Proponents of Expanding 900 MHz Broadband Segment: Record On Our Side

The Utilities Technology Council, Anterix and others that filed reply comments this week told the FCC the record of support is clear for a proposal to launch a rulemaking authorizing 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band. As such, the agency should move forward, they said in comments (docket 24-99). Initial comments offered insights about how the band could be used, with some commenters expressing concerns (see 2405030053).

UTC said the FCC should launch an NPRM and partially lift a freeze on 896-901/935-940 MHz incumbent licensee facilities in areas without broadband systems. The FCC should “build upon the negotiation-based framework it established for the transition of the 900 MHz band by providing broadband licensees the flexibility to operate 5/5 MHz systems and allowing narrowband incumbents to continue to operate in the band while remaining protected against harmful interference,” UTC commented.

Utilities need spectrum below 1 GHz to cover the large, often remote areas they serve, UTC said. They also need spectrum protected against interference “to ensure the reliability of mission critical communications,” the group said. The 900 MHz band “offers wide area coverage, but the 3/3 MHz broadband block may not provide sufficient capacity that utilities need,” UTC said.

Anterix said no commenter outright opposed the launch of a rulemaking. “The record is unequivocal,” Anterix said: “The option of a 5/5 megahertz broadband segment in the 900 MHz Band will serve the public interest. It will offer utilities and other private enterprise entities the capacity and latency to support both known and not yet envisioned use cases into the future under rules that protect the rights of 900 MHz Band narrowband incumbents.”

Initial comments “reaffirm EWA’s belief that the 900 MHz Band offers a unique opportunity for the deployment of private broadband networks,” the Enterprise Wireless Alliance said. EWA said it’s not surprising that much support comes from electric utilities. “Their filings detail the important role private broadband networks already fulfill and the many advantages that would flow” from a 5/5 MHz network, the group said. EWA also urged that the FCC reconsider the 900 MHz freeze.

Initial comments “express overwhelming support for the Petition and clearly demonstrate that initiating a rulemaking proceeding to provide an option for 5/5 megahertz broadband operations in the 900 MHz band is in the public interest,” the Utility Broadband Alliance (UBBA) said. UBBA said the concerns of Gogo Business Aviation, the Association of American Railroads and others can be addressed.

San Diego Gas & Electric noted that while some raise concerns, the petition addresses them. It proposes “an entirely voluntary relocation process and retaining the Commission’s existing technical and interference protection rules for 900 MHz broadband operations,” SDG&E said. Expansion of the 900 MHz broadband segment is “a crucial step towards enabling the deployment of private broadband networks that can support the modernization of the nation's critical infrastructure, including the electric grid,” the utility said.

Space Data warned that even if the FCC approves 5/5 MHz allocations in 900 MHz, critical infrastructure companies will need more spectrum. “Stakeholders and the Commission therefore need to think creatively about identifying possible suitable spectrum solutions that could meet their unique operational needs,” Space Data said. The company noted it holds licenses in the adjacent narrowband personal communications service band, “which could be part of such a solution when aggregated with other portions of the band.”