This seems like a worthy effort … but what happens after we fill up the LEO band?
The Federal Communications Commission released a public notice Friday that seeks input on allocating the 35 MHz spectrum currently used primarily by weather balloons and weather satellites for wireless broadband. The spectrum, which sits between 1675 and 1710 MHz, is known as the Big LEO band; using it would help achieve the goal outlined in the National Broadband Plan of finding 300 MHz for wireless broadband within the next five years.
The Big LEO band is part of the spectrum allocated for mobile satellite services, which also encompasses L-band and S-band spectrum and totals 90 MHz. The FCC is giving citizens and businesses until June 28 to let the agency know if they are using the band, what for and when. The FCC also wants to know if there’s a more efficient way that some of the traffic transmitted through those airwaves on behalf of the government could be sent via terrestrial networks.
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Since the government is already using these airwaves, and seems OK with possibly sharing them or giving them up entirely for wireless broadband, the public notice is the first step toward figuring out if and how the FCC could allocate 35 more megahertz for operators so they can support you playing Farmville on your iPhone or possibly streaming Pandora. So if you’re using that block, now’s your chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.
Related GigaOM Pro content (sub req’d):
Everybody Hertz: The Looming Spectrum Crisis
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