New Proposal for Freeing Up 370 MHz of C-Band Spectrum for U.S. 5G

ACA Connects, the Competitive Carriers Association (“CCA”), and Charter Communications have filed a new proposal for clearing C-band spectrum with the Federal Communications Commission.

The proposal proposes to free up at least 370 megahertz, while satisfying incumbent user requirements for C-band video delivery, compensating satellite users and providing an alternative way for users to replicate their C-band requirements. 

As always, each proposal, while clearing spectrum, also serves the discrete financial interests of each proposing group. The straw man proposal by the C-Band Alliance releases a much-smaller amount of spectrum, raises the value of the remainder of the spectrum C-Band Alliance members would hold, and also creates scarcity of C-band spectrum, which raises likely prices for any auction of the assets.

The new proposal by ACA Connects, CCA and Charter likewise provides benefits. It would create a big national fiber transport network that also provides other advantages for the cable operators and programming networks in providing data services, for example. 

source: Cartesian

“C-band customers and earth station users made whole and given long term certainty through funding (subject to true up) and reimbursement of certain costs: a. For all multichannel video program distributor (“MVPD”) C-band users and MVPD programmers to transition off the C-band, funding and reimbursement to include the cost of redundant, future-proof assets that they would own and operate (fiber construction in some cases and Indefeasible Rights of Use (“IRUs”) in others); and b. For all satellite industry providers and existing C-band users that remain on the C-band, funding and reimbursement to include the costs of transitioning to a reduced amount of spectrum for continued satellite service,” the filing notes.

In other words, the consortium shifts spectrum use from video to 5G in a way that gives the cable operators funding for, and control of, a new national optical fiber transport network that supports all their current and future services.