EWA Joins Group Suggesting 3.45 GHz Auction Framework

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has shared a draft Order that would make mid-band spectrum available for 5G. If adopted, 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 (3.45) GHz band would be made available for auction and 5G deployment across the contiguous United States. The proposed new rules, if adopted, would allocate the 3.45-3.55 GHz spectrum band for flexible-use service. It would establish a framework for coordination of non-federal and federal use and establish a band plan, as well as technical, licensing, and competitive bidding rules for the band. 

In a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, a group of organizations, including EWA, encouraged the auction of the 3.45 GHz band using the same framework as that adopted for the auction of spectrum for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), to ensure that this mid-band spectrum reaches as many Americans as possible. The group further suggested that the FCC adopt licensing policies akin to those adopted in the CBRS band to “increase competition, lower costs for prospective entrants, and better ensure that the benefits of 5G are enjoyed by all consumers for a wide variety of innovative uses.”