A critical component
of the FCC 5G FAST
PLAN is to update the
FCC’s infrastructure policy
to accelerate investment in
5G networks, specifically
at the federal, state
and local levels.
January/February 2019 I31
FCC 5G FAST PLAN
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the division
of the U.S. federal government that regulates communications
by radio, television, satellite, wire and cable. It manages licensed
spectrum, which wireless carriers and service providers pay for
the right to use, as well as unlicensed spectrum for technologies
like Wi-Fi that do not require any approval or coordination with
service providers. Currently, the FCC is poised to embark on some
significant developments that will free up spectrum, promote wireless
infrastructure, and modernize regulations.
One critical component of the plan is to update the FCC’s
infrastructure policy to accelerate investment in 5G networks,
specifically at the federal, state and local levels. In many cases,
approval for network densification by carriers involves small cells
in metro environments, and all too often the approval process is
lengthy, bureaucratic and inefficient. New rules intend to speed this
up dramatically. FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, embraces this plan in his
Keeping Up A Fast Pace On Spectrum1 statement:
“In the coming months, we’ll be auctioning off high-band,
millimeter-wave spectrum (that’s the 28 GHz and 24 GHz auctions)...
But we also want to free up mid-band spectrum for 5G and other
flexible uses…For example, by allowing providers to renew 3.5 GHz
licenses, we will substantially increase their incentives to deploy 5G
networks using this spectrum.”
This mid-band spectrum, also referred to as Sub 6 GHz, allows a
variety of innovative technologies that will most likely appear before
long-term developments, such as the use of the V-Band (including 28
and 24 GHz). They will be a boon to many
enterprise customers who have been challenged
with finding cost-effective ways to provide
reliable wireless coverage in their indoor
environments, especially those with
small or medium-sized offices. Remember,
people still spend more than 85% of their
time indoors.2 These technologies include
LTE-U, MulteFire and CBRS.
80% VOICE
CALLS
90% DATA
USAGE
IS INDOORS
FIGURE 2: Only 20% of voice calls and
10% of data usage is conducted outdoors.
1