Shared Use of the 42-42.5 GHz Band

As Enacted ( Federal Register)

Cited in

Published date	31 July 2023
Record Number	2023-16167
Citation	88 FR 49423
Court	Federal Communications Commission
Section	Proposed rules

49423

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 145 / Monday, July 31, 2023 / Proposed Rules

version of ASTM D6348–03(2010) and

includes a new section on accepting the

results from direct measurement of a

certified spike gas cylinder, but still

lacks the caveats we placed on the

D6348–03(2010) version. The voluntary

consensus standard ASTM D6348–12e1

has been reaffirmed and is now ASTM

D6348–12(2020) and is an acceptable

alternative to EPA Method 320 at this

time with caveats requiring inclusion of

selected annexes to the standard as

mandatory. When using ASTM D6348–

12(2020), the following conditions must

be met:

(1) The test plan preparation and

implementation in the Annexes to

ASTM D 6348–12(2020), Sections A1

through A8 are mandatory; and

(2) In ASTM D6348–12(2020) Annex

A5 (Analyte Spiking Technique), the

percent (%) R must be determined for

each target analyte (Equation A5.5). In

order for the test data to be acceptable

for a compound, %R must be 70% ≥ R

≤ 130%. If the %R value does not meet

this criterion for a target compound, the

test data is not acceptable for that

compound and the test must be repeated

for that analyte (i.e., the sampling and/

or analytical procedure should be

adjusted before a retest). The %R value

for each compound must be reported in

the test report, and all field

measurements must be corrected with

the calculated %R value for that

compound by using the following

equation:

Reported Results = ((Measured

Concentration in Stack))/(%R) × 100

The EPA is also incorporating by

reference Quality Assurance Handbook

for Air Pollution Measurement Systems,

Volume IV: Meteorological

Measurements, Version 2.0 (Final),

March 2008 (EPA–454/B–08–002). The

Quality Assurance Handbook for Air

Pollution Measurement Systems,

Volume IV: Meteorological

Measurements, Version 2.0 may be

found at https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/

ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P100FOMB.TXT.

Additional information for the VCS

search and determination can be found

in the memorandum, Voluntary

Consensus Standard Results for

National Emission Standards for

Hazardous Air Pollutants: Integrated

Iron and Steel Manufacturing, which is

available in the docket for this action.

The EPA welcomes comments on this

aspect of the proposed rulemaking and,

specifically, invites the public to

identify potentially applicable VCS, and

to explain why the EPA should use such

standards in this regulation.

J. Executive Order 12898: Federal

Actions To Address Environmental

Justice in Minority Populations and

Low-Income Populations

Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629,

February 16, 1994) directs Federal

agencies, to the greatest extent

practicable and permitted by law, to

make environmental justice part of their

mission by identifying and addressing,

as appropriate, disproportionately high

and adverse human health or

environmental effects of their programs,

policies, and activities on communities

with EJ concerns. For this action the

EPA conducted an assessment of the

impacts that would result from the

proposed rule amendments, if

promulgated, on various demographic

groups living near Integrated Iron and

Steel facilities (as described in section

V.C of this preamble).

The EPA believes that the human

health or environmental conditions that

exist prior to this action result in or

have the potential to result in

disproportionate and adverse human

health or environmental effects on

communities with EJ concerns. For

populations living within 5 km of the

nine integrated iron and steel facilities,

the percent of the population that is

African American is more than twice

the national average (27 percent versus

12 percent). Specifically, the percent of

the population that is African American

is more than 1.5 times the national

average within 5 km of six of the nine

facilities. The percentage of the

population that is living below the

poverty level (29 percent) and living

below 2 times the poverty level (52

percent) is well above the national

average (13 percent and 29 percent,

respectively). Specifically, the percent

of the population that is living below

the poverty level is more than 1.5 times

the national average within 5 km of

seven of the nine facilities. Other

demographics for the populations living

within 5 km are below or near the

respective national averages.

