In the 3.5 GHz Order, the Commission
adopted rules to protect existing licensees’ registered base
stations in the 3650-3700 MHz band from harmful interference from
Citizens Broadband Radio Service users for a fixed transition
period. Pursuant to Section 96.21(a)(1) and (2) of the Commission’s
rules, during the transition period, existing licensees will
receive protection for operations that are within their
Grandfathered Wireless Protection Zone, provided that: (1) the
stations were registered in the Commission’s Universal Licensing
System (ULS) on or before April 17, 2015; and (2) as of April 17,
2016 the stations were constructed, in service, and fully compliant
with the relevant operating rules. The 3.5 GHz Order established
rules for commercial use of 150 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz Band and
created a new Citizens Broadband Radio Service. The rules create
additional capacity for wireless broadband by adopting a new
approach to spectrum management to facilitate more intensive
spectrum sharing between commercial and federal users and among
multiple tiers of commercial users. Freeing additional spectrum is
one of the Commission’s core spectrum policy goals and the
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
recommended that this band would be particularly well suited for
spectrum sharing. Before the release of the 3.5 GHz Order, the band
segment was currently reserved for use by Department of Defense
(DoD) radar systems and commercial fixed satellite service (FSS)
earth stations (in the 3600-3650 MHz portion of the band), as well
as Grandfathered Wireless Broadband Radio Services. The 3.5 GHz
Order established a roadmap for making the entirety of the 3.5 GHz
band available for commercial use in a phased manner. This sharing
arrangement is part of a broader three-tiered sharing framework
enabled by a Spectrum Access System (SAS). The SAS incorporates a
dynamic spectrum database and serves as an advanced, highly
automated frequency coordinator across the band. Incumbent users
represent the highest tier in this framework and receive
interference protection from Citizens Broadband Radio Service
users. Protected incumbents include the federal operations and FSS
earth stations described above and, for a finite period,
Grandfathered Wireless Broadband Licensees. Non-federal incumbents
must register the parameters of their operations with the
Commission and/or an SAS to receive protection from Citizens
Broadband Radio Service users. On August 19, 2016, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) and Office of Engineering and
Technology (OET) released a Public Notice adopting the final
methodology for determining Grandfathered Wireless Protection Zones
for existing licensees in the 3650-3700 MHz band, establishing a
baseline contour used to protect these areas. The Public Notice
reiterated that licensees are required to certify which of their
base stations were constructed, in service, and in full compliance
with the rules by April 17, 2016. At the same time that licensees
certify to the above they must identify whether or not that base
station has unregistered Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) and the
distance to the furthest registered CPE for each sector. As stated
in the Public Notice, the Commission is currently in the process of
modernizing its Universal Licensing System (ULS) so that it will
have the functionality to collect all the necessary data. When the
mechanism is in place, WTB will communicate to the licensees the
process by which they must submit this additional information. Then
the existing registration data in ULS, along with the supplementary
information provided by licensees, will determine the Grandfathered
Wireless Protection Zone. The Grandfathered Wireless Protection
Zones will then be communicated to the SASs. Implementing the
Grandfathered Wireless Protection Zones will be a one-time
event.
The Federal
Communications Commission (Commission) requests Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approval to submit the revised
information collection described herein under the “emergency
processing” provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995
(5 C.F.R. § 1320.13). The Commission is requesting clearance for a
revision to a currently approved information collection to
implement new collection requirements resulting from the
Commission’s adoption of new and modified rules for existing
wireless broadband licensees in the 3650-3700 MHz band, authorized
under Part 96, subpart Z of the Commission’s rules (Grandfathered
Wireless Broadband Licensees), and, in order to receive
interference protection for registered stations, these licensees
must notify the Commission that these stations were constructed, in
service, and fully compliant with the relevant operating rules as
of April 17, 2016. We respectfully request OMB approval for this
revised information collection no later than 26 days after it is
received at OMB.
Revisions to the information
collection requirements in the 3.5 GHz Order aim to further the
Commission’s goal of promoting efficient spectrum sharing in its
new tiered use regime. The following figures will be added to OMB’s
inventory as a result of the information collection requirements
contained in 3060-1211: 10,000 responses, 15,000 burden hours and
$1,500,000 in annual cost.
$2,994,638
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Becky Schwartz 202
418-7178
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Emergency Supporting Emergency Statement OMB 3060-1211 (Construction info for GWBL) final2-2.doc
Emergency Justificaiton Letter.pdf
DA-16-946A1.docx
Commercial Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band