V. Noah Campbell, cofounder and CEO of RS Access LLC, which is pushing for 5G access to the 12.2-12.7 GHz band, said, “I'm encouraged that the FCC acknowledged in its NOI that mid-band spectrum like 12.7 - 13.25 GHz is key to expanding America's 5G spectrum pipeline. The same characteristics cited by the FCC, like ‘favorable propagation’ and ‘considerable capacity,’ are also true in the lower 12 GHz band. This NOI is a unique opportunity for the FCC to lead the world in creating a 1,000 MHz block between 12.2 and 13.25 [GHz].”

Advocates of sharing the 12.2-12.7 gigahertz band for 5G services today welcomed the FCC’s plan to adopt a notice of inquiry at Thursday’s meeting on use of the 12.7-13.25 GHz band (TR Daily, Oct. 20), touting the benefits of making about 1,000 megahertz of spectrum available for advanced terrestrial service.

5G for 12 GHz Coalition leaders told reporters Thursday they still expect the FCC to act soon on changing the rules for the 12.2-12.7 band to allow two-way use for 5G. The officials hope the FCC will also soon approve a grant of special temporary authority allowing real-world tests. They noted the coalition now includes 38 companies and organizations.

Dish Wireless wants to conduct tests using the 12 GHz band to evaluate coexistence in the band – it’s just waiting for the FCC to say yea or nay.

They have a working 12 GHz radio that they want to use as part of the demonstration and they’re now waiting for the FCC to act on the request, according to Jeff Blum, EVP of External and Legislative Affairs at Dish.

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Blum acknowledged the special temporary authorization (STA) application during a webinar Thursday with fellow members of the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition.

With all signs indicating the Federal Communications Commission will soon decide whether the satellite-heavy 12 gigahertz spectrum is suitable for terrestrial wireless use, a major license holder in the band claims that "super clear" evidence backs a controversial plan to let both technologies share the band.

Ms. Rosenworcel was also asked today when Commissioners are likely to consider an order in the agency’s 12 gigahertz band proceeding. “We’re still doing technical review,” she replied. The Chairwoman was also asked how parties should view possible 12 GHz band action based on her plan to circulate for consideration at the agency’s Oct. 27 meeting a draft notice of inquiry to explore repurposing spectrum in the 12.7-13.25 GHz band (TR Daily, Sept. 19). “These are two different bands,” she replied.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s announcement Monday the FCC will launch a notice of inquiry on 12.7-13.25 GHz was a surprise to advocates of using 12.2-12.7 for 5G, but doesn’t necessarily have negative implications for a long-awaited order on the lower part of the spectrum range. The most substantial objections are likely to come from broadcasters, though fixed service, satellite and other links are in the band.

RS Access representatives met with staff for Commissioner Nathan Simington to make the case that 5G can be safely deployed in 12 GHz. 

A bipartisan pair of senators has called on the Federal Communications Commission to "proceed with an evidence-based rulemaking" that would potentially add 5G wireless service to the 12 gigahertz band now used mainly by satellite operators.

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., urged the FCC Thursday to “continue to proceed with an evidence-based rulemaking” as it evaluates future use of the 12 GHz band. 

It's undoubtedly these kinds of problems that the FCC is hoping to avoid as it wades into the ongoing debate over 5G in 12GHz. Indeed, potentially billions of dollars hang on what the FCC decides.

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On one side of the 12GHz debate sit satellite companies including SpaceX's Starlink, fronted by billionaire Elon Musk. Those companies are currently using the 12GHz band in part for their burgeoning low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operations. Such services are in their infancy, but proponents believe they could grow to deliver Internet services to virtually every corner of the globe.

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On the other side of the 12GHz debate sit Dish Network, RS Access and others, backed in part by billionaires like Charlie Ergen and Michael Dell. Some of those companies also use the 12GHz band for satellite-based services, but they're urging the FCC to also allow terrestrial 5G signals in at least a part of the band, potentially under some kind of spectrum-sharing setup. Starlink and others oppose the inclusion of 5G in the band.

