Chairman Pai Blog: A Giant Leap For 5G

At the Federal Communications Commission’s July 10 meeting, we will aim to take some important steps forward on the spectrum side of our Facilitating America's Superiority in 5G Technology (5G FAST) plan. Mid-band spectrum, which offers an important combination of 5G coverage and capacity, is central to our strategy. That's why today, I’m circulating an order to open up the 2.5 GHz band for 5G. On July 10, the FCC will vote on an order that will modernize an outdated regulatory regime for the 2.5 GHz band, a regime developed in the days when educational TV was the only use envisioned for this spectrum. The new framework will not only give incumbent users more flexibility in how they use the spectrum, but also provide opportunities for Tribal Nations and others to obtain access to unused 2.5 GHz spectrum. Making this valuable mid-band spectrum available for new mobile services will allow for more efficient and effective use of these airwaves and will advance US leadership in 5G. We’ll also focus on unleashing high-band spectrum for 5G at our July meeting. The FCC will vote to finalize the procedures, terms, and conditions for the auction of the upper 37, 39, and 47 GHz bands. Among the many key details outlined in this Public Notice, this will be an incentive auction.

The FCC will also consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Declaratory Ruling to enable the millions of Americans who live and work in "multiple tenant environments" (MTEs) to have greater choice when it comes to broadband. We’ll also modernize other regulations that are holding back the deployment of next-generation networks and services.  We’ll consider an item that will eliminate unnecessary pricing regulation of a subset of lower-speed “business data services” — middle-mile services known as “transport” services — offered by price-cap incumbent carriers. We will also be taking the next step in our ongoing proceeding to create a Connected Care Pilot Program within the Universal Service Fund. The July meeting will also feature three media-related items. The headliner out of this trio will be an update to the FCC’s children’s television programming rules.