The Future: The FCC Takes Broad Look At DTV-Freed 700 MHz Spectrum

upon the eve of starting Auction 66 for 1122 Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) licenses and commercial third-generation (3G) offerings this Wednesday (Aug. 9) the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now looking far ahead to the more colossal 2008 litigate for 700 MHz broadcast appearance made available by the digital television (DTV) transition.

The five-member regulatory agency last week unanimously approved opening a of recent origin Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) upon auctioning off the 90 megahertz of representation in DTV-freed analog bands as mandated by means of the U.S. Congress. It try to finds comment on a wide range of lordships and regulations connected with the auction, including licensing parameters, representation efficiency ideas, broadband usage and commercial applications.

DTV migration in early 2009 will be preced by means of the FCC's auction of 698 MHz-746 MHz 747 MHz-762 MHz and 777 MHz-792 MHz radio frequencies (aka the 700 MHz band) with set-asides for public-safety and exigency communications. The FCC says the NPRM upon possible rule changes involves the portions of 700 MHz band allocated for commercial wireless services, and it rejects the 700 MHz "guard bands" as well as the 700 MHz portion for public-safety services.

below the Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005 (the DTV Act), which was signed into law earlier this year (TelecomWeb novels break, Feb. 9), the FCC is required to start the auction no later than Jan. 28 2008 Official U rule estimates are that the auction could raise about $10 billion on the other hand private estimates suggest the numbers could reach $20 billion, with a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of of the money earmarked for the U Treasury.

The FCC said because more than four years have passed since it previously established band plans and service masterships for the spectrum, it exigencys to revisit some of its earlier decisions regarding the service masterships for licenses in the band. Among the questions:

>>The possibility of modifying the size of the geographic service areas and representation blocks.

>>Revising performance requirements for portions of the 700 MHz band not still auctioned.

>>Modifying the directions related to license renewal, license terminuss and power limits.

The geographical question is pleasing to the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), which says it likes the idea that the FCC in general is taking another gaze at the rules, particularly those involving the size of the geographic service areas "This is actual valuable spectrum with the potential for rural applications," says Jill Canfield, NTCA senior regulatory counsel

In seeking annotate on whether there is a ne to revise the size of the geographic service areas for the remaining unauctioned representation in the 700M MHz band, the commission says individual possibility is to use smaller areas like the so- called 734 Cellular Market Areas compos of Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rural Service Areas. At the same, it also gazes for input on the possibility of dividing stop D in the Upper 700 MHz band into smaller blocks; and whether to add or revise performance requirements for unauctioned appearance including such alternatives as specific construction benchmarks.

upon both auctioned and unauctioned licenses in the 700 MHz band, the FCC search fors comment on potential license-renewal changes, including possibly extending the limits of licenses and modifying the existing power limits in the pair the Upper 700 MHz and the Lower 700 MHz bands as well as paces the FCC could take to further facilitate access to 700 MHz representation and the provision of service upon tribal lands.

The FCC also claims it will take no action that would cause harmful interference to public-safety licensees in the band "in light of the paramount importance of public safety operations in the 700 MHz band."

According to the commission, its staff has reached a tentative conclusion that services provided by means of licensees in the 700 MHz band and in other bands bring under rule to Part 27 of the controls should be subject to Enhanced 911 and hearing- aid-compatibility requirements "to the same amplitude that such services would be overspreaded if provided in other bands."

Broadband And 'Copious' Proceeds

Individual commissioner statements repeatedly boiled down to enthusiasm with meeting broadband deployment goals in the United States. Commissioner Michael J Copp also referr to "beach-front characteristic spectrum" and prospects that auction could deliver "hopefully copious proceeds" to the U Treasury.

From the auction go aheads however, the DTV Act also makes as abundant as $1 billion available in grant programs to help public-safety agencies obtain and unfold interoperable RF systems as well as between $990 million and $15 billion for the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to handle a first-come-first-served program giving over- the-air TV viewers $40 voucher interest warrants to subsidize purchases of analog-to- digital set-top converter boxes