The FCC posted Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s responses Thursday to letters from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and 16 other House members urging the commission in its evaluation of future use of the 12 GHz band to more carefully consider the potential impact of terrestrial operations on the frequency’s incumbent users.

RS Access CEO V. Noah Campbell said he’s encouraged by the chairwoman’s latest assessment.

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“We’re encouraged by Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s letter and commitment to letting science and engineering guide the commission’s work,” Campbell said in a statement provided to Fierce. “This sentiment has been echoed repeatedly by other commissioners and FCC staff, and we look forward to our ongoing engagement with each of the bureaus as they review the record. We’re confident in the analysis we’ve submitted to date and believe a win-win scenario can be achieved to meet the explosive demand for 5G spectrum with minimal to no impact on satellite services.”

The FCC’s evaluation of future use of the 12 GHz band requires “a complex engineering process that involves analyzing competing technical analyses,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a letter Wednesday to Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla. 

Rather than approximating real-world conditions, OneWeb and DirecTV in their 12 GHz technical reports (see 2207120058 and 2207180026) use "extreme hypotheticals [that] obviously bear no resemblance to reality and ... are both trivial and useless for predicting nationwide outcomes or setting national policy," RS Access said Tuesday in docket 20-443.

Dish Network meetings at the FCC to advocate for 5G in 12 GHz, and Starlink’s push against it, will likely have little material impact on the agency’s final decision, New Street’s Blair Levin told investors in a weekend update. 

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr said they're awaiting an Office of Engineering and Technology analysis of whether the 12 GHz band can open to 5G service. 

The chief criticism from the perspective of the RS Access's engineering consultants, RKF, was Starlink's use of a study in the Las Vegas market to draw the conclusions of probable interference. RS Access called that an "exceptionally narrow geographic scope."

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"Starlink's study considered interference in a single, cherry-picked [economic area] rather than conducting a nationwide modeling analysis as RKF took the time and effort to do," the license holder said, calling Las Vegas "not at all a typical interference environment" and due to topology and other factors, "especially inhospitable to radio coexistence."

RS Access, in its most recent submission to the commission, responded with a supplemental report that sought to respond to Starlink’s examination of 5G and non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) systems in the Las Vegas, Nevada, market and to identify factors driving the disparity between Starlink’s claims and the results of RKF’s prior studies.

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According to RS Access, its report allows the FCC to review the two sets of assumptions side-by-side and decide which offers the most reasonable and accurate view of the system architectures, service models and radiofrequency propagation characteristics.

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For its part, “RKF states that its review of the Starlink submission has only strengthened its confidence that 5G deployments will have no effect on at least 99.85% of NGSO operations in the 12 GHz band,” RS Access CEO V. Noah Campbell told the commission.

Dish public-policy chief Jeffrey Blum disputed SpaceX’s arguments and said that 5G advocates have met the commission’s requirements by backing up their assertions with engineering research.

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“We’re confident the FCC will soon determine the best means to bring this spectrum into the FCC’s frequency pipeline,” said V. Noah Campbell, the chief of a company held by Mr. Dell’s investment firm.

The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, a group that includes Dish Network and RS Access, said today that it wants to set the record straight on Starlink’s “misinformation campaign.”

The 5G for 12 GHz Coalition for over a year now has been engaged in a fight with SpaceX over the viability of sharing the 12 GHz band with satellites and terrestrial 5G. The coalition argues that the engineering analysis shows sharing is possible while SpaceX disputes that.

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“In addition to this manipulated filing, Starlink has initiated a public misinformation campaign by falsely telling customers and the public that coexistence is not possible in the band among Starlink and 5G services – despite nationwide data proving otherwise,” the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition said on Thursday. “This tactic, which is commonly used by Elon Musk, is not only disingenuous, but it promulgates an anti-5G narrative that is harmful to American consumers who deserve greater competition, connectivity options and innovation.”

RS Access also is urging the FCC to act swiftly to authorize 5G operations in the 12 GHz band and sees no reason the FCC can’t move ahead quickly, even with a 2:2 tie with Republicans and Democrats on the commission as it awaits the approval of a fifth appointee.

