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70/80/90 GHz Bands
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According to FCC document DA 16-974:
In 2003 the Commission adopted a Report and Order establishing service rules to promote non-Federal development and use of the “millimeter wave” spectrum in the 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz and 92-95 GHz bands on a shared basis with Federal Government operations. It modified those rules on reconsideration in 2005. The Commission adopted a flexible and innovative regulatory framework for the 70/80/90 GHz bands that allows for the issuance of an unlimited number of nonexclusive, nationwide licenses to non-Federal Government entities for a total of 12.9 gigahertz of spectrum allocated for commercial use. These licenses serve as a prerequisite for registering individual point-to-point links in a link registration system developed and managed by one or more third-party database managers. A licensee is not authorized to operate a link under its nationwide license until the link is both (1) coordinated with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with respect to Federal Government operations and (2) registered as an approved link. The Report and Order noted that, in the past, the Commission had introduced market forces into the frequency coordination process wherever possible and appropriate because competition among coordinators promotes cost-based pricing and provides incentives for enhancing customer link management. Accordingly, the Commission directed the Bureau to select one or more database managers pursuant to its existing delegated authority and to consider the benefits of competition during the selection process. On that basis, the Commission determined that there was no reason to set limits on the fees charged by a
database manager.
In March 2004 the Bureau issued a public notice seeking proposals from parties interested in developing and managing the link registration system, and four parties initially submitted proposals. One party decided to remove its proposal from consideration, and the remaining three ultimately submitted an amended joint proposal on September 9, 2004 (Joint Proposal). Later in September 2004, the Bureau designated three companies to be Database Managers for the 70/80/90 GHz bands: Frequency Finder, Inc. (FFI), Micronet Communications, Inc. (Micronet), and Comsearch. In doing so, the Bureau rejected Comsearch’s original proposal to restrict frequency management in the 70/80/90 GHz bands to a single manager. The Bureau also reserved the discretion to designate additional managers or change the current designations at a later date if circumstances indicated that such action was warranted.
The Designation Order acknowledged that the Commission had envisioned a single, shared database if more than one database manager were selected, but the Bureau decided that it could accomplish the same purpose by accepting a joint proposal by the Database Managers to link their separate databases through coordinated communications to form a unified link registration system.
Accordingly, the Bureau required the Database Managers to build a cooperative environment to expedite link registrations through their combined efforts, sharing link information on a continuous basis to provide users, the public and the Commission with access to the most up to-date link information.
Database Managers register links and maintain a record of the requested and approved links for each licensee. In the event of an interference dispute, interference protection rights with regard to affected links are established based on the date and time of link registration, i.e., as between two or more links experiencing or causing interference, the link with the earliest registration date would acquire the right to protection from the later registered link or links, and so on in order of priority based upon the earliest date registered. The Designation Order noted that the Commission had expressly stated that Database Managers would not have authority to recommend specific frequencies to users, but would be responsible for keeping current link registration information to aid in resolution of interference disputes.
In 2005 the Commission revised its rules to (i) require licensees, for each link as part of the registration process, to submit a frequency interference analysis to a Database Manager, and (ii) direct the Database Managers to retain such analyses electronically for subsequent review by the public to aid in the resolution of any interference disputes that might subsequently arise. The Commission foresaw little likelihood that any such disputes would develop after operations commenced in the 70/80/90 GHz bands, but it provided an avenue for interference complaints to be submitted to, and resolved by, the Commission. The Reconsideration Order clarified that the Commission was neither requiring nor precluding Database Managers from providing additional services such as frequency coordination, link design or interference analyses.
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Frequency Bands |
| Band | Use | Service11 | Table |
| 71 - 76 GHz | 70/80/90 GHz Band | Fixed | N |
| 81 - 86 GHz | 70/80/90 GHz Band | Fixed | N |
| 92 - 95 GHz | 70/80/90 GHz Band | Fixed | N |
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