Advancements in Antennas Should Lead To FCC Rule Changes, Says TAC Working Group

The FCC Technology Advisory Council Antenna Technology working group tentatively concluded that advances in antenna technology will require rule changes, said American Radio Relay League consultant and working group head Greg Lapin at the TAC’s meeting Tuesday. Smart antennas and those constructed of metamaterials are “showing promise” at increasing efficiency and avoiding interference, Lapin said. The TAC also discussed antenna aesthetics, drones, phone theft and the progress of 5G. New agency rules for antennas will need to be “flexible enough” to allow the new ones to make “creative use of the spectrum,” Lapin said.

Historically, FCC rules and the industry have thought about antennas in terms of the pattern they create, but the increasing ability of these devices to focus signals and avoid interference means that thinking must change, said Martin Cooper, chairman of Dyna. Smart antennas are able to optimize themselves for the signal they are receiving, while those built of metamaterials can operate effectively at very small sizes, Lapin said.

Smaller antennas may make it easier to make them more aesthetically pleasing, which could reduce opposition to their installation from municipalities, Lapin said. Though Lapin conceded he didn’t have data on whether making antennas more attractive reduces opposition, he believes it does based on anecdotal evidence. “A lot of people think they don't want antennas near them because they are ugly,” Lapin said.

Since higher frequencies don’t have as much penetration as lower frequencies, 5G faces “propagation challenges” from buildings, people and foilage, said AT&T Director-Government Standards Brian Daly, of the 5G and IoT working group.

Members questioned why IoT was paired with 5G in the working group. The only rationale for combining the two is that “if one buzzword is good, two buzzwords are better,” said Silicon Flatirons Spectrum Policy Initiative co-Director Pierre de Vries. Silicon Flatirons Executive Fellow Dale Hatfield questioned whether too many eggs were being put in 5G’s basket. “What if it gets sick?” he said. IoT is expected to greatly benefit from 5G, and thinking about it with 5G helps the FCC keep track of how much high bandwidth spectrum IoT devices are taking up, said Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp.

Drones will be a $120 billion market by 2020 according to a Goldman Sachs analysis, said Roberson and Associates Vice President-Advanced Technologies John Chapin, of the drone working group. The FAA is working to develop drone traffic management and remote identification systems that could make use of spectrum, as does the control link between drones and users, Chapin said. “There will certainly be questions about what spectrum is used for that” and how those functions can be integrated with the other radio equipment on board most drones, Chapin said.

The working group should look into whether the existing spectrum used by drones will be sufficient and into what happens to drones that lose their link to their pilot, Knapp said. Larger drones use spectrum dedicated to aviation uses, but others likely won’t, Chapin said. The possible kinetic energy a given drone could deliver if it collides with something is one of the ways the FAA categorizes them, Chapin said.

The working group on mobile device theft made plans to meet with its counterparts in South American countries such as Brazil that are active in tracking such crimes, said CTIA Director-Cybersecurity Melanie Tiano. The group is also working with U.S. cities that specifically track mobile device theft, such as New York, Tiano said.

The council is being asked to provide recommendations to the FCC for the year a month earlier than previously so the agency has more time to act, Knapp said. The shortened timeline feels “a little odd” but makes sense because of the agency’s “heavy engagement” in the panel's activities, said TAC Chair Dennis Roberson, CEO of Roberson and Associates. The body's next meeting is Sept. 20.