Satellite Broadband Interests Renew Push for Spectrum Frontiers Siting Tiers

Facing pushback from terrestrial interests about their proposed tiered population limit approach to the 28 GHz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz bands (see 1705050056 and 1704210042), satellite broadband companies argued their tiered proposal wouldn't significantly affect upper microwave flexible use systems, in a filing posted Friday in docket 14-177. It would give earth station operators more flexibility to operate in rural areas that UMFUS operators likely wouldn't serve, the satellite interests said. The filing included multiple maps comparing the area covered by earth stations under current population limits with areas that would be covered under the tiered population approach they're backing. Populations covered in the examples would go up substantially, while the area where UMFUS would potentially see interference is "miniscule," the satellite broadband operators said. Behind the filing were Boeing, EchoStar, Intelsat, Inmarsat, O3b, SES and OneWeb. Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition co-counsel Mitchell Lazarus of Fletcher Heald said Monday the FWCC doesn't oppose a tiered approach, but the tiers as suggested by the satellite operators would cause interference to UMFUS in each of the examples the satellite operators submitted. FWCC said there's no assurance the examples are representative.