The EPA believes that this action is

likely to reduce existing

disproportionate and adverse effects on

communities with EJ concerns. This

action requires facilities to improve

UFIP emission control resulting in

reductions of about 110 tpy of metal

HAP and about 820 tpy PM

2.5

. We

estimate that all facilities will achieve

reductions of HAP emissions as a result

of this proposed rule, including the

facilities at which the percentage of the

population living in close proximity

who are African American and below

poverty level is greater than the national

average.

The information supporting this

Executive Order review is contained in

sections IV and V of this preamble. The

demographic analysis is available in a

document titled Analysis of

Demographic Factors for Populations

Living Near Integrated Iron and Steel

Facilities, which is available in the

docket for this action.

Michael S. Regan,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 2023–15085 Filed 7–28–23; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 0

[WT Docket No. 23–158; GN Docket No. 14–

177; FCC 23–51; FR ID 157853]

Shared Use of the 42–42.5 GHz Band

AGENCY

: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION

: Proposed rule; solicitation of

comment.

SUMMARY

: In this document, the Federal

Communications Commission

(Commission or FCC) seeks comment on

how innovative, non-exclusive

spectrum access models might be

deployed in the 42 GHz band (42–42.5

GHz) to provide increased access to

high-band spectrum, particularly by

smaller wireless service providers, and

to support efficient, intensive use of the

band. The Commission also seeks

comment on how potential sharing and

licensing regimes might lower barriers

to entry for smaller or emerging wireless

service providers, encourage

competition, and prevent spectrum

warehousing.

DATES

: Comments are due on or before

August 30, 2023; reply comments are

due on or before September 29, 2023.

Written comments on the Paperwork

Reduction Act proposed information

collection requirements must be

submitted by the public, the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB), and

other interested parties on or before

September 29, 2023. Written comments

on the Initial Regulatory Flexibility

Analysis (IRFA) in this document must

have a separate and distinct heading

designating them as responses to the

IRFA and must be submitted by the

public on or before August 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES

: Pursuant to §§ 1.415 and

1.419 of the Commission’s rules (47 CFR

1.415, 1.419), interested parties may file

comments and reply comments on or

before the dates indicated on the first

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See Use of Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz For

Mobile Radio Services, et al., Report and Order and

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC

Rcd 8014, 8154, paragraph 403 (2016); Use of

Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz For Mobile Radio

Services, et al., Second Report and Order, Second

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Order on

Reconsideration, and Memorandum Opinion and

Order, 32 FCC Rcd 10988 (2017); Use of Spectrum

Bands Above 24 GHz For Mobile Radio Services, et

al., Third Report and Order, Memorandum Opinion

page of this document. Comments may

be filed using the Commission’s

Electronic Comment Filing System

(ECFS). See Electronic Filing of

Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings,

63 FR 24121 (1998). You may submit

comments, identified by WT Docket No.

23–158; and GN Docket 14–177, by any

of the following methods:

•Electronic Filers: Comments may be

filed electronically using the internet by

accessing the ECFS: http://apps.fcc.gov/

ecfs/.

•Paper Filers:

•Parties who choose to file by paper

must file an original and one copy of

each filing.

•Filings can be sent by commercial

overnight courier, or by first-class or

overnight U.S. Postal Service mall. All

filings must be addressed to the

Commission’s Secretary, Office of the

Secretary, Federal Communications

Commission.

•Commercial overnight mail (other

than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail

and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050

Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD

20701.

•U.S. Postal Service first-class,

Express, and Priority mail must be

addressed to 45 L Street NE,

Washington, DC 20554.

•Effective March 19, 2020, and until

further notice, the Commission no

longer accepts any hand or messenger

delivered filings. This is a temporary

measure taken to help protect the health

and safety of individuals, and to

mitigate the transmission of COVID–19.

