Washington (December 4, 2023) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel calling on the FCC to act expeditiously in its proceeding regarding the 12.2-12.7 GHz spectrum band while continuing to maintain an evidence-based approach.
In Senators Markey and Blackburn’s letter to Chairwoman Rosenworcel, the two lawmakers said, “With the 12.2-12.7 GHz band, the Commission has a unique near-term opportunity to expand broadband access, improve the distribution of spectrum resources, and put our spectrum to its most efficient use, especially in rural areas of the country. In particular, if the Commission determines that fixed broadband operations can coexist in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band without interfering with incumbent users, the Commission should move swiftly to permit such use, particularly as the federal government deploys additional resources to close the digital divide.”
The lawmakers continued, “The Commission can do this by updating twenty-year old rules for the band to account for new technological advances, which can make sharing possible, and considering the creation of a sharing framework to permit local access to unused spectrum channels in this band; ensuring tribes have adequate spectrum access in the band; and potentially authorizing low-power, indoor-only unlicensed use of the band.”
###