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V. Noah Campbell, CEO of RS Access, said from his perspective, the FCC has all the information it needs to reach a decision. “We are very confident in the work that RKF has produced proving out co-existence of 12 GHz and we view the record as complete,” showing the potential for a win-win here, he told Fierce.

The coalition thinks the FCC should be allowed to complete its analysis of the engineering, said RS Access CEO Noah Campbell. “They’ve been working on it for several months now,” he said: “The FCC is the expert agency within the federal government related to frequency and coexistence between different users in spectrum. It’s very straightforward for us.” If the FCC’s analysis finds sharing will work in the band, “I can’t imagine why the FCC wouldn’t move forward,” Campbell said.

RS Access CEO Noah Campbell and others from the company, and from RKF Engineering, said they spoke with FCC staff on a new engineering study on using the 12 GHz band for 5G, which they say shows no threat to the non-geostationary orbit fixed-satellite service.

A 12 GHz spectrum license holder wants the Federal Communications Commission to push ahead with allowing wireless services in the band, contending there is plenty of evidence to rebut opposition from satellite giant SpaceX.

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RS Access, which along with other stakeholders has pressed the FCC for well over a year to pass a spectrum-sharing plan for 12 GHz, said Wednesday that it had met with 16 staffers from three branches of the agency to share technical points on why it thinks the sharing plan works.

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The FCC continues to study the idea — which would add new services to a swath of 500 megahertz between 12.2 and 12.7 GHz — and has not set out a clear position yet. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel this spring called it one of the agency's "most complex dockets."

France's Council of State court revoked SpaceX's authorization to operate there in the 12 GHz band and another portion of the Ku band.

“We believe the proceeding is gaining momentum,” said Chip Pickering, a former congressman who heads the telecom trade group Incompas and has helped lead a broad advocacy effort to open up the mid-band spectrum for two-way terrestrial wireless.

Starlink, SpaceX's budding satellite broadband service, has just received a setback in France that may dent its ambition to become a global provider of broadband services using a mesh of thousands of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'État, has essentially stripped Starlink of its license to operate in two frequency bands in the country, reversing a decision made by French telecoms regulator Arcep in February 2021.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s response to a question about the 12 GHz band during an FCC oversight committee hearing Thursday is giving hope to the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition.

V. Noah Campbell, cofounder and CEO of RS Access LLC, which is pushing for 5G access to the 12.2-12.7 GHz band, said, “I'm encouraged that the FCC acknowledged in its NOI that mid-band spectrum like 12.7 - 13.25 GHz is key to expanding America's 5G spectrum pipeline. The same characteristics cited by the FCC, like ‘favorable propagation’ and ‘considerable capacity,’ are also true in the lower 12 GHz band. This NOI is a unique opportunity for the FCC to lead the world in creating a 1,000 MHz block between 12.2 and 13.25 [GHz].”

V. Noah Campbell, cofounder and CEO of RS Access LLC, which is pushing for 5G access to the 12.2-12.7 GHz band, said, “I'm encouraged that the FCC acknowledged in its NOI that mid-band spectrum like 12.7 - 13.25 GHz is key to expanding America's 5G spectrum pipeline. The same characteristics cited by the FCC, like ‘favorable propagation’ and ‘considerable capacity,’ are also true in the lower 12 GHz band. This NOI is a unique opportunity for the FCC to lead the world in creating a 1,000 MHz block between 12.2 and 13.25 [GHz].”

"As advocates of FCC action reallocating the 12 GHz band hope they’re nearing the finishing line, officials with the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition told us Monday the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society joined that group, adding to the push for FCC action. Members of the group said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appears to be waiting for the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn as the third Democrat on the FCC, but if that doesn’t happen soon, they hope the agency will act with the current 2-2 split."

Among the wireless items potentially ripe for action are new rules for the 12 GHz and 4.9 GHz bands, the lower 37 GHz band, revised rules for short-range field disturbance sensor radars in the 60 GHz band, and allowing cellular vehicle-to-everything deployments in 5.9 GHz. Industry groups and companies asked for action in all of these areas, especially 12 GHz.

