Broadband advocates push for broader spectrum use

As the US seeks to solve its broadband access and affordability problem, some in the industry are eyeing possibilities presented by the 12GHz band to reach underserved communities with a combination of satellite Internet and 5G-enabled wireless broadband.

Following a 2016 Petition for Rulemaking filed by the Dish Network-led MVDDS 5G Coalition, the FCC in January, under then-Chair Ajit Pai, issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on the 12GHz band, seeking comments on "whether it is technically feasible to add additional or expanded spectrum rights in the 12 GHz band without causing harmful interference to incumbent licensees (and, if so, whether a balancing of public interest benefits would support taking that step)."

The proposal has been a sore subject for some incumbent telcos in the spectrum space including AT&T, which uses the band for satellite TV service through DirectTV, and SpaceX, which is using it for its low-Earth orbit satellite Internet service Starlink.

In an FCC filing, AT&T argued that 5G services are "fundamentally incompatible with satellite services." And SpaceX argued that the MVDDS 5G Coalition proposal would "significantly reduce the satellite use of the spectrum and risk major degradation and disruption for consumer downlink services."

Others disagree. RS Access, which owns some 12GHz spectrum assets, released research based on an engineering analysis indicating that use of 12GHz for 5G deployment would not interfere with services in the band.

However, just last week SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC refuting that research and essentially telling the agency to call the whole thing off. The letter accuses RS Access of trying to "evict next generation satellite operators from the 12.2-12.7 GHz band" and refers to "the harm RS Access intends to cause to consumers."

"To reach the submission's unrealistically favorable conclusions, RS Access was forced to assume certain operational parameters and deployment scenarios. But even then, it did not propose any actual rules that would require mobile operators to comply with those expectations," said SpaceX.

'Arguing over peanuts'

For some broadband advocates focused on closing the digital divide in hard-to-reach rural and underserved urban areas, the question of whether 12GHz can be shared with 5G is a given (yes, they say) – and the discussion should be much broader.

"I think that the fact that we're having to fight over a little chunk of spectrum when there's so much spectrum available at the US government to unlock to be able to do these things is a little sad," said Matt Rantanen, director of technology for Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association, on a virtual panel this week.

Calling the Department of Defense and federal government "spectrum squatters," Joel Thayer, president of Digital Progress Institute, agreed, saying "there's plenty of spectrum on the table" in 12GHz and beyond.

"The fact that we are fighting over this tiny amount of spectrum when the real battle is in the 3.5[GHz] to above, or even 4.2[GHz], where you have government incumbents... we're fighting over peanuts."

The panel was hosted by Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America (New America OTI), two of several public interest groups that form the coalition pushing for expanding access to the 12GHz band.

In a filing to the FCC in May, the groups offered a series of recommendations, including giving considerable weight to the fact that opening up the band would improve competition, affordability and service; and for the FCC to adopt aggressive build-out requirements for existing licensees and authorize shared access to unused spectrum.

Responding to SpaceX's latest letter decrying the RS Access research, Public Knowledge Policy Counsel Kathleen Burke told the panel that the company has yet to provide its own research to back up its argument against sharing.

"The evidence demonstrates that it is possible to share this band, that you can have NGSO and GSO satellite operations in the band and also have the 5G mobile terrestrial use without there being these issues of interference that SpaceX is so concerned about," said Burke.

"If they are truly concerned about this, then show the study, do the engineering analysis, show us the facts, show us the why and where and the technical reasons. And that has not happened in this proceeding."

— Nicole Ferraro, site editor, Broadband World News; senior editor, global broadband coverage, Light Reading. Host of "The Divide" and "What's the Story?" on the Light Reading Podcast