FCC corrects 900 MHz broadband license rules and buildout deadlines
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This correction fixes formatting errors in the FCC’s 900 MHz broadband rules. The practical rules stay the same: applicants still must meet ownership or clearance thresholds to qualify for certain licenses, and licensees must build out service on schedule or risk shorter license terms and automatic loss of authorization. Wireless carriers, spectrum holders, and companies working on 900 MHz licenses should check the corrected text because it restates the coverage tests and penalty timelines for 3/3 and 5/5 licenses. The main compliance issue remains meeting population or geographic coverage benchmarks by the interim and final deadlines.
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Key Changes
- Fixes the qualification rule for certain 897.5-900.5 MHz and 936.5-939.5 MHz licenses.
- Restates the buildout deadlines and coverage targets for 3/3 and 5/5 900 MHz broadband licenses.
- Clarifies penalties for missed benchmarks, including shorter license terms and automatic termination if final buildout is not met.
Obligations
What this law requires
Applicants seeking a 3/3 900 MHz broadband license in the 897.5-900.5 MHz and 936.5-939.5 MHz bands must either hold a 3/3 900 MHz broadband license in the relevant county or meet at least a 90% threshold of combined licensed channels through spectrum holdings, clearing agreements/acquisitions, and/or demonstrating interference protection to covered incumbents.
Applicants seeking a 3/3 900 MHz broadband license in the relevant county must either hold a 3/3 900 MHz broadband license in that county or satisfy the alternative 90% combined licensed-channels threshold by holding 3/3 segment spectrum, securing clearing agreements or spectrum acquisitions from covered incumbents, and/or showing interference protection for covered incumbents’ site-channels and overlapping geographically licensed channels.
A 900 MHz broadband licensee must provide broadband service and meet either the population coverage benchmark or the geographic coverage benchmark by the applicable interim performance deadline six years after license grant.
A 900 MHz broadband licensee must offer broadband service and, within six years of license grant, satisfy the interim performance benchmark by providing reliable signal coverage to at least 45% of the population in the license area or at least 25% of the geographic license area.
For a 3/3 broadband license, or a 5/5 broadband license not issued in exchange for a 3/3 license, the licensee must either cover at least 45% of the population in its license area or provide reliable signal coverage to at least 25% of the geographic license area by the interim deadline.