Satellite, CCA Clashing Over Spectrum Frontiers Reconsideration

Satellite broadband operators and the Competitive Carriers Association continue to joust over a satellite push for reconsideration of spectrum frontiers earth station deployment restrictions in the 27.5-28.35 GHz band. CCA objections come from "a fundamental misunderstanding as to the nature of satellite earth station deployment in this band" and don't recognize how extensively satellite is using the 28 GHz band already to provide broadband service, as well as the ability of satellite and terrestrial wireless to coexist, the satellite operators said in a filing Friday in docket 14-177. That satellite use of the band would be only "at discrete and identifiable locations, not ubiquitous deployment at customers’ premises" should satisfy many CCA concerns, the operators said. Boeing, EchoStar, Inmarsat, Intelsat, O3b, SES and OneWeb said the limited deployment of local multipoint distribution service, with 58 percent of the LMDS license areas not being issued licenses, particularly in rural areas, doesn't back up CCA arguments competitive carriers are using the spectrum in rural and regional service footprints. The satellite broadband proposals "will devalue and interfere with rural broadband providers’ mobile service to consumers in hard to serve parts of the country," CCA emailed us. It said issues like the unreliability of satellite service due to atmospheric conditions need to be considered "before granting more rights to satellite operators that could substantially interfere with more reliable terrestrial-based services. The FCC must consider the interference potential to reliable services before encumbering operators that have relied upon FCC rules to build out networks. This is sort of like changing the ‘rules of the game’ during halftime; it is not a good idea.”