FCC Future Challenges

Walter Johnston, Chief EMCD, FCCNSF Large Scale Networking Platform

10/25/2016

Note: The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and may not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Communication Commission

Major Challenges Foster wireless future

Increase spectrum efficiency Provide more spectrum Permit new business/services

Ensure communications security Understand context and requirements

for broadband as critical infrastructure Allow competitive innovation

Fostering Wireless Future Understand spectrum needs for current

and future wireless services Allocate spectrum to support service

growth/new services Protect incumbent services from undue

interference Increase collaboration with service

providers, equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers

Past approaches to spectrum allocation

Allocation of unused spectrum to new services Overwhelming majority of spectrum already allocated –

extremely limited and declining opportunities Reallocation of spectrum from one service to

another service Mainstay of most recent work However:

Need to move incumbents to somewhere else, but increasingly where?

Need to compensate incumbents for move $$$$ 10 years on average to complete Declining opportunities

Spectrum Divide From 600 MHz to 6 GHz

Optimal for current mobile wireless devices and major wireless services

Intense utilization for many different services Major focus of current FCC work (80/20 rule)

20 GHz to 100 GHz > 10x bandwidth Bands where spectrum is lightly utilized Aligned with future industry directions

Spectrum divide suggest different approaches

Future approaches Emphasize spectrum sharing strategies in intensely utilized

bands U-NII bands (5.25-5.75 GHz) required to use Dynamic

Frequency Selection for radar avoidance Mixed success

FCC White spaces service rules (2010) introduced concept of Spectrum Management System

3.5 GHz CBRS (2015) introduces dynamic Spectrum Access System

Use more simple spectrum allocation approaches for mm wave spectrum Lightly used bands allow simple sharing rules with

incumbent services Characteristics of mm wave limit interference potential

More Sophisticated Sharing:Citizens Broadband Radio Service

Dynamic spectrum access

for small cells

Dynamic spectrum access

for small cells

150 MHzof

contiguousspectrum

150 MHzof

contiguousspectrum

3550 3700 3650

Navy Ship Radars Non-Federal FSS ES

FSSFederalFederal Ground-Based Radar

3600

Citizens Broadband Radio Service

Three Tier AccessIncumbent Access: Includes authorized federal and grandfathered Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) users currently operating in the 3.5 GHz Band.

Priority Access License (PAL): Authorize certain users to operate with some interference protection in portions of the 3.5 GHz Band at specific locations

General Authorized Access (GAA): Users authorized to use the 3.5 GHz Band opportunistically. GAA users required to accept interference from Incumbent and Priority Access tier users.

Incumbent Access

Priority Access

General Authorized Access

More Sophisticated Sharing Spectrum Access System (SAS)

A next generation sharing system building on white spaces

• Determine available frequencies at a location and assign them to CBSDs

• Determine maximum permissible power level for CBSDs at a location

• Register and authenticate CBSDs• Enforce Exclusion and Protection Zones• Protect PALs from IX from other users

• Facilitate coordination between GAAs • Ensure secure and reliable transmission of

information between the SAS, ESC, and CBSDs

• Protect Grandfathered Wireless Broadband Licensees

• Facilitate coordination and information exchange between SASs

SAS Functions

FCC Collaborative Approach for CBRS Three tier access paradigm first proposed by

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Technological Advisory Council to FCC Proposed small cell deployment to limit interference

issues and FCC applied to CBRS Proposed multistakeholder

groups to resolve technicalissues Winnforum defining SAS

requirements Off-loading of tasks accelerates

rulemaking process

Ongoing Work on Dynamic Sharing

Much of the 5 GHz band is shared by unlicensed on a non-interference basis Some of this spectrum relies on dynamic frequency selection to avoid interfere with radars FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making

Proposed access to U-NII-2B and U-NII-4 for unlicensed Invited comment on possible sharing techniques No change to existing spectrum allocations - - existing allocations/services are protected against harmful interference

Previous RulesAllocations

Unlicensed

Now 250 mW

Dynamic Spectrum AccessPoses New Challenges

Radios are more sophisticated: Software controlled Potentially modifiable (security)

Sharing rules more complicated: Incumbent protections:

exclusion zones vs “in use”? Protect worst case vs reasonable? Data bases; sensing; etc. Ix interactions harder to predict

Questions to Ponder How can we develop effective compliance and

enforcement schemes? How do we quickly identify the source of Ix? Who do you call? What are reasonable & timely corrective actions? How do we apportion responsibility? If interference is caused by federal systems to

consumers, what happens?And many others . . .

FCC Approach to 5GRemarks of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler at March 8, 2016 Satellite Leadership Dinner:

“The United States approaches the kind of opportunity 5G presents somewhat differently from other countries. We do it by indicating which spectrum will be made available and then relying on a private sector-led process for producing technical standards best suited for those frequencies. We won’t wait for the standards to be first developed in the sometimes arduous standards-setting process or in a government-led activity.”

“Last summer, the Commission launched what we call our Spectrum Frontiers rulemaking to explore the use of millimeter wave spectrum – the airwaves at 24 GHz and above – for 5G. Our Spectrum Frontiers rulemaking reflects the need to be innovative and flexible in how we utilize spectrum. We cannot limit ourselves to old models or worst-case analyses.”

