Search for Broadband Spectrum to Be Top CSMAC Priority
The first priority of the newly reconstituted Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee will be the government’s “search” for 500 MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband, according to the group’s draft work program. The new CSMAC meets for the first time Wednesday at the Department of Commerce.
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CSMAC is to have four working groups -- the 500 MHz search group, as well as groups focused on sharing, unlicensed spectrum and on spectrum management improvements. NTIA will be more specific than it has been in the past about questions asked, the draft said. “The Committee will be given the opportunity to add to, take away from, prioritize and select the questions under each topic,” the draft said. “However, the Working Groups will consider and answer one, or no more than a couple, questions at one time.”
NTIA laid out a list of questions it wants the 500 MHz search group to answer. Among them is “How should the impact of exclusion areas (for satellites or other specific operations) on the value of spectrum for commercial services be measured?” and “Given the need for spectrum in high density areas, what is the value of spectrum in specific, limited geographic areas?” Several of the questions relate to interference and the extent to which having to deal with interference will diminish the value of spectrum. “If there will be interference to industry at some location or time within an agreed sharing approach, what is needed in terms of service rules to incorporate the interference into the terms of the license and licensee expectations?” NTIA asks.
The 1755-1850 MHz band will be an initial priority, according to the draft work plan. Wireless carriers have pushed for quick reallocation of the 1755-1780 MHz band, to be paired with AWS-3 spectrum for an auction (CD April 26 p8). The draft asks whether the remainder of the spectrum can also be paired with other spectrum. The working group is also tasked to look at the impact of reallocating federal operations in the band to other spectrum.
NTIA laid out a series of issues to be addressed by the other three working groups as well. For example, the sharing working group is to examine the kinds of sharing that are “workable” long term for industry. Among the possibilities are geographic licensing, dynamic sharing through the use of sensing in a mobile frequency-hopping or spread spectrum radar environment. The working group is also to examine the use of spectrum testbeds. “What do you define a test bed to be?” NTIA asks. “Is a test bed a specific focused test operation? A facility? An open geographic area? A band? How can they best be used to facilitate the development of sharing capabilities? How do you best ensure agreement and acceptance of test outcomes?” The document is at http://xrl.us/bkpodf.
NTIA announced late Tuesday that the new co-chairmen of CSMAC are Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association, and Gregory Rosston, deputy director of the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research.