Accelerating Broadband, Part III

We’re pleased that a proposal currently before the Federal Communications Commission will streamline the 800 MHz rules and make the transition from site-by-site to geographic area licensing. And while some vestiges of site-by-site licensing may still remain in the proposal, those are to be expected when moving from such a complex, 30-year-old licensing regime.

The FCC also has before it a companion item -- a proposal to allow for the use of power spectral density (PSD) to measure power in the cellular band. AT&T filed a petition asking for this change to allow us to deploy long term evolution (LTE) in the cellular band. This rule change was already made in the PCS, AWS and 700 MHz bands and is urgently needed as carriers are deploying LTE now. We commend the FCC for taking steps to remove outdated, burdensome rules that hinder the deployment of wireless infrastructure and we look forward to learning more about the Commission’s report and order and further notice.

[Poltronieri is AT&T’s Assistant Vice President of Federal Regulatory]