Cardenas, Kinzinger Urge 'Balanced' Approach to Terrestrial Use of C Band
Reps. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., raised concerns Thursday about the FCC's C-band NPRM, saying in a letter released the next day the commission should seek a “balanced” approach for terrestrial use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band. Reply…
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comments on the proposal were due in December (see 1812110054). “This balance must consider protection of the existing services upon which consumers rely, as well as the associated investment by incumbent users of this spectrum,” the lawmakers wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Nearly every television viewer and radio listener depends on C-band spectrum to reliably receive content” and satellite licensees on the band “and their content delivery customers have invested billions of dollars in the launch of satellites and construction of earth station infrastructure to deliver this content” to consumers. “We do not oppose examination of new, additional uses of the C-band,” Cardenas and Kinzinger said. If the FCC moves to open the band up for spectrum reallocation, it should at minimum “ensure that incumbents are made whole for costs incurred as a result of any new services or shared uses in the band.” The FCC must oversee any spectrum reallocation on the C-band, the lawmakers said. “Tens of millions of Americans rely on the C-band to receive news, entertainment, weather and sports content every day,” said the American Cable Association, NAB, NCTA and NPR. “It’s critically important for the FCC to ensure that any changes to C-band spectrum usage must preserve interference-free access to this popular radio and TV content.” The C-Band Alliance's plan for that spectrum “is completely consistent with this letter,” emailed Advocacy and Government Relations Head Preston Padden on Friday. “While making spectrum available for 5G, CBA’s Members will continue their 99.999% reliable C-band service to all current customers and cover the costs of the transition including purchasing and installing filters. No other plan does this.” The FCC didn't comment.