others raised concerns last week that emissions limits would create potential interference for C-band receive antennas (CD Feb 6 p9). Viacom urged FCC to revise emissions limits for UWB devices at 3.7-4.2 GHz to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with satellite services. Viacom owns premium and basic cable program services and 2 broadcast networks, CBS and UPN, delivered via C-band satellite capacity and received by cable operator head-ends and network affiliates using downlink antennas at 3.7-4.2 GHz. Program services include Showtime, Nickelodeon, MTV. “Viacom and its cable and broadcast network affiliates literally have billions of dollars riding on the quality reception of C-band transmissions,” it said. NCTA raised similar concerns, citing recent SIA studies that said UWB devices could cause interference to reception of satellite signals in C-band frequencies. “We urge the Commission not to adopt final technical rules for UWB devices until this analysis can be done and appropriate remedies adopted,” NCTA said. Warner Bros. and WB TV network also weighed in on side of SIA. WB said SIA findings showed that peak emission limits adopted for UWB devices weren’t sufficient to protect C-band receive antennas. “Studies show that UWB devices operating at their allowed peak power densities could interfere with C-band reception at distances up to 4.4 kilometers between a UWB device and a satellite earth station,” WB said. “Given this interference potential, it is highly likely that widespread deployment of UWB devices under current technical rules would cause significant disruption to television network distribution.” AOL Time Warner also raised issue of peak emission limits and impact on C-band. “Because the C-band frequencies are used for video program distribution for nearly all other cable and broadcast television networks, it is imperative that further analysis be done, and appropriate technical revisions be made in the FCC’s UWB rules, to ensure that UWB technology can be deployed without disrupting cable service to millions of consumers,” AOL said. Separately, Siemens is seeking several minor changes in rules for its 24 GHz short-range vehicular radar system. That system provides crash detection and collision warnings. System involves pulsed frequency-hopping radar that uses “independent time and frequency multiplexing technique,” Siemens said in FCC filing. Among changes company is seeking is modification of UWB transmitter as intentional radiator that has UWB bandwidth equal to or greater than 500 MHz to allow Siemens system to occupy required 500 MHz bandwidth within 10 milliseconds.

FCC inquiry on receiver performance requirements is “imminent,” Office of Engineering & Technology Chief Edmond Thomas told reporters Thurs. He outlined next steps to follow up on Spectrum Policy Task Force report, including proposals on software defined radio and “interference temperature.” He said ultra-wideband (UWB) agenda item for Feb. 13 meeting wouldn’t relax or stiffen requirements for new technology. He said FCC would test real-world UWB devices this year, with decisions on whether rules should be altered likely next year.

President Bush named former NTIA Dir. Janice Obuchowski ambassador to World Radio Conference (WRC) 2003, which starts in June. Her appointment had been long anticipated, although Administration had missed self-imposed deadline of finalizing choice by start of WRC Conference Preparatory Meeting in Nov. Obuchowski, also former FCC official, told us U.S. preparations for Geneva meeting would make this “best prepared-for conference to date” and singled out last week’s govt.-industry agreement on 5 GHz as “breakthrough.”

Industry and key govt. agencies, including FCC and Defense Dept., bridged impasse more quickly than expected last week on harmonizing international spectrum for wireless local area networks at 5 GHz, industry and govt. sources said. New U.S. position is expected to clear way for potential compromises with administrations in Europe and elsewhere on how to make way for Wi-Fi at 5 GHz at the World Radio Conference (WRC) in June in Geneva. Before reaching accord, U.S. govt. and industry interests had struggled to find balance between protecting military radars at 5 GHz and making way for harmonized spectrum for Wi-Fi.

Mobile satellite service (MSS) providers will have option to use ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) to supplement their satellite services under certain conditions, FCC said Thurs. Text of order wasn’t available by our deadline, but news release outlined key points, which included 8 different gating criteria and covered interference concerns for 2-GHz and L-band. Commission also adopted rulemaking on Big Leo band to address additional spectrum issues. As part of 5 interlocking items released Thurs., Commission reallocated 30 MHz from MSS band at 2 GHz for 3G wireless. CTIA still called actions “split decision for consumers,” saying it was likely to challenge ATC order.

