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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 29, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8375-8376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01535]

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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 1, 2, and 27

[WT Docket No. 19-116; DA 25-15; FR ID 275150]

Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks To Supplement the Record 
on Proposed Rules To Re-Allocate 1675-1680 MHz Band

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau of 
the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) seeks to supplement 
the record concerning the rules proposed in a 2019 Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking adopted in the Allocation and Service Rules for the 1675-
1680 MHz Band rulemaking that proposed to reallocate the 1675-1680 MHz 
band for shared use between incumbent federal operators and new, non-
federal flexible wireless (fixed or mobile) use operations.

DATES: Comments are due February 28, 2025. Reply comments are due March 
17, 2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by WT Docket No. 19-116, 
by any of the following methods:
    [ssquf] Federal Communications Commission's Website: https://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    [ssquf] People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request 
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) by email: [email protected] or phone: 202-418-
0530 or TTY: 202-418-0432.
    For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Mackoul, Wireless

[[Page 8376]]

Telecommunications Bureau, Mobility Division, 202-418-7498, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
document, DA 25-15, released January 8, 2025, by the Commission's 
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. The full text of the document is 
available at https://www.fcc.gov/document/wtb-seeks-supplement-1675-1680-mhz-band-record.

Filing Requirements

    Interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or 
before the dates indicated in the DATES section above.
     Electronic Filers. Comments may be filed electronically 
using the internet by accessing the Commission's Electronic Comment 
Filing System (ECFS) at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs.
     Paper Filers. Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and one copy of each filing.
     Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by 
commercial courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. All filings must be 
addressed to the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
     Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for 
the Commission's Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 
by the FCC's mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis 
Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with 
rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of 
before entering the building.
     Commercial courier deliveries (any deliveries not by the 
U.S. Postal Service) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis 
Junction, MD 20701.
     Filings sent by U.S. Postal Service First-Class Mail, 
Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 L Street 
NE, Washington, DC 20554.

Persons With Disabilities

    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer & Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice) or 202-418-0432 (TTY).

Ex Parte Presentations

    The Commission will treat this proceeding as a ``permit-but-
disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte 
rules. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any 
written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation 
within two business days after the presentation (unless a different 
deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making 
oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the 
presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise 
participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was 
made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during 
the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of 
the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the 
presenter's written comments, memoranda or other filings in the 
proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or 
arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings 
(specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data 
or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the 
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex 
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must 
be filed consistent with 47 CFR 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by 
47 CFR 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method 
of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda 
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, 
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available 
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., 
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding 
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    The NPRM included an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 603, exploring the potential impact on small 
entities of the Commission's proposals. The Commission invites parties 
to file supplemental comments on the IRFA in light of the request to 
refresh the record.

Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act

    Consistent with the Providing Accountability Through Transparency 
Act, Public Law 118-9, a summary of this document is available on 
https://www.fcc.gov/proposed-rulemakings.

Synopsis

    In the document, the Commission's Wireless Telecommunications 
Bureau (Bureau) seeks to supplement the record on a proposal to re-
allocate the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared use between incumbent 
federal operations and non-federal fixed or mobile operations on a co-
primary basis. The Bureau seeks additional comment particularly in 
light of a recent filing in the proceeding by the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) providing a 
follow-on report of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA) regarding the potential for sharing of spectrum at the 1675-1680 
MHz between incumbent federal and new non-federal operations.
    In May 2019, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) (84 FR 23508, May 22, 2019) proposing to re-allocate 
the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared use between incumbent federal 
operations (extensively used by NOAA for satellite downlinks and 
weather ballons) and non-federal fixed or mobile operations on a co-
primary basis. The NPRM proposed and sought comment on the use of 
competitive bidding to award licenses, as well as service and technical 
rules. The Commission received numerous comments on the NPRM.
    Since the Commission last sought comment, there have been a number 
of developments in the proceeding, including a report prepared by NOAA 
and filed by NTIA in 2022 and a follow-on report prepared by NOAA and 
filed by NTIA in November 2024 that concluded that it is technically 
feasible to share the 1675-1680 MHz band used by NOAA for transmission 
of time-sensitive satellite data with commercial wireless services, 
subject to certain conditions.
    In light of the recent filing of the NOAA follow-on report, the 
Bureau is providing an opportunity for additional comment in order to 
ensure an up-to-date record. Accordingly, the Bureau invites 
stakeholders to provide additional comment after reviewing the existing 
record in this proceeding.

Federal Communications Commission.
Amy Brett,
Chief of Staff, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2025-01535 Filed 1-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
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