Today, TechFreedom filed comments at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) arguing that the 70/80/90 GHz Band can accommodate additional usages, including High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS).

“The 70 GHz Band is unique, especially for space uses,” said James E. Dunstan, TechFreedom’s General Counsel. “Because of the contiguous spectrum available, and the fact that these frequencies suffer less atmospheric absorption, this is the last great band of spectrum that we can currently engineer for high speed data.”

“Because of its tight propagation characteristics, multiple users and different uses can be accommodated in close physical proximity,” Dunstan continued. “This Band is more suited for a variety of usages, as opposed to the 12 GHz band. There, studies are clear that terrestrial 5G use will introduce debilitating interference into 12 Ghz band NGSO satellite systems.”

“Most importantly, the FCC wisely adopted a ‘light licensing’ regime in 2003, which relies on third-party coordinators to give ‘go/no go’ coordination in a matter of minutes,” Dunstan concluded. “This is exactly the type of ‘lower friction’ regulation that we need to spur innovation and allow for rapid deployment of new technologies. The FCC need not ask whether a service is ‘commercially viable.’ Rather, the FCC should allow all compatible users to innovate in this spectrum, and let the market sort out who will be winners and losers, not regulators.”

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We can be reached for comment at media@techfreedom.org. Read our related work, including:

About TechFreedom:

TechFreedom is a non-profit, non-partisan technology policy think tank. We work to chart a path forward for policymakers towards a bright future where technology enhances freedom, and freedom enhances technology.

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