WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission committed on Thursday to complete rules for unlicensed use of the 5 GHz band by the end of the year.
The commitment was included in a World Radiocommunication Conference implementation plan agreed to by the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The recently concluded WRC allocated spectrum in the 5 GHz band for unlicensed operations. The WRC allocation is more than the United States is proposing, but restrictions were put in place to encourage indoor use.
“I am pleased that only weeks after the end of the conference itself, we have developed a plan to move forward expeditiously and bring the benefits of the WRC-03 result to commercial and government-spectrum users,” said FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
“The success of the U.S. delegation to the WRC has paved the way for new allocations of additional spectrum around the world,” said Nancy Victory, assistant Commerce secretary for telecommunications and information. “Implementing the recommended changes will stimulate our economy and will help us maintain the global leadership position the U.S. has established in telecommunications and technology.”
Powell, Victory and senior staffs from both agencies met for a regularly scheduled coordination meeting. It was Victory’s last such meeting since she will be departing the agency Aug. 15.
