The Satellite Industry Association has been meeting with senior F...
The Satellite Industry Association has been meeting with senior FCC officials on its proposal that the commission make the 700 MHz D-block buildout rules more flexible if satellite technology is used. The agency is deciding how to restructure the…
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D-block auction after bidding in the original sale didn’t meet the reserve price. The D-block is 10 MHz of commercial spectrum that was to be paired with 12 MHz of public-safety spectrum to create a public-private partnership that would build and run a nationwide interoperable broadband wireless network. One of the complaints about the D-block was the stringent buildout requirements. “It may well be appropriate to provide more flexibility in the buildout requirements,” SIA said. The dual mode mobile satellite service/terrestrial requirement that the FCC has already incorporated in its rules could be altered to allow more time to build out the terrestrial network if satellite coverage was available, an industry source said. In its original rules, the commission required the D-block licensee to offer at least one handset with both MSS and terrestrial capabilities.