atnngrtss nf tqe llniteh &;fates llfasl1ingtnn, mm 20515 July 11, 2018 The Honorable Ajit Pai 549 Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 I t 11 Street, SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Pai: As co-chairs of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus, we applaud the Federal Communication Commission's (Commission) continued focus on spectrum allocation. As the demand on wireless broadband networks continues to grow, enabling the technologies of the Internet of Things and next generation broadband services like 5G wi ll be critical for our economy and our global competitiveness. The success of these networks - and ensuring consumers have access to the most advanced technology available - wi ll depend on an adequate supply of spectrum. As you kn ow, both licensed and unlicensed spectrum are a vital pa1t of the spectrum ecosystem. Low-, mid-, and high-bands wi ll be necessary for the fu ll deployment of next generation spectrum-based services. The propagation characteristics of mid-band spectrum make it paiticularly favorable for a variety of services that can utilize the coverage and capacity requirements of these networks. To that end, we commend the Commission for your plans to move to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on adding a mobile allocation for licensed services in the 3. 7 to 4.2 GHz band. Expanded terrestrial wireless access in this band - while including any necessary protections for incumbent users - has the potential to make this. spectrum a core mid-range band for next generation wireless broadband networks including 5G and other innovations. Your 2017 Mid-Band Notice ofinquiry (NOI) appropri ately focused on the impo1tance of additional mid-band spectrum allocations for both licensed and unlicensed services and recognized the need to address them together. We understand that you will move to an NPRM on opening the 5.925-6.425 and 6.425-7.125 GHz bands (collectively, the "6 GHz band") for unl icensed use in the fall. As you address the demand for mid­ band spectrum, we would urge you to take action on the 6 GHz band NPRM expeditiously while also cai·efully consideri ng the needs of incumbent and critical infrastructure networks. Importantly, the NPRM process will allow all stakeholders to provide valuab le input on the ex ante requirements necessary to protect incumbents, and give oppo1tunity to evaluate proposals for interference protection, technical coexistence between users, and how to reliably resolve potential interference shoul d it occur. The need for li censed and unlicensed spectrum has never been greater. We applaud your current effo1ts toward a spectrum po licy that protects the services offered by incumbent users and allocates additional spectrum for wireless broadband services, so we look fo rward to seeing fu1ther action in the coming months. Doris Matsui Brett Guthrie Member of Congress Member of Congress cc: Commiss ioner Mike O'Rielly Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Commissioner Brendan Carr PAINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER