Getting back to our regularly scheduled FrequencyPULSE with this week’s question: How does the success in the CBRS band impact the future of spectrum policy and the look ahead to the next bands in the spectrum pipeline?
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CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) provides a new and successful means of spectrum sharing and diversity of uses within the same band. Spectrum policy creators should pay heed to the fact that both incumbent and secondary uses are living in the same environment and successfully operating alongside each other. With a “technology neutral” approach, CBRS allows for all current incumbent uses (such as Federal radar systems, Fixed Satellite Systems (FSS), and grandfathered uses right alongside, GAA (Generally Authorized Access) and PAL (Priority Access Licensee) uses. Governed by a Spectrum Access System or SAS, the band is 150 MHz of frequencies with many uses and different types of operators accessing simultaneously. This provides for maximum use of spectrum while still providing incumbents and operators with protections. It is a very promising model for a wide variety of bands in the spectrum pipeline.
RICHARD BERNHARDT
Senior Director, Spectrum and Industry
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA)
The success of the CBRS band has shown what the benefits of spectrum sharing can accomplish. The CBRS band supports 5G networks and provides the backbone for WiFI networks and other enterprise applications. As more spectrum bands are repurposed and open up for unlicensed use, successful models for spectrum sharing will be essential. The FCC and industry should look to the CBRS sharing model as a clear starting point for other bands.
RYAN JOHNSTON
Senior Policy Counsel
Next Century Cities
Apart from the critical points that more spectrum is made available and innovative hybrid networks—like MVNOs—are better facilitated, the long-term value of CBRS is it proves a sharing model that can be profitably used for other bands.
KRISTIAN STOUT
Director of Innovation Policy
International Center for Law & Economics
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- What does the Biden Administration need to know about balanced spectrum policy? (Oct. 28, 2021)
- Wi-Fi 6 and cellular—are these two technologies interdependent or will one eventually replace the other? (Nov. 11, 2021)
- Wi-Fi and dynamic sharing spectrum policy remain one of the few places in tech policy that bipartisanship lives on. Why do you think that is? (Dec. 2, 2021)
- The origin story of Wi-Fi is an interesting one, invented in the “junk bands” in our airwaves more than two decades ago. What does this tell us about how we design our spectrum policies today? (Dec. 16, 2021)
- Wi-Fi was born in the United States and the industry is generally dominated by American companies. How does future-looking spectrum policy account for American competitiveness here? What lessons can we take into the future? (Jan. 6, 2022)
- How can good spectrum policy help to address the digital divide? (Jan. 21, 2022)
- Last year, the FCC voted unanimously to split the 5.9 GHz band between connected cars and unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi. What was the significance of this decision? (Feb. 4, 2022)
- In 2020, the FCC voted to unlock a big swath of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for use by Wi-Fi. How will this decision affect consumers? (Feb. 17, 2022)
- What’s an example of an unlicensed-run device that you personally use, and how has it improved your life? (Apr. 21, 2022)
- How has the CBRS model worked out thus far? Would this model be successful in any other bands in particular? (May 5, 2022)
- Is auctioning spectrum the best way to ensure fair use of our precious airwaves? (May 19, 2022)
- The next generation of Wi-Fi — Wi-Fi 7 — will be even faster and provide even lower latency. But it will operate in wide 320 MHz channels, which are hard to come by. Where might we look for such airwaves? (June 2, 2022)
- What further rules will be necessary in the 6 GHz band to make the best of this ecosystem? (June 16, 2022)
- How do you want to see the FCC and NTIA work together on spectrum policy? (June 30, 2022)
- What must happen to ensure agencies like DOT, the FAA and the FCC better collaborate to avoid pitfalls like the 5G vs. C-band issue? (July 14, 2022)
- As the 118th Congress is set to begin, what do members — new and established — need to know about balanced spectrum policy? (November 10, 2022)