A bipartisan House Communications Subcommittee duo has called on the FCC to protect incumbents in the C-Band. The C-band is currently used for satellite delivery of cable and broadcast network programming to TV and radio stations, satellite radio services, and cable head-ends. The FCC wants to open it up to wireless broadband to help close the digital divide and promote 5G, both prime directives for the commission.
In a letter to the currently mostly shuttered FCC, Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said they had concerns about the proposed rulemaking to expand operations in the band, part of the FCC’s overall mission to free up lots more spectrum, either through sharing or reclamation or both, for next-gen wireless broadband.
They said they were all for expanding that high-speed broadband and closing the digital divide, including looking for new uses for the C-Band, but not at the expense of important existing services. The FCC voted unanimously back in July 2018 to find ways to open up the C-band spectrum (3.7-4.2 Ghz) — either all of the proposed 500 Mhz or some portion of it — for terrestrial wireless use.
