- It’s unclear how the government will free up more mid-band spectrum for 5G
- The lower 3 GHz is often cited as a potential source of spectrum, but it’s occupied by the DoD
- The DoD’s clout in the U.S. capital remains high regardless of who’s in the White House
It’s early days, but it’s pretty clear that incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has his sights set on Big Tech, as well as broadcasters. He wants to end the FCC’s promotion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and he’s in favor of a very pro-space economy.
But when it comes to spectrum policy and specifically the lower 3 GHz band, which is at the center of the wireless industry’s wish list for more mid-band spectrum, it’s not so clear-cut.
The 3 GHz band is occupied by the Department of Defense (DoD) and it’s not going anywhere. Ideally for the wireless industry, the DoD would vacate part of the band, but according to the DoD, that would take too long and cost far too much.
The DoD’s stance and the resultant spectrum stalemate are unlikely to change under the new administration, according to New Street Research policy analyst Blair Levin.
“The political power of the Department of Defense is very significant in Washington, D.C., and does not change when administrations change,” he told Fierce. “The DoD’s concerns about turning that spectrum over to others to use will remain the same.”
As for whether Congress or the Trump-led White House, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and FCC can address concerns in a way that frees up more spectrum in the lower 3 GHz, “I don’t see signs of it today,” Levin said.
Carr’s spectrum policy
There are some clues on how Carr might address spectrum issues. Carr wrote the chapter on the FCC for the Project 25 policy agenda, which acknowledged the need for better communications and cooperation between federal users of spectrum and the commercial wireless industry. But that document didn’t get into specific spectrum bands.
In a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in 2021, Carr laid out a spectrum plan that identified the lower 3 GHz as one of the spectrum bands where more 5G airwaves could be made available “sooner rather than later” thanks to lessons learned from the AMBIT initiative, which made 3.45 GHz spectrum available.
His proposal raised the possibility of an auction of lower 3 GHz spectrum sometime in the future but didn’t provide details on how to accomplish that.
Fierce reached out to Carr’s office for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
Earlier this year, Carr also expressed support for the Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2024 that was introduced by Republican Senators Ted Cruz, John Thune and Marsha Blackburn. That legislation would restore the FCC’s auction authority and put the government on a shot clock to release 2,500 megahertz of spectrum, including 1,250 megahertz for full-power commercial licensed use.
With Trump’s win, one might assume that the Cruz bill has a better chance of passing, but Levin said he doesn’t believe that’s the case. “I think it’s got the same problem, because the problem is really the Department of Defense and addressing their concerns.”
Sharing in lower 3 GHz is possible
The DoD has indicated it could share the 3.1-3.45 GHz if a host of conditions are met, and that type of sharing scheme could look somewhat similar to what’s been done in the Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) band, where incumbent Navy users get priority, according to Richard Bennett, founder of High Tech Forum.
“As long as DoD clearly has priority access to the spectrum it uses for radar, it has no legitimate objection to civilian use the rest of the time,” Bennett said. “This is the fundamental premise of CBRS and everyone agrees with it.”
But if wireless operators want more spectrum, they need to provide much more data on where and how their current spectrum is used, said Dean Bubley, head of Disruptive Analysis.
“There needs to be a sprinkler, not a pipeline, delivering spectrum when and where it’s needed, not flooding nationally,” Bubley told Fierce, noting that Trump appointed Elon Musk to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency. “Clearing spectrum for national exclusive use is inefficient and wasteful, given how patchily it is used.”
In the lower 3 GHz, mobile network operators would prefer clearance and auction of the spectrum for high power use, but it’s not obvious that can work with aviation and mobile ground radars or new military systems like drones, he said.
“Ideally, the U.S. government (including Cruz) will realize that the actual way to counter China’s influence is by advancing spectrum sharing models, where the U.S. currently has a massive lead,” Bubley concluded.
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