Speakers at the Incompas Policy Summit expressed hope Tuesday that the FCC will act soon to allow use of the 12 GHz band for 5G. Incompas has been a leading member of the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, which seeks new rules for the band.

Federal Communications Commission’s two Republicans have signaled they’re open to repurposing the 12 gigahertz satellite band to support wireless service, indicating that an inquiry open since the Trump administration could take off if the technical details check out.

“The C-Band dispute highlights the challenges of bringing 5G spectrum to market and the increasing complexity of navigating federal encumbrances. The 12 GHz band has none of those issues, making it incredibly valuable frequency for carriers to add to their toolbox for expanding connectivity,” said V. Noah Campbell, co-founder and CEO of RS Access

Discussions about opening the 12 GHz band to 5G need to start focusing on technical issues such as the right interference criteria, the acceptable probability of interference and the means for determining how much of a terrestrial signal has been attenuated before it reaches a satellite receiver, Dish Network said in an FCC docket 20-443 filing Friday. 

“Expanding the 12 GHz band has the potential to make valuable mid-band spectrum available for applications that can help close the digital divide and deliver broadband in rural and Tribal areas,” said Kathleen Burke, Public Knowledge policy counsel.

The FCC will likely take on several spectrum proceedings in coming months, regardless of what happens to the nomination of Gigi Sohn as the third Democratic commissioner, industry officials said. Those items could include proposals on the 12 GHz and 4.9 GHz bands, the lower 37 GHz band, revised rules for short-range field disturbance sensor radars in the 60 GHz band and allowing cellular vehicle-to-everything deployments in 5.9 GHz.

RS Access, one of the firms that holds 12 GHz licenses alongside Dish Network, is behind a new analysis that accuses SpaceX of using erroneous data in its evaluation of how satellite companies can use the adjacent 10.7-11.7 GHz band.

V. Noah Campbell, Co-founder and CEO of RS Access:

We congratulate Jessica Rosenworcel on her historic confirmation to the Federal Communications Commission. The Senate’s swift and bipartisan action ensures that the FCC has the leadership it needs to expand America’s Global 5G leadership by unleashing the 12 GHz band to help meet the country’s exploding demand for mid-band spectrum.

 V. Noah Campbell believes the agency might finally take up the 12GHz issue. Campbell is a wireless industry entrepreneur and founder of RS Access, which owns some 12GHz spectrum assets. Dish Network also owns significant 12GHz holdings. The two companies have been petitioning the FCC to allow 5G operations in the band, but companies including SpaceX's Starlink are fighting back against that idea.

V. Noah Campbell, Co-founder and CEO of RS Access:

We congratulate Jessica Rosenworcel for her nomination as Permanent Chair and Gigi Sohn for her nomination as fifth Commissioner to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). RS Access looks forward to working with them and the entire Commission to expand America’s Global 5G leadership by unleashing the 12 GHz band to help meet the country’s exploding demand for mid-band spectrum.

After nine months as interim chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the White House announced Tuesday that it intends to nominate Jessica Rosenworcel as the agency’s permanent head, becoming the first full-time woman in that position.

Rosenworcel will be flanked by former FCC staffer Gigi Sohn, long speculated as a frontrunner for the top job, to be the crucial party tie-breaking fifth — and first openly gay – commissioner on the agency,

Entities that want the FCC to allow two-way use of 500 MHz of spectrum in the 12 GHz band are urging the commission to move ahead on that proposal, arguing in an FCC filing that the record confirms broad support for the move. It’s “imperative” for the FCC to make spectrum resources available to quickly turn broadband funding in the anticipated infrastructure bill into “real, accessible and high-speed internet connections for unserved and underserved Americans,” the rule change advocates argue.

Satellite entrepreneur Charlie Ergen and computer whiz Michael Dell have a plan to open up little-used wireless frequencies to millions of customers with a new 5G service.

The proposal has sparked a ruckus among billionaires.

