FCC Allocates 2 GHz Spectrum Chunk to Wireless Broadband

By Doug Lung
published

At Thursday's Open Meeting the FCC adopted a Report and Order (FCC 13-88) outlining service rules for the Advanced Wireless Services H Block. The AWS H Block consists of 10 MHz of paired spectrum: 5 MHz at 1915-1920 MHz and the rest at 1995-2000 MHz. The rules authorize flexible use of 1915-1920 MHz for mobile and low-power fixed operations (uplink) and 1995-2000 MHz for base and fixed stations (downlink). The rules contain restrictions on power and out-of-band emissions to protect operations in adjacent spectrum, particularly broadband PCS at 1930-1995 MHz.

While it is possible base station operations in 1995-2000 MHz band could cause brute force overload problems to nearby 2 GHz ENG receive antennas with little filtering, the 25 MHz separation from the BAS band should greatly reduce the potential for interference. Stringent out-of-band emission limits (70 + 10*LOG10(P) dB) designed to protect operations in the 2005-2020 MHz band will also help protect ENG receive sites. The Report and Order does not mention interference to broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) operations.

Because the 1995-2000 MHz band was part of the original 2 GHz BAS band reallocated by Sprint-Nextel, Block H licensees will have to reimburse Sprint for the cost of reallocating this part of the ENG band. The Report and Order puts total 1995-2000 MHz Block H relocation costs at $94,875,516, and provided formulas for calculation of each licensee's share.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.