Debate around the question of what to do with CBRS spectrum continues, as wireless carriers and other interested parties recently filed a variety of responses to the FCC’s request for comments on proposed reforms of the 3.5 GHz band.
Impact: Stakeholders like AT&T and Verizon want the rules guiding CBRS operations revised or thrown out altogether so the spectrum can be better put to use for 5G, but they don’t necessarily agree on how that should be done. The carriers do agree on the need to either increase or end the power limitations imposed by the FCC on operations in the band to make it more suitable for 5G. They also want to get rid of the current spectrum-sharing model and make the licenses in the band exclusive. That would eliminate access to unlicensed users currently in the band. But not every CBRS stakeholder agrees with those positions. Cable operators like Comcast and Charter currently use the band to build out their own 5G wireless networks and don’t want the power limits changed. There are also numerous smaller fixed wireless players using the band who don’t want to see changes either, and have concerns that any changes to the band’s power limitations could cause damage to existing users. According to Fierce Network, stakeholders who prefer the CBRS status quo like the band’s current low power levels because they appeal to a wider range of users than just major 5G carriers.
Perhaps the most innovative (and unpopular) proposal for changes to the band came from AT&T, which saw its suggestions roundly criticized after it made them public last month. But AT&T submitted its ideas to the FCC despite the criticism because it considers the band under-utilized and thinks it could be better and more efficiently used in 5G networks. AT&T’s proposal suggests current CBRS users be relocated to a lower portion of the 3 GHz band, between 3.1-3.3 GHz. The company said this could be done using funds generated by an FCC auction of full-power, exclusive licenses in the 3.55-3.7 GHz portion of the band to help existing users relocate. Because the Department of Defense conducts operations in the lower portion of the band and doesn’t want to give up the spectrum or relocate, AT&T suggests spectrum-sharing makes more sense for that part of the band rather than where CBS currently resides. But there’s no guarantee the DOD would agree to such a change even if its operations can be protected. And WISPA executive Richard Bernhardt pointed out that current users have invested large amounts of money into their CBRS operations at its current location that wouldn’t necessarily translate if forced to relocate their operations to a lower portion.
Verizon, meanwhile, has its own thoughts about what do with CBRS spectrum, but none of them involve relocation or shifting it to a different portion of the band. Instead, Verizon wants the FCC to relax the current CBRS power limitations, claiming that would make CBRS more useful for 5G network operations because it would increase the spectrum’s geographic range. EchoStar, with its own 5G network slowly coming online even as ongoing deployments continue, also wants the power limitations relaxed. But the same groups that oppose the AT&T suggestion also don’t want the FCC to increase the power levels in the band to better serve the large carriers who already control much of the country’s 5G spectrum. Higher power levels could also cause more interference between users, according to WISPA’s comments to the FCC. Verizon already holds CBRS licenses purchased at auction in 2022 and uses the spectrum in a supportive role within its 5G network, but sees better uses for the band if it can convince the FCC to increase the power limits.
AT&T’s proposal isn’t likely to gain much traction because it would be opposed by incumbent users in both bands, per Mobile Experts principal analyst Joe Madden. But with additional 5G spectrum hard to come by and the FCC still lacking auction authority because of Congressional inaction, there will need to be creative thinking applied to solve the band’s problems and make it work better for all stakeholders. The suggestion to revise the CBRS power limits to appeal to more users seems the more likely bet, if the FCC decides to make changes. But the agency would need to do so in a way that both satisfies those looking for more power and doesn’t damage existing users’ operations, requiring it to once again perform a delicate dance to handle a thorny wireless spectrum issue.