Saying Dish Network is just plain wrong, T-Mobile is arguing before the FCC that if the 12 GHz band gets freed up for mobile terrestrial use, it had better conduct an auction of the spectrum to award those rights.

Arguments continue to rage between those in favor of a proposal to change 12 GHz spectrum band rules and those who oppose a rule change. At stake is 500 MHz of mid-band spectrum that could be well suited to supporting 5G service, according to rule change advocates.

Research commissioned by RS Access showing the mid-band 12 GHz spectrum, a band used by satellite service providers, can be shared with 5G operations has elicited a scathing rebuke by SpaceX — and the engineering firm behind the study is responding in kind.

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The two moguls want rules to favor their visions for high-speed broadband service. Is there space enough for the two of them?

RS Access CEO Noah Campbell said RKF "has produced the only serious engineering work to date [while] SpaceX failed to produce its own study. Instead of doing its own work, SpaceX continues baseless and misleading attacks on others. We stand behind the work performed by RKF and look forward to working with the Commission to unleash 12 GHz."

Experts at the New America Open Technology Institute last week suggested that the 12 Gigahertz band can be shared with 5G wireless services and argued that the big-name proponent that says it can’t has allegedly not produced evidence saying otherwise.

SpaceX opposition to opening the 12 GHz band to terrestrial 5G is nothing but "rhetoric and misrepresentation that distract from the serious policymaking," RS Access CEO Noah Campbell told FCC Wireless and International Bureau staffers, per a docket 20-443 filing Wednesday.

SpaceX criticisms of the RS Access-commissioned study showing the feasibility of 5G sharing the 12 GHz band with non-geostationary satellite deployments go "well beyond the bounds of zealous advocacy and professional decorum" in impugning the professional integrity of RKF Engineering, the engineering firm said in docket 20-443 Tuesday. 

While some experts believe that the 12 GHz spectrum band is a natural space for 5G to expand into, others remain unconvinced that doing so would not interrupt incumbent usage.

What’s next on the proposed rule change that would allow two-way transmissions in the 12 GHz band? Advocates and opponents discussed the issue on a Broadband Breakfast webcast yesterday.

Proponents of spectrum sharing believe now is the time to open 12 GHz up for more intensive broadband uses. But some satellite services are very much opposed. And the Federal Communications Commission is currently considering the arguments.

“We’re very confident in the FCC’s decision-making process,” said RS Access CEO Noah Campbell. “We’re very confident in the FCC’s ability to recognize sound engineering and sound policy. … The FCC leads the world in this.” Proponents believe they have offered the engineering and economic arguments that justify moving forward, he said. “We don’t think there are any tradeoffs.” The FCC didn't comment.

It wasn’t that long ago that Public Knowledge was fighting tooth and nail against the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile that eventually would lead to Dish Network being set up as a fourth national player in wireless.  

Nowadays, that very same public interest group is arguing that Dish should get as much help as it can to compete against incumbents AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. As a member of the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, Public Knowledge is asking the FCC to make modifications to the 12 GHz spectrum band that would allow for two-way communications and entities like Dish to better compete in 5G.

Technical analysis demonstrates the 12.2 to 12.7 GHz spectrum band’s characteristics are highly favorable for 5G, resemble lower-mid band frequencies, and can rapidly accelerate 5G deployment nationwide

The FCC faces a tough decision on a proposed change to the rules for the 12 GHz spectrum band. Comments on the proposed change were due yesterday and the commission got a range of conflicting commentary from heavy hitters on both sides.

The FCC has the evidence it needs to act quickly on an order allowing wireless broadband in the 12 GHz band, said Incompas CEO Chip Pickering Wednesday on a 5Gfor12GHz Coalition call. Speakers cited a RKF Engineering Solutions study that said 5G and non-geostationary fixed satellite service deployments can coexist.

RSA filed its RKF Engineering Solutions study indicating 5G and NGSO FSS deployments in the band are "achievable in nearly all deployment scenarios -- even without coordination." It said RKF's modeling of 2.5 million SpaceX terminals found fewer than 1% nominally affected, and few if any of those would see service hurt.