News
The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously approved an early step towards bringing unused 5G-grade spectrum to market
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
New proposed rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) represent the first step towards bringing a slate of unused 5G-grade spectrum licenses to the market.
The proposed rules, approved unanimously by FCC commissioners, will update rules around AWS-3 spectrum licenses, the FCC announced Thursday.
According to the FCC, the AWS-3 band refers to spectrum between 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz.
Around 200 licenses for AWS-3 spectrum were returned to the FCC’s inventory following a 2014 auction.
“Certain winning bidders defaulted on their payment obligations,” the FCC’s press release stated. “As a result, approximately 200 licenses were returned to the FCC’s inventory.”
Additionally, proceeds from a new auction will fund the FCC’s rip and replace program, the release explained.
The rip and replace program, known formally as the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, aims to “remove untrustworthy technology” from communications networks in the United States.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the action was “essential to promoting our national security.”
In a statement on the matter, published on the FCC’s website, Carr said failing to close a funding gap in the FCC’s rip and replace program “would have left America’s networks needlessly exposed to security risks.”
‘Time for the FCC to get back to auctioning spectrum’
Carr’s statement also celebrated the vote, saying the time had come for the FCC to auction spectrum once again.
“It is time that we free up airwaves for 5G and other next-gen services,” Carr’s statement read. “Of course, conducting auctions at the FCC has been a bit of a challenge in recent years because the FCC’s general spectrum auction authority lapsed back in 2023.”
He continued.
“But late last year, Congress came together and on a bipartisan basis authorized the FCC to auction our inventory of AWS-3 spectrum,” Carr stated. “This was a good step forward, and I want to commend Chairwoman (Jessica) Rosenworcel and her leadership team for moving quickly to prepare a document that allows the FCC to conduct this auction.”
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks also issued a statement, thanking Carr and fellow FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez for approving language that would explore whether or not a priority window for tribal nations could be leveraged to boost connectivity on tribal lands.
“While there are legal and procedural issues at play, I’m glad that we’ll be building a public record,” Starks stated. “I appreciate the crucial engagement from the Navajo Nation and other advocates that brought this issue into focus.”
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