§ 27.1603 Coordination procedures. ( a ) *Coordination requirement.* Prior to operation of any 3.45 GHz Service license in a Cooperative Planning Area or Periodic Use Area, a 3.45 GHz Service licensee must successfully coordinate such operation with any Federal incumbents in the Cooperative Planning Area or Periodic Use Area. The coordination procedures contained in this section shall apply unless the 3.45 GHz Service licensee and the Federal incumbent(s) have reached a mutually acceptable operator-to-operator coordination agreement that provides otherwise.
( b ) *Informal discussions.* Before a 3.45 GHz Service licensee submits a formal coordination request, it may share and discuss draft proposals with Federal incumbent coordination staff. These discussions are voluntary, informal, and non-binding and can begin at any time.
( c ) *Formal coordination.* The 3.45 GHz Service licensee shall initiate coordination by formally requesting access to operate within a Cooperative Planning Area and/or Periodic Use Area directly through the Department of Defense's online portal.
( d ) *Initiation, timing, and affirmative concurrence.* A 3.45 GHz Service licensee must initiate a formal coordination request through the online portal provided by the Department of Defense. Unless otherwise agreed between a 3.45 GHz Service licensee and the relevant Federal incumbent(s), no formal coordination requests may be submitted until nine (9) months after the date of the auction closing Public Notice. 3.45 GHz Service licensees may request informal discussions (through the point of contact identified in the applicable Transition Plan) during this nine-month time period. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the requirement to reach a coordination arrangement is satisfied only by obtaining the affirmative concurrence of the relevant Federal incumbent(s) via the portal. The requirement of this paragraph (d) is not satisfied by omission.
( e ) *Submission information.* To submit a formal coordination request, the 3.45 GHz Service licensee must include information about the technical characteristics for the 3.45 GHz Service base stations and associated mobile units relevant to operation within the Cooperative Planning Area and/or Periodic Use Area. This information should be provided in accordance with the instructions provided in the portal user's guide provided by the Department of Defense. 3.45 GHz Service licensees must prioritize their deployments in the Cooperative Planning Area for each Federal incumbent when submitting a formal coordination request. If a 3.45 GHz Service licensee is seeking to coordinate with multiple systems or multiple locations of operation controlled by one Federal incumbent, the licensee must specify the order in which it prefers the Federal incumbent process the request (*i.e.,* the order of systems or geographic locations).
( f ) *Coordination analysis.* If a 3.45 GHz Service licensee has questions about the result of a coordination request, it may contact the Federal incumbent to propose network design modifications to help address issues raised by the Federal incumbent. Once the 3.45 GHz Service licensee has revised its network design, it must resubmit a formal coordination request, and the 3.45 GHz Service formal coordination process begins again.
( g ) *Interference resolution process.* In instances of identified harmful interference occurring between a Federal and non-Federal operator not otherwise addressed by the coordination procedures or operator-to-operator agreements, the 3.45 GHz Service licensee shall first attempt to resolve the interference directly. If that effort is unsuccessful, the 3.45 GHz Service licensee, if adversely affected may escalate the matter to the Commission.