dailywireless.org » New 700MHz Rules?

New 700MHz Rules?

The FCC, hopes to auction off the 700 MHZ band, currently used for UHF television. The digital television transition, to be completed in 2009, will free up spectrum. That’s because digital television channels can be adjacent to each other without causing interference, unlike analog television. The freed up spectrum will be auctioned off for use by new two-way radio services. That is expected to generate billions for the U.S. Treasury.

Now the FCC has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for 700 MHz that seeks comment on possible changes to the Upper 700 MHz Band and Lower 700 MHz Band.

The FCC was only vaguely aware of Mobile WiMAX four years ago. Now it wants to change the rules. Since the track record of the NTIA and the FCC have not been particularly pro-consumer (see DailyWireless: 3G Band Scam?), it might be wise to watch them like a hawk.

Congress has enacted significant statutory changes to the DTV transition in the Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005 (“DTV Act”). That Act could affect the Commission’s existing regulatory approach to the 698-806 MHz Band, which had envisioned “early” recovery of TV Channels 60-69 (“Upper 700 MHz Band”), but had anticipated recovery of TV Channels 52-59 (“Lower 700 MHz Band”) after the DTV transition was complete.

In the Lower 700 MHz Report and Order, the Commission stated that “the reclamation of television spectrum has been addressed in two parts, primarily as a result of different statutory requirements applicable to the two bands and differing degrees of incumbency in the two bands.” The Commission also acknowledged that “both Congress and the Commission initially expected to license the Lower 700 MHz Band after the auction of the Upper 700 MHz Band.” The expectation was that the Lower 700 MHz Band would remain a home for significant analog broadcasting for some period of time.
In this Notice, the FCC seeks comment on potential changes to several of the Commission’s initial determinations applicable to 700 MHz Band licenses. This includes licenses yet to be auctioned in 30 megahertz of spectrum in the Upper 700 MHz Band and in 30 megahertz of spectrum in the Lower 700 MHz Band, as well as licenses that already have been auctioned in 18 megahertz in the Lower 700 MHz Band.

We first seek comment on possible revisions to the size of service areas for the unauctioned spectrum in the 700 MHz Band. We ask whether additional licenses should be created over service area sizes other than Economic Area Groupings (EAGs), including over small areas such as the 734 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs) composed of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and Rural Service Areas (RSAs).
Second, we consider the possibility of revising the size and pairing of the 20-megahertz spectrum block in the Upper 700 MHz Band, including seeking comment on dividing it into blocks of smaller bandwidth. We also ask whether there should be any changes to the size and location of spectrum blocks in the Lower 700 MHz Band.
Third, we seek comment on whether it would be appropriate to add or revise performance requirements and/or rules on spectrum access (e.g., spectrum leasing, partitioning, etc.) in the secondary market to potentially promote construction in rural areas, as well as whether these policies should be tailored to promote service on tribal lands.
Fourth, we seek comment on whether to amend existing rules, as they apply to these 700 MHz Band licensees, requiring demonstrations of “substantial service” for renewal applicants in comparative hearings.
Fifth, we seek comment on possible revisions to the license terms for licensees, including whether to extend 700 MHz Band licenses beyond the 2015 date established previously.
Sixth, we seek comment on whether the applicable power limits in these bands should be modified.
Finally, in this Notice, as well as the Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we seek comment on our tentative conclusion that services provided in the 700 MHz Band, and in other bands subject to Part 27, including the Advanced Wireless Services in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands should be subject to requirements concerning 911 and enhanced 911.

A co-founder of Nextel, through Cyren Call Communications, urged the FCC to establish a Public Safety Broadband Trust to hold the license for a key segment of spectrum in the 700 MHz band in a filing to the FCC.

They want to move spectrum that was previously allocated strictly for commercial use into shared public safety and commercial usage. Cyren Call says their proposal would enable a workable, self-sustaining business model for public safety communications.

Commercial and public safety users are battling each other for the spectrum. The FCC allocates the 700 Mhz spectrum into the Lower 700 Mhz band and the Upper 700 Mhz band. Television broadcasters will vacate some 30 Mhz in the upper 700 Mhz UHF band by 2009. It’s scheduled to be auctioned in 2008.

But the government is bankrupt — it doesn’t want to give the spectrum away. And there’s not enough spectrum to provide unfettered commercial competition - the FCC’s prefered strategy.

The 700 Mhz band can penetrate foliage and structures, but the narrow 6 MHz channels are limited in capacity. Currently, public service users plan to use interoperable but narrow band Project 25 radios (with a data capacity limited to 19Kbps) in the 700 Mhz band. They are similar to the two-way radios used by police and firefighters in the 800 Mhz band.

By contrast, Mobile WiMax on 700 MHz might deliver more than 1Mbps with similar range.

The Roots of ATSC

The FCC couldn’t decide on a single digital DTV standard so it let the four winning proposals come up with a single proposal on their own. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) was born.

ATSC (wikipedia) combined the royalites of the four different technologies, but there were no royalty points for latecomers to DTV like the more rugged COFDM standard (DVB), developed in Europe.

The group owners who largely run NAB hoped to make a fast buck by auctioning off (our) frequencies early, so they supported ATSC. They didn’t want the auction process slowed down (which it was anyway).

Meanwhile, the FCC wasn’t going to go against their own committee’s recomendations. So it became the official U.S. DTV standard. “The Standard“, as ATSC likes to call it.

U.S. broadcasters (and consumers) are now stuck with ATSC and there’s nothing we can do about it.

The Standard generally can’t be received with rabbit ears. The inability of ATSC to receive terrestrial broadcasts could mean the end of free local television, although ATSC’s supporters strongly disagree.

Meanwhile, Europe’s FreeView service has taken off like a rocket - carrying 30 FREE television channels and at least as many radio stations all over the U.K.

Using COFDM. The dominant world-wide DTV standard.