Thursday, February 6, 2020

FCC Plans Auction of 280 MHz of C-Band Spectrum

Intelsat, SES and other satellite firms could share as much as $14.9 billion to clear 280 MHz of C-band spectrum (3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz), part of a plan by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to repurpose that spectrum to support new uses including 5G mobile services. 

Relocation payments could range from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion. Up to $9.7 billion could be earned by speedy action by the satellite firms to clear the band. 

The lower 280 megahertz of the C-band will be made available for flexible use. A 20 megaHertz guard band would separate the lower 280 MHz from the upper 200 megaHertz that would continue to be used by firms requiring C-band downlinks. 

The plan is expected to be approved at the FCC’s Feb. 28 meeting. The auction could occur in December.

“Under my draft rules, the winning bidders in the C-band auction would be required to reimburse satellite operators for their reasonable relocation costs,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “I’m proposing what I call ‘accelerated relocation payments’ to satellite operators if they meet deadlines for clearing C-band spectrum quickly.”

The satellite operators would receive these payments if they clear the lower 100 megaHertz of the C-band in 46 of the top 50 Partial Economic Areas by September 2021 and the remaining 180 megahertz of the C-band by September 2023, Pai said. 

The accelerated relocation payments would be made by the winning bidders in the C-band auction.

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