FCC Considering Rules Allowing Better Broadband Access on Commercial Flights
The FCC launched a rulemaking seeking comment on a Qualcomm proposal for a terrestrial-based air-ground mobile broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band, on a secondary basis, for use by passengers on aircraft. The service uses time-division duplex technology and is expected to mean faster broadband connections on commercial flights. The proposal has faced continuing opposition from the Satellite Industry Association since the spectrum is set aside as a satellite uplink band (CD April 30 p4). Commissioners approved the NPRM on a 4-0 vote Thursday, but said they want hard evidence that the new service won’t pose interference problems for satellite operators.
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The NPRM seeks comment on rules by which the commission would license the service in either two 250-MHz blocks, a single 500-MHz block, or some other spectrum block size, and proposes to award the licenses by auction, said an FCC news release. The NPRM argues that 150-250 base stations in the 14 GHz band could provide 300 Gbps service to passengers on commercial flights. It also proposes performance requirements and initial 10-year licenses, an FCC official said.
"Spatial diversity helps make this service possible in this band on a secondary basis,” said Howard Griboff of the International Bureau, who presented the item during the meeting. “Because earth stations in the Fixed Satellite Service all point south and the air-ground mobile broadband base stations would be designed to point north” the service would “avoid harmful interference to satellites in the geo-stationary orbit over the Equator.”
SIA released a statement expressing strong concerns about the NPRM. “SIA has filed with the Commission detailed technical analyses that demonstrate that the proposed air-ground service would cause interference into the satellite services that are primary in that band and are relied upon by media, enterprise, public safety and U.S. military customers for essential services,” SIA said. “These Ku-band satellite services represent extraordinary technical innovation and billions of dollars of investment in both spacecraft and satellite ground systems, generating more than $1 billion in North American revenue annually. SIA’s filings have stressed the importance of not only protecting existing satellite services, but also ensuring that the industry’s ability to continue to innovate is not limited by the proposed secondary service."
All of the commissioners acknowledged they have encountered some frustrations over being out of touch during commercial flights. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel joked that her staff gets a respite when she’s flying but now “will get to hear from me more often."
"According to some, using 500 megahertz of spectrum in this band could sustain data rates to aircraft of up to 300 gigabits per second,” Rosenworcel said. “Impressive. Although we can trust, we should also verify. So in the months ahead, as we gather a record in response to this proposal, I want to better understand these claims. In addition, I want to ensure that the proposed new service, which would be secondary to existing services in the band, will not cause harmful interference."
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn noted that according to a recent study the number of aircraft offering broadband is expected to increase from 3,000 in 2012 to 15,000 by 2021. “Today’s airline passengers expect the same level of broadband service that is available on the ground,” Clyburn said. “It appears, however, that current inflight options carry higher prices but offer much lower speeds, than terrestrial broadband.” Chairman Julius Genachowski noted the item is the last to get a vote at a meeting he chaired.
The service could mean higher data speeds and the ability to access a wider range of applications including video, said Commissioner Ajit Pai. “These prospects are exciting, but we also have to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “Today, we are simply taking the step of seeking comment on establishing a new air-ground mobile broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band. Because this new service would have secondary status, we will have to ensure that it would not interfere with the band’s incumbent users. I hope that in time, the record in this proceeding will include detailed engineering studies that will help us assess whether our proposal today would preserve the ability of current Fixed-Satellite Service providers to conduct their operations and to innovate in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band.”
"Qualcomm designed the air-to-ground system that many airline passengers use today on Gogo’s network, and this proposal takes the technology to the next level, allowing passengers to use their smartphones, tablets and other mobile broadband devices in the air with very high speed, high capacity mobile broadband connectivity, just as they do on the ground,” said Senior Vice President Dean Brenner. “Qualcomm believes that the 14 GHz band can be shared successfully without causing interference, thereby promoting efficient use of spectrum and enabling competition, two of the FCC’s key policy goals.”