Boeing will dispose of 2 GHZ mobile satellite service (MSS) geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite by moving bird into storage orbit, company said Jan. 17. All stored energy on satellite will be “depleted or safely secured,” it told Commission. Boeing MSS satellites are due for critical design review in 6 months.

Wi-Fi Alliance said first round of 5 GHz IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers) 802.11a-based products passed Wi-Fi interoperability certification testing. It said it certified 8 products from 6 different companies based on 3 different IEEE 802.11a chipsets. One of products was dual band product (802.11a and 802.11b), Wi-Fi Alliance said.

Bill to create more unlicensed spectrum for broadband was introduced Tues. by Sens. Boxer (D-Cal.) and Allen (R- Va.), as expected (CD Jan 15 p1). S-159 largely reflects bill they introduced late in 107th Congress, calling for 255 MHz of additional unlicensed spectrum. However, Boxer said that to address concerns of cellular community, spectrum would be limited to the 5 GHz band. Previous bill called for allocation below 6 GHz, which concerned cellular operators below 3 GHz. Allen said 5 GHz designation would “harmonize wireless devices in the United States with the international allocation in countries like Japan, Brazil, Canada and Europe,” adding that band had favorable propagation. Band limitation is significant in that Boxer and Allen both said one aim of bill was to promote Wi-Fi, but what most people consider Wi-Fi, 802.11b, operates at 2.4 GHz. Faster wireless LAN service, 802.11a, operates at 5 GHz but is used primarily by businesses. Boxer said bill also was modified to limit any FCC rules to “ensure robust and efficient use of the spectrum for broadband delivery services.” Both Boxer and Allen touted wireless Internet as way to speed broadband rollout, with Boxer saying that in rural areas, “wireless technologies have the potential to allow communities to use signal repeaters to bring Internet connections to places where wires do not reach, or where the signal over the wire is too weak.” But Allen said Wi-Fi “is only the beginning and this legislation will create an environment where cognitive radios and dynamic frequency selection of technologies can grow and innovate to offer services unimaginable today.” Bill would give NTIA 180 days to consult with agencies such as Dept. of Defense on interference standards, and FCC would have 360 days to adopt “minimal technical and device rules” for unlicensed spectrum. It was referred to Senate Commerce Committee.

FCC should rescind modified experimental license granted to MDS America (MDSA) because requirements of license infringe on Northpoint patent, latter said in Dec. 18 application for review. Patent protects company’s idea to re-use terrestrial spectrum by transmitting signal toward back of satellite receivers in same frequency, Northpoint said. It had asked FCC to authorize it to use patented technology in satellite spectrum. FCC rejected idea and adopted rules that included auctions for multichannel video distribution & data services (MVDDS) in 12 GHz band (CD April 24 p1). Authorization of MDSA to use Northpoint technology to conduct experiments “expressly requires infringement as a condition of an FCC license,” company said. Northpoint said it didn’t want to be sole provider of terrestrial broadcast services in band, but authorizations should be awarded only if companies were “ingenious enough to [provide services] without infringing Northpoint’s patent rights in the process.” Company also said MDSA’s proposed experiments pose threats of harmful interference to existing DBS operations in experimental area. Northpoint said power limits imposed on future MDSA experiments still exceeded limits previously imposed on MVDDS operators by Commission. “Approximately 40,000 persons [will be] at risk of harmful interference and more than 7,000 at risk of losing their DBS signal entirely” under modified license, Northpoint said. Company also cited experiments that it said “revealed methodological errors and unexplained anomalies in the test data.” MDSA hasn’t explained how it will fix existing problems or how new experiments with increased potential for interference will provide “meaningful” data, Northpoint said. FCC recently rescheduled auction of MVDDS licenses to Aug. 6. Staffer said auctions were rescheduled to allow Commission time to clear up “outstanding issues on reconsideration that needed to be resolved.”