Spectrum

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the FCC has certified four Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, paving the way for full commercial operations in the 3.5 GHz band. In 2019, the FCC approved these SAS Administrators for initial commercial deployments. Jan 27’s action allows for full commercial use of this critical mid-band spectrum for broadband connectivity and 5G. 

On Nov 19, 2019, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Ranking Member Tom Udall (D-NM) and Sens Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to give voice to the concerns raised by Tribal communities surrounding the implementation of the Tribal priority window to open up access to Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum on Tribal lands. 

On Nov 22, 2019, Rep Peter DeFazio (D-OR) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai about his growing concern with the FCC's "pattern of subordinating transportation safety to corporate broadband interests." He objected tot he FCC's proposal to repurpose portions of the 3.7-4.2 GHz spectrum band (C-band) for 5G purposes. He also objected to the FCC proposal to give away more than half the reserved 5.9 GHz connected vehicle spectrum to unlicensed Wi-Fi. 

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) sent a letter to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging the government watchdog to conduct an updated review of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) federal spectrum management processes. They asked GAO to consider as part of its review how federal spectrum users interact with NTIA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), how the NTIA and FCC interact with each other, and the recent federal spectrum management process breakdowns.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), and 36 Members of the committee sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission to raise serious concerns with the FCC’s plan to redirect more than half the 5.9 GHz spectrum band. In December 2019, the FCC proposed to reallocate more than half of the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band (or Safety Band) to unlicensed operations, such as Wi-Fi.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai released the following statement regarding an upcoming Cellular Vehicle to Everything (CV2X) deployment in Northern Virginia, which was announced Jan 22 by Audi, Qualcomm, and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The deployment will include warnings that automatically alert cars to upcoming work zones as well as SPaT (signal phase and timing), which enables cars to receive a countdown from a red light to a green light: 

The Senate Commerce Committee's first hearing of 2020, "Industries of the Future" dealt with the federal government's role in advancing new technologies. Federal Communications Commissioners Jessica Rosenwrocel and Michael O'Rielly testified and spoke about 5G. On the issue of speeding the 5G rollout, Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) pointed out that there is "a company on TV" already advertising that they are already leading the industry in 5G. Commissioner Rosenworcel said there have been some deployments, which was exciting, but that they were chiefly in urban areas.

A bipartisan group of leading national security senators introduced legislation to encourage and support US innovation in the race for 5G, providing over $1 billion to invest in Western-based alternatives to Chinese equipment providers Huawei and ZTE.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting that the chairman update him on any progress made on FCC auction plans and compensation proposals for satellite companies operating within the C-Band. At present, foreign satellite companies are operating within the C-Band, a part of the spectrum that the FCC is attempting to set aside for future 5G wireless use. Spectrum refers to electromagnetic waves that wireless devices use to deliver voice, text, video and other wireless communications.

My travels throughout Indian Country have shown me that bringing high-speed connectivity to rural Tribal lands can be a game-changer. Broadband enables teleworking, job searches, and even starting an online business. It allows patients to consult with specialists without having to drive hours to the nearest hospital. And it gives students the ability to take advanced math and science classes online, if they aren’t offered at the local school. That’s why I’m proud to have launched several Federal Communications Commission initiatives to expand broadband access on Tribal lands.