IMPORTANT: Protect your 3650-3700 GHz network coverage this month! Deadline is August 7th. If you had sites registered by April 17th, 2015 and in service by April 17th, 2016, you can apply for incumbent status under the new CBRS rules. This could potentially be BIG for those that followed the registration rules (including CPE locations). In the image, I have highlighted the link to the new clean database https://opendata.fcc.gov/Wireless/ULS-3650-Locations-Default-View/dpvg-tvcx?category=Wireless&view_name=ULS-3650-Locations-Default-View that is being created for grandfathered protection zones. There is a simple way to see if your company has done this. Click on the link above and sort by Licensee Name. If you aren’t listed, you need to get to work right away. Below is some important information from Steve Coran, a telecom attorney with Lerman Senter PLLC.
Grandfathering
- Grandfathered licensees will receive interference protection from GAA users within a Protection Zone so long as network operations were “in use” by April 16, 2016
- “In use” – must be registered with ULS, constructed, serving unaffiliated paying customers and in compliance with FCC rules
- Must register frequencies and “service contours” with SAS by August 7, 2017
- Part 90 cooperation rules continue to apply
- Registrations approved after April 17, 2015 are not entitled to interference protection
- Treated as incumbent users during transition period
Protected Contours Methodology
- Two-Prong Sector-Based approach
- For sectors encompassing registered CPE, protection centered on each base station with the registered azimuth and beam width covering all registered subscriber locations in the sector (normally not more than 18 km)
- For sectors encompassing unregistered CPE, a 5.3 km radius sector from each registered base station based on the registered azimuth and beam width registered for that location
- Protection for frequencies registered in ULS
- Protection at all locations within the Grandfathered Wireless Protection Zone
- Protection level of -80 dBm/10 MHz within Zone
- Implementation
- On April 7, FCC released Public Notice announcing deadline of August 7 for licensees to file supplemental information in ULS to obtain protection within Grandfathered Wireless Protection Zones
- Identify eligible base stations
- Certify that stations were constructed, operational and in compliance with FCC rules as of April 17, 2016
- Identify unregistered/registered CPE from
- For registered CPE, specify distance to furthest CPE
- For point-to-point links, treat end points as base station
