The FCC has allotted 50 megahertz of spectrum within the 4940-4990 MHz band – 4.9 GHz band – for public security missions. FirstNet, an unique community for first responders, has now been permitted to make use of the unassigned spectrum within the 4.9 GHz band as a part of its nationwide public security broadband community (NPSBN).
Congress granted a license for the 758–769/788–799 MHz band, which can be known as “Band 14,” when FirstNet was first created. The FCC has been exploring how the 4.9 GHz band may complement the 700 MHz public security broadband community for fairly a while.
Whereas some stakeholders had been of the view that the 4.9 GHz band was underutilised and making it out there for FirstNet 5G deployment can be its finest use, others, notably T-Cellular and Verizon, opposed using the band by FirstNet, arguing a license shouldn’t straight be assigned to it. T-Cellular additionally argued that granting AT&T secondary entry would imply the provider would be capable to use the spectrum for cell broadband providers.
Entities who depend on the band, resembling police and hearth departments and native transit authorities had beforehand argued that handing the band over to AT&T would impression their operations.
Based on Blair Levin, who’s a coverage adviser to New Avenue Analysis and has served as Chief of Employees to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt from 1993 to 1997, the transfer was authorized by the FCC in a 4-0 vote, with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez not taking part.
In an period by which wi-fi use is rising quickly and the spectrum pipeline for midband spectrum is restricted, AT&T is now higher positioned to achieve a big benefit over its rivals, however, as is true for all essential regulatory proceedings, the courts have the ultimate phrase, and the FCC blessing is value lower than up to now.
Blair Levin, coverage adviser at New Avenue Analysis, October 2024
That does not imply the 2 are backing down, as they may sue the FCC. In the end, Congress could have to step in.