Straight Path challenged Boeing in its assertions about the FCC's Spectrum Frontiers proceeding, so why not take on Lockheed Martin as well?
In a June 30 filing with the FCC, Straight Path CEO and President Davidi Jonas said Lockheed Martin is "simply wrong" in its characterization of the record in the FCC's proceeding on the use of spectrum bands above 24 GHz. Consequently, Straight Path is urging the commission to "reject this last-ditch attempt to derail the Commission's efforts to unlock the millimeter wave bands for innovative 5G wireless broadband networks and technologies."
Indeed, in a June 24 ex parte presentation, Lockheed Martin told the commission that it shares the views of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) and said the record of the proceeding is "simply incomplete when it comes to meaningful consideration of sharing and compatibility issues at 37/39 GHz among all interested services by Federal and non-Federal users." Lockheed argued that the incompleteness of the record means the commission should reserve the entirety of the decisions on the band for the next phase of the proceeding.
It also brings up what it said are some significant implications for the Executive Branch: Allowing Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service (UMFUS) to produce aggregate emission levels that cause harmful interference to fixed satellite services (FSS) receivers not licensed by the United States but that are entitled to protection under the treaty obligations of the United States.
"It is unclear how the United States will be able to ensure its ability to observe its treaty obligation to ensure the protection of recorded frequency assignments of FSS networks licensed outside the United States that are using the 28 GHz band," Lockheed said.
The aerospace company, which makes commercial satellite systems and networks, argued that more time is needed for the technical record to be developed to a maturity level that shows the path forward and urged the commission to seek further comment before adopting definitive regulatory provisions for the 37/39 GHz band. The commission is set to vote on Chairman Tom Wheeler's Spectrum Frontiers proposal on July 14.
Straight Path holds licenses for 28 and 39 GHz licenses that once belonged to Winstar and it argued that Lockheed is coming into the party with too little, too late. "Lockheed Martin ironically claims that the record is incomplete while at the same time providing minimal substantive input in this proceeding over the past year-and-a-half," Jonas wrote. "If Lockheed Martin was concerned that the record lacked sufficient information to adopt rules for the 37/39 GHz bands, it should have helped develop the record and provided meaningful contributions to the discussion at a more appropriate time – before the rules were circulated for a vote."
Straight Path said it and other commenters have submitted extensive material and detailed technical information demonstrating how satellite and terrestrial operations can be conducted in the millimeter wave bands.
Boeing, which is developing a non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellite system that would operate in the V-band, recently raised the ire of CTIA when it called for more time to establish sharing parameters between satellite and terrestrial mobile operations in the millimeter wave spectrum bands. CTIA said the commission has significant technical documentation and data to reach a decision on the technical parameters associated with future terrestrial and satellite operations in the 37-40 GHz band.
For more:
- see this Straight Path filing (PDF)
- see this Lockheed Martin filing (PDF)
Related articles:
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Straight Path plots 5G strategy with fixed wireless spectrum