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Amateur radio gets a partial reprieve on 3.5 GHz

Posted: 23 Mar 2021 11:35 AM PDT
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Special bulletin from the ARRL today:

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB006

ARLB006 Amateur Radio Gets a Partial Reprieve on 3.5 GHz

ZCZC AG06

QST de W1AW

ARRL Bulletin 6 ARLB006

From ARRL Headquarters

Newington CT March 23, 2021

To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB006

ARLB006 Amateur Radio Gets a Partial Reprieve on 3.5 GHz

Pending future FCC action, amateur radio secondary use of the 3.3 3.45 GHz
band segment may continue indefinitely. The FCC, as part of a lengthy
Second Report and Order (R&O) for commercial licensing of 3.45 3.55 GHz
adopted on March 17, agreed with ARRL that continued access by amateur
radio to 3.3 3.45 GHz should be allowed until consideration of the 3.1
3.45 GHz spectrum in a later proceeding.

The FCC action in WT Docket 19-348 represents a partial and temporary
reprieve from the FCCs December 2019 proposal to remove amateur radio from
the entire band, and it makes available an additional 50 Megahertz than an
FCC proposal last fall to allow amateur temporary use of 3.3 3.4 GHz.

The Second R&O can be found in PDF format at,
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-21-32A1.pdf .

Amateur secondary operation in the 3.45 3.50 GHz band must cease 90 days
after public notice that the spectrum auction has closed and licensing has
begun. That is expected to happen early in 2022. The FCC announced the
opening of 3.45 3.55 GHz for auction to commercial 5G interests on March
17.

The FCC stated that While we adopt our proposal to bifurcate the band, we
adjust our proposal and set 3450 MHz as the frequency at which the band
will be split. It agreed with the ARRLs assessment that the guard band is
not necessary from a technical standpoint. We also recognize that the
nature of amateur equipment realities makes the 50 Megahertz at 3400 3450
MHz particularly valuable to amateur operators because it means existing
equipment can continue to operate in the band for the time being.

This allows amateur operations to continue in the lower portion of the band
while the FCC and federal government users continue to analyze whether that
spectrum can be reallocated for flexible use, the FCC said. The FCC had
proposed splitting the band at 3.4 GHz, permitting amateur use in 100
Megahertz of spectrum while also providing a buffer to protect flexible-use
operations at the lower edge of the 3.45 GHz band.

We therefore allow secondary amateur operations to continue in the 3.4
3.45 GHz portion of the band, the FCC said. We emphasize, however, that
amateur licensees remain secondary users, and those that operate on
frequencies close to the 3450 MHz band edge must do so with particular
caution to avoid causing harmful interference to flexible-use licensees in
the 3.45 GHz Service, which hold primary status.

In light of these considerations, while amateur operations between 3450 MHz
and 3500 MHz must cease within 90 days of the public notice announcing the
close of the auction for the 3.45 GHz Service, as specified in the Report
and Order; amateur operations may continue between 3300 MHz and 3450 MHz
while the Commission, NTIA, and the DoD continue to analyze whether that
spectrum can be reallocated for commercial wireless use.

There is no expectation that such operations will be accommodated in future
planning for commercial wireless operations in this spectrum, or that
amateur operators will receive more than a short period of notice before
their operations must cease, the FCC said.

NNNN

/EX

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