Today’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to open a proceeding into RF receiver performance wasn’t particularly controversial. The measure was passed by the politically split commission, but it marks a big change at the agency.
Generally speaking, the commission, led by Democrat Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, remains split, with two Democrats and two Republicans while President Joe Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn awaits confirmation. Sohn’s nomination, which approved would make it a 3-2 majority for the Democrats, continues to get pushback from some lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the move to take a fresh look at receiver technology and the role it plays in more efficient spectrum use was supported by both parties on the commission. In fact, Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington brought up the issue months ago.
In his statement, Democrat Commissioner Geoffrey Starks alluded to the fits and starts the receiver issue has, uh, received, over the years.
“This Notice of Inquiry has been a long time coming,” Starks said. “Nearly 20 years ago, the Commission took its first hard look at addressing the issue of receiver performance. Unfortunately, a wide variety of factors ultimately caused that proceeding to close without final action. Ten years later, there was yet another attempt at the issue of receiver performance, but once again, no final FCC action took place, even as our spectrum demands grew.”
The time has come to change that, and federal agency coordination remains a critical part of the mission, Starks noted. “We can only move forward on the issue of receiver performance if we act in collaboration with NTIA, since any action here will inevitably impact the interests of federal agencies and their stakeholders,” Starks said. “Emerging technologies will continue to run up against the interference concerns of incumbents, as our experiences in the C-band, the L-band and the 6 GHz band show. There is room for improvement.”
On the theme of smarter spectrum policies (and avoiding high-profile debacles like what happened with the C-band), Chairwoman Rosenworcel earlier this year announced a new Spectrum Coordination Initiative with Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
On that front, the FCC and NTIA already have made progress, Rosenworcel said in her statement Thursday.
With today’s announcement, the goal is to widen the discussion to both transmitters and receivers – both of which are needed to make communications happen and to avoid harmful interference, she said.
“It’s a two-way proposition. Both are vital. Both matter. So we need to rethink our approach to spectrum policy and move beyond just transmitters and consider receivers, too. That’s because receivers that are not sufficiently resilient can make it more difficult to introduce additional services in the same or adjacent airwaves. They can diminish the spectral environment and shut out new uses before they even begin,” Rosenworcel said.
The inquiry includes a wide range of items, including relooking at earlier studies on the issue, the FCC’s own technical and legal expertise and its work with the Technological Advisory Council. The item asks about different approaches, like whether they will be incentive-based.
"The commission’s goal in this proceeding is to lay the foundation for future actions that could help create a more transparent and predictable radio frequency environment for all spectrum users," the agency said.