Advanced Television

Ajit Pai

FCC concludes 1st 5G mid-band spectrum auction

The US’s FCC has confirmed what it describes as the successful conclusion of bidding in its auction of Priority Access Licenses in the 3550-3650 MHz band for 5G, raising some $4.5 billion, although it has yet to name the successful bidders. The auction made available the greatest number of spectrum licences ever in a single […]

August 26, 2020By Colin Mann

US frees up midband spectrum for 5G

The White House and US Department of Defense (DOD) have revealed that the 3.45-3.55 GHz band will be made available for 5G, a move that has been welcomed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The DOD worked closely with the Services, as part of America’s Mid-Band Initiative Team (AMBIT), and leveraged technical work performed by the […]

August 11, 2020By Colin Mann

FCC sets out C-band auction procedures

The US’s Federal Communications Commission has established final application and bidding procedures for the auction of 280 megahertz of mid-band spectrum for 5G and other advanced wireless services. This auction will offer 5,684 new flexible-use overlay licences based on Partial Economic Areas (PEAs) for spectrum in the 3.7–3.98 GHz band. This spectrum holds the potential […]

August 7, 2020By Colin Mann

FCC kicks off 5G mid-band spectrum auction

The US Federal Communications Commission is beginning its first auction of licences for prime, mid-band spectrum suitable for 5G. The auction will offer county-based Priority Access Licences in the 3550-3650 MHz band, which will encourage the rapid deployment of next-generation wireless networks in the band. The FCC says this is a critical step in freeing […]

July 23, 2020By Colin Mann

FCC reveals 5G plan progress

In a blog leaning heavily on analogies with blockbuster movie Top Gun and its ‘Need for Speed’ tagline, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has set out the Commission’s activities in executing the 5G FAST Plan — a comprehensive strategy for advancing American leadership in 5G, as well as updating progress on its forthcoming C-band auction. “We […]

July 16, 2020By Colin Mann

FCC wants to approve Bezos’s mega-constellation

FCC chairman Ajit Pai says he wants to approve Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s massive plan for a mega-constellation of an initial 3,236 satellites known as Project Kuiper. Pai, on July 10th, said he has shared his proposal with the other key members of the FCC. He Tweeted: “Earlier today, I shared with my colleagues a […]

July 13, 2020By Chris Forrester

FCC wins C-band spat with ‘small sat’ operators

A court case has been heard by the US Court of Appeals between ABS, Hispasat and Arsat which had been arguing that the FCC should pause the date of Commission’s Dec auction of C-band frequencies over the US. The trio were deliberately excluded by the FCC from its incentive plan for C-band compensation given to […]

June 24, 2020By Chris Forrester

FCC approves LEO operators to bid for rural funding

The FCC, somewhat unusually, seems to have changed its mind and it is the world’s operators of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites which could benefit. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said on June 9th that the Commission had changed the text on its draft order. “We did accommodate a request from a commissioner (Commissioner O’Rielly) to […]

June 11, 2020By Chris Forrester