Will the FCC raise CBRS power levels?

The FCC’s chairwoman said she’s going to consider additional changes to the 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum band. But it’s not clear whether increasing CBRS power levels is on the agenda.

The issue is important to big wireless network operators like Verizon and Dish Network. That’s because transmissions in the CBRS spectrum band today are capped at levels that are lower than those in nearby bands like C-band and 3.45 GHz. Those bands, unlike CBRS, are currently used for broad, high-power 5G operations in part because they support higher broadcast power levels.

“We can preserve and enhance the Citizens Broadband Radio Service [CBRS] to both protect progress and look ahead to further opportunities,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement late last week. “This proposal represents our continued commitment to developing, and improving, spectrum sharing models that provide opportunity for expanded use of the airwaves.”

Specifically, Rosenworcel said she would consider “whether to align 3.5GHz protection methodologies with those in adjacent bands, revisit our Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) approval procedures, and facilitate the continued introduction of Citizens Broadband Radio Service in areas outside of the contiguous United States.”

But the details of Rosenworcel’s proposals are now “on circulation.” In FCC parlance, that means each of the five commissioners on the FCC will privately review and deliberate possible rule changes to the CBRS band. Then, if the agency arrives at some kind of consensus, Rosenworcel might make a more formal, public proposal that the full agency would vote on during one of its monthly meetings.

There’s no guarantee that items “on circulation” will eventually mature into more formal rules. After all, there are more than a dozen items “on circulation” at the FCC, including a few that are more than a year old.

CBRS on steroids

The CBRS band is generally considered unsuitable for high-speed 5G operations across wide geographic operations. That’s because FCC rules on transmissions in the band limit the power level providers can use to broadcast their signals.

That’s noteworthy for Verizon. As Light Reading reported in 2019, Verizon has been adding support for the 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum band to its network for years. And in 2020 the operator spent $1.9 billion to purchase CBRS spectrum licenses across the country in an FCC auction.

But 2021 tests by RootMetrics showed the limits of Verizon’s CBRS efforts. The firm found that Verizon’s CBRS spectrum helped to double the speeds available on its 4G LTE network in Philadelphia. However, RootMetrics noted that Verizon’s CBRS coverage in Philadelphia was not extensive.

Similarly, OpenSignal reported in 2021 that the CBRS band can boost over network download speeds, but “lower power levels dramatically affect users’ experience if they are not close to a cell tower.”

As a result, according to 2023 findings from trade association CTIA, CBRS-powered wireless signals are relatively scarce compared with wireless signals in spectrum like the C-band. 

To read the complete article, visit Light Reading.