EWA Files Comments in Offshore Operations NOI

EWA filed the Comments in response to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Notice of Inquiry (NOI) that requested information about use cases that do, or in the future might, require spectrum offshore, what bands might be appropriate for such operations, and the mechanisms appropriate for issuing offshore licenses.  In this initial set of comments, EWA urged the Commission to proceed promptly in adopting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking consistent with the record developed in response to this NOI. It further noted that it will be crucial for the Commission to manage potential interference between land-based and offshore operations.  This is vital even for site-based licenses but even more so with geographic authorizations where frequencies and sites can be moved within the defined area. The greater propagation of wireless transmissions over water suggests that the offshore licensing model, whenever possible, should extend the land-based authorization of coastal licensees to include offshore facilities. In closing, the Alliance stated that it was pleased the FCC has undertaken this initiative in recognition that the interest in offshore operations, as the need for communications to support them, will continue to grow.  EWA expects to work with its members and the FCC in crafting rules consistent with the need to address this expanding requirement.