February 7, 2020 FACT SHEET1 Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band Report and Order and Order of Proposed Modification - GN Docket No. 18-122 Background: In recognition of the ever-growing demand for spectrum-based services and to facilitate the development of advanced wireless services, including 5G, this proposed Report and Order and Order of Proposed Modification would make a significant amount of mid-band spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band available for flexible-use in a manner that ensures the continued, uninterrupted delivery of services currently offered in the band. Through a Commission-led auction, the item will ensure that 280 megahertz of spectrum is repurposed from Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Fixed Service (FS) to flexible-use, that the public recovers a substantial portion of the value of this resource, and that this spectrum will be made available quickly for 5G and other advanced wireless deployments. What the Order Would Do: • Add a mobile allocation, except aeronautical mobile, to the 3.7-4.0 GHz band. • Transition 280 megahertz, plus a 20-megahertz guard band, from incumbent use to flexible-use in the contiguous United States by September 30, 2025, through a Commission-led public auction. • Provide eligible space station operators with the option to accelerate the clearing according to the following accelerated timeline: (1) clearing 120 megahertz (3.7-3.82 GHz) by September 30, 2021, and (2) clearing the remaining 180 megahertz (3.82-4.0 GHz) by September 30, 2023. If they meet those benchmarks, they will receive accelerated relocation payments from flexible-use licensees. • Require incumbent FS licensees in the contiguous United States to relocate their point-to-point links to other bands, by September 30, 2023. • Provide both incumbent FSS and FS licensees with reimbursement of reasonable relocation costs paid by flexible-use licensees as a condition on their license. • Establish a Relocation Payment Clearinghouse to manage the intake, payout, and auditing of relocation funds, mediate cost-related disputes, and provide progress reports to the Commission. • Establish a Relocation Coordinator to coordinate the migration and filtering of incumbent earth stations to ensure uninterrupted service during and following the transition. • Adopt service and technical rules for flexible-use licensees in the 280 megahertz of spectrum designated for transition to flexible-use. What the Order of Proposed Modification Would Do: • Propose to modify the licenses and authorizations of all 3.7-4.2 GHz band FSS licensees and market access holders within the contiguous United States to limit their operations to the 4.0-4.2 GHz band no later than September 30, 2025. 1 This document is being released as part of a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding. Any presentations or views on the subject expressed to the Commission or its staff, including by email, must be filed in GN Docket No. 18-122, which may be accessed via the Electronic Comment Filing System (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/). Before filing, participants should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules, including the general prohibition on presentations (written and oral) on matters listed on the Sunshine Agenda, which is typically released a week prior to the Commission’s meeting. See 47 CFR § 1.1200 et seq. Federal Communications Commission FCC-CIRC2002-01 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz ) GN Docket No. 18-122 Band REPORT AND ORDER AND ORDER OF PROPOSED MODIFICATION* Adopted: [] Released: [] By the Commission: TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph # I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 II. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 5 A. Current Use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band and Adjacent Bands ............................................................. 8 B. Procedural History ......................................................................................................................... 13 III. REPORT AND ORDER ...................................................................................................................... 20 A. Public Auction of 280 Megahertz of C-Band Spectrum for Flexible Use ..................................... 22 1. Allocation of the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band ........................................................................................ 54 2. Competitive Bidding Rules ..................................................................................................... 59 3. Licensing and Operating Rules ............................................................................................... 71 B. The Transition of FSS Operations ............................................................................................... 110 1. Incumbent FSS Operations .................................................................................................... 113 2. Clearing the 3.7-4.0 GHz Band of FSS Operations ............................................................... 124 3. Transition Schedule ............................................................................................................... 154 4. Relocation and Accelerated Relocation Payments ................................................................ 177 5. Relocation Payment Clearinghouse ....................................................................................... 225 6. The Logistics of Relocation .................................................................................................. 253 7. Other FSS Transition Issues .................................................................................................. 280 C. Fixed Use in the C-Band .............................................................................................................. 283 1. Sunsetting Incumbent Point-to-Point Fixed Services ............................................................ 284 2. More Intensive Point-to-Multipoint Fixed Use ..................................................................... 291 D. Technical Rules for the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band .................................................................................. 294 1. Power Levels ......................................................................................................................... 296 2. Out-of-band Emissions .......................................................................................................... 304 * This document has been circulated for tentative consideration by the Commission at its February 28, 2020 open meeting. The issues referenced in this document and the Commission’s ultimate resolution of those issues remain under consideration and subject to change. This document does not constitute any official action by the Commission. However, the Chairman has determined that, in the interest of promoting the public’s ability to understand the nature and scope of issues under consideration, the public interest would be served by making this document publicly available. The FCC’s ex parte rules apply and presentations are subject to “permit-but- disclose” ex parte rules. See, e.g., 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1206, 1.1200(a). Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules, including the general prohibition on presentations (written and oral) on matters listed on the Sunshine Agenda, which is typically released a week prior to the Commission’s meeting. See 47 CFR §§ 1.1200(a), 1.1203 Federal Communications Commission FCC-CIRC2002-01 3. Antenna Height Limits .......................................................................................................... 312 4. Service Area Boundary Limit ................................................................................................ 315 5. International Boundary Requirements ................................................................................... 317 6. Other Part 27 Rules ............................................................................................................... 318 7. Protection of Incumbent FSS Earth Stations ......................................................................... 320 8. Protection of TT&C Earth Stations ....................................................................................... 334 9. Coexistence with Aeronautical Radionavigation .................................................................. 346 10. Coexistence with the Citizens Broadband Radio Service ..................................................... 351 IV. PROCEDURAL MATTERS .............................................................................................................. 353 V. ORDERING CLAUSES ..................................................................................................................... 361 APPENDIX A—Final Rules APPENDIX B—Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis APPENDIX C—List of Commenters I. INTRODUCTION 1. The demand for wireless broadband services and for radio spectrum continues to grow dramatically.1 At the same time that mobile traffic is surging in many sections of the United States, however, there are some communities that still lack access to meaningful wireless broadband connectivity. To enable the development of next generation