14

5G – Policy Perspective

15

5G is a national priority for US We indicate which spectrum will be made available Rely on a private sector-lead process for producing technical standards best suited for

those frequencies

Flexible licensing rules: To support various service models Carrier-driven vs. new entrant vs. end-user driven network

Technical rules to take advantage of propagation characteristics

of mm bands Enable sharing opportunities Enhance spectrum reuse

Create opportunities for innovators to build and deliver new services and applications to consumers

Key Events

16

FCC Spectrum Frontier NPRM Released on October 23, 2015 Comments and Reply Comment were due on Jan 26th and Feb 23rd, 2016

WRC15 Identified 11 bands to study for 5G in WRC19 Not all of Spectrum Frontiers NPRM bands are aligned with WRC15 study bands

FCC 5G Workshop One-day workshop on April 10th, 2016 Panel discussions on key topics with industry leaders Latest 5G equipment were demonstrated

Spectrum Frontiers R&O Unanimously adopted on July 14th Commission Meeting First nation to open high-bands for 5G

Spectrum Frontiers Order Core Principles

Identify substantial spectrum in MMW bands for new services Protect incumbent services against interference Flexible use: Enable market to determine highest valued use Overlay auctions where no existing assignments Provide spectrum for both licensed and unlicensed use Ensure cyber security protections are considered from the start

R&O – 10.85GHz of Spectrum is added for mobile service Licensed Bands (3.85GHz): 27.5-28.35 GHz; 38.6-40 GHz; 37-38.6 GHz; Unlicensed Bands (7GHz): 64-71 GHz

FNPRM – seeks further comment on 15.8GHz + above 95GHz band 24.25-24.45 GHz; 24.75-25.25 GHz; 31.8-33.4 GHz; 42-42.5 GHz; 47.2-50.2 GHz;

71-76 GHz; 81-86 GHz; bands above 95 GHz

Licensing, Operating and Regulatory Rules/Issues Part 30: Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service (UMFUS) Geographic Area Licensing, Area Size, Band Plan, License Term Technical rules Performance Requirements 17

Overview of R&O Bands28 GHz 37 GHz 39 GHz 64-71 GHz

Frequency 27.5-28.35 GHz 37-38.6 GHz 38.6-40 GHz 64-71 GHz

Bandwidth 850 MHz 1600 MHz 1400 MHz 7000 MHz

TerrestrialAllocation

Licensed for fixed operations, with about 75% of the population

covered by existing licenses; remaining licenses in inventory

Yes (no current use) Licensed for fixed operations, with about 50% of the population

covered by existing licenses; the

remaining licenses are in inventory.

Yes (no current use)

FederalAllocation

No Radio Astronomy / Space Research in 37-38 GHz @ 3 sites;

Federal Fixed/Mobile in 37-38.6 GHz @ 14 locations

Fixed Satellite Service / Mobile Satellite Service in 39.5-40 (military use only)

Earth Exploration Satellite

Fixed/Mobile/Satellite

Satellite Allocation

Yes Yes (no current use) Yes (no current use) Yes (no current use)

Licensing Scheme

Licensed Licensed Licensed Unlicensed

Ensure Communications Security “Hackers Used New Weapons to Disrupt Major Websites

Across U.S.”, NYT, 10/21/16 New era of nation state electronic attacks Organized hacker networks and ecosystem

Network transforming SDN/NFC Internet to an Internet of Things

Regulatory authority Broad authority under Communications act to protect

communications infrastructure Ability to impose requirements to protect communications

infrastructure but with a high bar Ability to regulate common carriers with a lower bar Certification of electronic devices historically limited to RF

characteristics but evolving SDR requirements

Network security: triage for the moment Working with various industries on best practices

Many attacks result of social engineering and open security holes

Reality is that best practices often ignored NIST cybersecurity framework

High level Need

More specific plans for a trusted and secure broadband infrastructure

Lower cost auditing of plan implementation FCC can accelerate a transition to a secure broadband

environment FCC won’t define it

Broadband as Critical Infrastructure PSTN had over 100 years of context

Reliability requirements, social services (e.g. 911), obligations, fees, reciprocal agreements

PSTN is dead; long live broadband But the context does not automatically carry over

Issues What information should be available regarding state/quality of

broadband infrastructure: metrics and how to acquire E.g: we know more about PSTN than Internet in a disaster

Balance between broadband services/Internet Resiliency/Reliability requirements Obligations, fees Access to communication resources: numbers, services, etc.

Trial activities to determine what breaks when PSTN is turned down

Allow Competitive Innovation If the FCC continues to allocate spectrum to

meet the needs of the cellular industry, we perpetuate the cellular industry

Need to understand how companies can integrate/adapt communication services to support new business models

Drivers SDN/NFV, unlicensed spectrum, incremental

spectrum costs, hybrid spectrum models, dynamic spectrum brokers, smaller geographic allocations, changes in service rules

Competitive Innovation Possibilities Virtualization of communications

infrastructure will lower barriers to entry Maybe Apple as a virtual communication

services company Maybe Facebook as the one stop

communications app Goal is to ensure that innovators

succeed/fail on merits of their proposals Not fail on the basis of a legacy regulatory

environment

Moving Towards the Future Changes that we see in the next 5 to 8 years

will rival any period of change in communications history

We will either succeed or fail on whether we provide an open, competitive and secure communications environment

We need to develop comprehensive and evolvable goals that address the fundamental needs of the future Regulatory environment should support these

goals