“Communications policy leaders are looking put federal spectrum in the pipeline as the U.S. gears up for faster mobile broadband,” Mark Rockwell reports for FCW. “‘We’re looking to make sure we have enough spectrum to meet 5G needs,’ David Redl, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told a conference on March 27. ‘One of the agency’s core visions is striking a balance between the demand for spectrum from various commercial users and the needs of federal agencies,’ he said.”
“Redl’s speech followed video remarks from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in which he vowed to continue to ‘take a regulatory weed whacker’ to accelerate commercial investment in broadband,” Rockwell reports. “The government is currently looking at opening up 100 megahertz in the 3450-3550 MHz band, which is currently used for military radar. Redl said the move is crucial to expanding the U.S. broadband spectrum inventory, he said.”
“The FCC has already set rules for the adjacent 3550-3700 MHz mid-spectrum band for its planned Citizens Broadband Radio Service. Together, he said the combined spectrum would provide a contiguous unbroken piece of broadband spectrum,” Rockwell reports. “NTIA is also working on alternative spectrum management approaches. For instance, Redl said the 2019 budget bill signed by the president last week authorizes NTIA to set leases for federal spectrum holdings.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: 5G can’t get here soon enough! Hopefully, it’ll introduce some real competition among broadband ISPs as there are too many places in the country where choice and, therefore, competition is sorely lacking.
Ajit Pai was a Verizon Lobbyist before Obama appointed him to the FCC (yes, that is right- Trump appointed him as the top Commissioner). After his term is up he will undoubtedly return to the Telecom cabal.
Guess where his priorities lie.
I used to be excited about 5G until I read up on the health concerns. https://ehtrust.org/key-issues/cell-phoneswireless/5g-internet-everything/.
There have been health “concerns” about cell phones since day one, and I am not convinced anyone has gotten sick or died from using a cell phone outside of distracted driving..
Meh, I’m not here to convince you, just sharing some info I researched.
EMF exposure is cumulative, much like rad exposure. The presumed danger is the accelerated rate of exposure if 5G antennas are put up everywhere, resulting in a greatly accelerated rates of exposure. They’ve done the usual hyper-exposure tests on rodents, within specific frequency ranges, and found it could cause cancer.
EMF Scientist Appeal Advisors Call For Moratorium On 5G
One problem with this sort of testing is modeling real time exposure consequences. It can take many years for cancer to result from real life circumstances, again related to the rate of exposure.
The Corporation is ignoring this health issue.
Of course it is. Screw the customer. Just scour their money. Short term thinking = Long term disaster. It’s the consistent Spirit of the Age. It’s all game playing. Meanwhile, IRL…
Real 4G, LTE Advanced in the USA is already 5 years late! FIVE!
Sheesh. And people are yelling for 5G to hurry up. We wish!
Meanwhile, for your reading pleasure, from 2015:
Citizens Broadband Radio Service
The new rules will provide a number of tangible benefits for consumers, businesses, and government users. First, the new rules will support important national defense missions by protecting incumbent radar systems from interference. Second, the new rules will make additional spectrum available for flexible wireless broadband use, leading to improved broadband access and performance for consumers. Finally, we expect to see wide deployment of wireless broadband in industrial applications – advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, etc. – supporting innovation and growth throughout our economy.
With corporatist Ajit Pai, I suspect that his “Citizens Broadband Radio Service” is really a Corporate Broadband Radio Service. More Koch Pros. Citizens United than the Commons.