A cable industry group praised the Federal Communications Commission for removing potentially “onerous” reporting requirements from a spectrum rule-making proposal.
The commission on Thursday approved a measure to begin crafting rules to open the C-Band, or spectrum between 3.7 GHz and 4.2 GHz currently used by broadcasters for satellite transmissions, for wireless use.
The proposal, in part, requires current operators in the band to provide details about their use of the spectrum, which is considered important to next-generation wireless networks.
The American Cable Association said in a statement that a draft circulated weeks ago would have required registered C-Band receive-only earth stations to report new information to the FCC “about the satellite transponders from which they receive signals.”
The group said that requirement would have been difficult for small cable operators to meet, and said that its staff, along with member companies Shentel and LHTC Broadband, expressed those concerns during a subsequent meeting with FCC staff.
The ACA noted that the proposal approved this week did not include that stipulation.
“ACA believes that the Chairman Pai and the rest of the commissioners made the right decision in removing the new reporting requirement from the order,” said ACA President and CEO Matthew Polka. “ACA looks forward to working with the FCC to determine the best path forward to expand flexible use of the C-Band.”
Some broadcasters previously voiced concerns about sharing their spectrum with wireless companies, but FCC commissioners said the availability of more mid-band spectrum is vital to the nation’s efforts to build 5G networks.
“Financial analysts predict that investment in 5G infrastructure will peak around 2021,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. “If this spectrum will be used for 5G, it makes the most sense to press forward with options that have the best shot at bringing this spectrum online during the initial 5G rollouts.”
Filed Under: Industry regulations