US Pushing Hard for International Agreement on Mobile Broadband in TV Spectrum

“This approach is very disappointing, especially since the U.S. is taking a position that directly contradicts its own FCC,” an NAB spokesman said. “This is a ‘Hail Mary’ attempt to feed the unending spectrum appetite of some at the expense of free over-the-air broadcasting. The result would simply force consumers to shift from a free, over-the-air television model to a pay-as-you-go model.” NAB objected in 2013 to a proposal for the TV band promoted by the FCC as part of WRC preparations (see 1307090027).

The top U.S. priority going into the next month’s WRC meeting is making more spectrum available for wireless broadband, Anstrom said. “This is a high priority for the United States and, frankly, for most other countries,” he said. “Flexibility is our mantra for this agenda item.” The U.S. “has a deep commitment to protecting broadcasting, which provides vital service both in the U.S. and globally, but we believe this band can also be used for mobile broadband services, without harming broadcasting, as has already been demonstrated in the 700 MHz band,” he said.

The WRC starts Nov. 2 and is slated to end Nov. 27, just four months before the start of the TV incentive auction, in which the FCC will attempt to sell UHF spectrum for mobile broadband. Anstrom said three bands are in the WRC’s crosshairs for use for international mobile telecom (IMT) -- 470-698 MHz, the UHF band, 1427-1518 MHz and 3400-3700 MHz, but only in the Americas.

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) doesn't have a formal position on using TV spectrum for broadband, which is why the U.S. moved forward on its own proposal, but with international support, Anstrom said. The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have signed off on the proposal, he said. “We hope other countries will join onto this multicountry proposal and we expect there will be a separate multicountry proposal from North Africa." He expects that proposal to be similar to the one championed by the U.S.

“If this allocation is made … no administration is compelled to do anything,” Anstrom said. Nations can decide five years from now to use TV spectrum for mobile broadband or “they could never use it,” he said. “But we know of a number of administrations, including in regions that have no-change proposals on this item, that they’re ready and they’d like to move ahead now or in the next year.” Demand for spectrum is driving nations to look at more bands for mobile services, he said.

The U.S.-backed resolution says low-band spectrum is "exceptionally suited for mobile broadband applications." In particular, "the unique propagation characteristics of the bands below 1 GHz allow for wider area coverage which in turn requires less infrastructure and facilitates service delivery to rural or sparsely populated areas," it said. The resolution pointed out that broadcast TV also remains important and "continues to evolve to keep pace with technological and marketplace changes."

UAS Spectrum Planned

Anstrom said a second U.S. priority is an agenda item that would create a “regulatory framework” allowing the use of existing satellite networks for the command and control of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), beyond line-of-site communications. “This technology is the next big wave in aviation and will have many civilian applications, such as package delivery, disaster relief, border security, weather forecasting and wildfire, pipeline and wild-life preserve monitoring,” Anstrom said. Full use of drones could generate $80 billion economic growth over the next 10 years, he said.

Anstrom noted that the Americas' approach is supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and has broad backing in Europe and Africa. “We believe that the critical mass is coming together for action in November,” he said. Doing nothing on drones at the WRC is “unimaginable” given the potential market, he said.

Anstrom said a third priority is spectrum for global flight tracking, allowing existing communications between commercial aircraft and the ground to be picked up by satellites in remote areas. The agenda item was prompted by the 2014 loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. Twenty members have signed a proposal to address the issue and there is broad support elsewhere as well, Anstrom said. “We believe that the world is close to action on global flight tracking.”

The WRC also will set an agenda for the following conference, WRC-19. Anstrom said U.S. priorities for that agenda include an examination of high-frequency spectrum for 5G and finding spectrum for high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), which could be used for delivering broadband in rural and underserved areas. Global flight safety is also likely to re-emerge as a priority, he said.

The FCC pending NPRM on high-frequency spectrum, slated for a vote at next week’s open meeting (see 1510010067), is an important development, Anstrom said. “What is does demonstrate is that the United States is very serious about moving to these higher bands to look for spectrum for mobile broadband services,” he said. “This isn’t a theory that we have. This isn’t something that we’re thinking about. We’re actually moving forward on this in the United States.”

Anstrom said the HAPS proposal is particularly exciting and has support from a number of tech companies in the U.S., including Facebook and Google (see 1506120034). It's based on using solar-powered planes at 20 kilometers above the ground to act as base stations to deliver mobile broadband, he said. It directly addresses the administration’s concerns with 3 billion people worldwide who are not connected to the Internet, Anstrom said. Bands being looked at for the service include 10.95-11.2, 11.45-11.7, 21.2-22 and 24.25-28.35 GHz, delegation officials said.

Meanwhile, Daniel Sepulveda, U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department, said in a blog post Wednesday that the upcoming WRC is critical. “At stake is the welfare of people in the United States and around the world,” he wrote. “At no time in history has there been so much opportunity to expand not only the scope of wireless technologies, but their scale and reach, as well. And leaders in government and industry must take a stand to make a more prosperous mobile future possible.”

Delegations from upward of 165 countries will meet in Geneva, with “as many as 180 experts from every area of industry and government” in the U.S. delegation, Sepulveda said. “Together, they will revise and update the world’s Radio Regulations, a treaty that governs the allocation and use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbital locations. These mutually agreed regulations affect literally every wireless device and system on Earth (and beyond), from WiFi to weather satellites and everything in between.”