*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 43031* NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D. C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News Media Contact: October 14, 2004 Bruce Romano (202) 418- 2124 FCC CLEARS SPECTRUM FOR ADVANCED WIRELESS SERVICES IN 1710- 1755 MHZ BAND BY MAKING RELOCATION SPECTRUM AVAILABLE FOR INCUMBENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today allocated spectrum to allow Federal operations to be cleared from spectrum that has been allocated for advanced wireless services (AWS), including third generation wireless (3G) systems. This action is an important step towards the future auction of 90 MHz of spectrum for AWS. The Commission previously allocated the 1710- 1755 MHz (1.7 GHz) and 2110- 2155 MHz (2.1 GHz) bands for AWS. The 1.7 GHz band was transferred from the Federal Government for private sector use, but Federal operations at certain locations were to remain in this spectrum indefinitely. The U. S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“ NTIA”), working with the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies, developed a set of proposals to clear this spectrum so that it could be made available for AWS throughout the United States. Today’s action implements NTIA’s plan by making certain non- Federal Government bands available for relocating Federal operations. Specifically, the Commission allocated spectrum to allow for the relocation of critical military and other operations into the 2025- 2110 MHz (2 GHz) and 2360- 2395 MHz (2.3 GHz) bands. Eleven Department of Defense (DOD) Tracking, Telemetry, and Commanding (TT& C) uplink earth stations, which are used to control military satellites, will be permitted to operate on a co- primary basis with incumbents in the Broadcast Auxiliary Service, the Cable Television Relay Service, and the Local Television Transmission Service in the 2 GHz band. For this sharing, the Commission concluded that frequency coordination will be necessary and outlined a series of requirements to be met before DOD operations commence in the band. It also allowed the relocation of DOD fixed and mobile, except aeronautical mobile, systems from the 1.7 GHz band to the 2 GHz band on a secondary basis at six remote sites in the southwestern region of the United States. 1 The Commission also made spectrum available for the relocation of Federal aeronautical mobile flight test telemetry (AMT) operations from the 1.7 GHz band to the 2.3 GHz band, by extending the existing primary spectrum allocation for Federal and non- Federal AMT in the 2360- 2385 MHz band to include an additional 10 megahertz in the 2385- 2395 MHz band. Making the additional spectrum available for non- Federal AMT will accommodate the higher data rates needed for non- Federal flight testing. The Commission similarly extended the existing secondary spectrum allocations for Federal and non- Federal non- aeronautical mobile telemetry operations in the 2360- 2385 MHz band to include the 2385- 2395 MHz band, and extended the existing Federal primary radiolocation and secondary fixed allocations in the 2360- 2385 MHz band to include the 2385- 2390 MHz band. Action by the Commission on October 14, 2004, by Seventh Report and Order in ET Docket No. 00- 258 and WT Docket No. 02- 8 (FCC 04- 246). Chairman Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Copps, Martin, and Adelstein, with Chairman Powell issuing a separate statement. Office of Engineering & Technology contacts: Ted Ryder at (202) 418- 2803 and Jamison Prime at (202) 418- 7474. ET Docket No. 00- 258, WT Docket No. 02- 8. -FCC- 2