WASHINGTON-The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition has asked the Federal Communications Commission to issue rules that will help terrestrial microwave fixed services more easily share spectrum with fixed satellite service operators.
FCC rules provide that microwave and FSS share certain spectrum on an equal basis, but “in actual practice … the sharing has not been equal,” the coalition said in a petition filed last month.
The fixed wireless coalition-which includes the American Mobile Telecommunications Association, the Personal Communications Industry Association, the International Wireless Cable Association, BellSouth Corp. and Bell Atlantic Corp.-wants the FCC to rule that FSS operators can only be licensed and coordinated to use twice the amount of spectrum for which the applicant has demonstrated an actual need.
Additionally, the coalition wants the FCC to issue a rule requiring an FSS earth station licensed for significant amounts of shared spectrum to load to 50 percent of licensed bandwidth within 30 months after licensing, or else reduce its licensed bandwidth.
At press time, the FCC expected to put the petition out for public notice by the end of last week. The comment cycle should be concluded within a month.