See FCC Announces Closure of FCC

Headquarters Open Window and

Change in Hand-Delivery Policy, Public

Notice, DA 20–304 (March 19, 2020).

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-

closes-headquarters-open-window-and-

changes-hand-delivery-policy.

People with Disabilities: To request

materials in accessible formats (braille,

large print, computer diskettes, or audio

recordings), please send an email to

FCC504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer &

Government Affairs Bureau at (202)

418–0530 (VOICE), (202) 418–0432

(TTY).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Catherine Schroeder of the Wireless

Telecommunications Bureau,

Broadband Division, at

Catherine.Schroeder@fcc.gov or 202–

418–1956. For additional information

concerning the Paperwork Reduction

Act proposed information requirements

contained in this document, send an

email to PRA@fcc.gov or contact Kathy

Williams at (202) 418–2918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: This is a

summary of the Commission’s Notice of

Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT

Docket No. 23–158 and GN Docket No.

14–177; FCC 23–51, adopted on June 8,

2023, and released on June 9, 2023. The

full text of this document is available at

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/

attachments/FCC-23-51A1.pdf.

Regulatory Flexibility Act: The

Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as

amended (RFA), requires an agency to

prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis

for notice-and-comment rulemakings,

unless the agency certifies that ‘‘the rule

will not, if promulgated, have a

significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities.’’

The Commission seeks comment on

potential rule and policy changes

contained in the NPRM, and

accordingly, has prepared an IRFA. The

IRFA for this NPRM in WT Docket No.

23–158 and GN Docket No. 14–177 is set

forth below in this document and

written public comments are requested.

Comments must be filed by the

deadlines for comments on the NPRM

indicated under the

DATES

section of

this document and must have a separate

and distinct heading designating them

as responses to the IRFA. The

Commission reminds commenters to file

in the appropriate dockets: WT Docket

No. 23–158 and GN Docket No. 14–177.

Paperwork Reduction Act: This

document may contain proposed

modified information collection

requirements. Therefore, the

Commission seeks comment on

potential new or revised information

collections subject to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995. If the

Commission adopts any new or revised

information collection requirements, the

Commission will publish a notice in the

Federal Register inviting the general

public and the Office of Management

and Budget to comment on the

information collection requirements, as

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13. In

addition, pursuant to the Small

Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002,

Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(4), the Commission seeks

specific comments on how it might

further reduce the information

collection burden for small business

concerns with fewer than 25 employees.

Ex Parte Rules: This proceeding shall

be treated as a ‘‘permit-but-disclose’’

proceeding in accordance with the

Commission’s ex parte rules. Persons

making ex parte presentations must file

a copy of any written presentation or a

memorandum summarizing any oral

presentation within two business days

after the presentation (unless a different

deadline applicable to the Sunshine

period applies). Persons making oral ex

parte presentations are reminded that

memoranda summarizing the

presentation must (1) list all persons

attending or otherwise participating in

the meeting at which the ex parte

presentation was made, and (2)

summarize all data presented and

arguments made during the

presentation. If the presentation

consisted in whole or in part of the

presentation of data or arguments

already reflected in the presenter’s

written comments, memoranda, or other

filings in the proceeding, the presenter

may provide citations to such data or

arguments in his or her prior comments,

memoranda, or other filings (specifying

the relevant page and/or paragraph

numbers where such data or arguments

can be found) in lieu of summarizing

them in the memorandum. In

proceedings governed by rule 1.49(f) or

for which the Commission has made

available a method of electronic filing,

written ex parte presentations and

memoranda summarizing oral ex parte

presentations, and all attachments

thereto, must be filed through the

electronic comment filing system

available for that proceeding, and must

be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc,

.xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Documents

shown or given to Commission staff

during ex parte meetings are deemed to

be written ex parte presentations and

must be filed consistent with Rule

1.1206(b). Participants in this

proceeding should familiarize

themselves with the Commission’s ex

parte rules.

Synopsis

I. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in

WT Docket No. 23–158 and GN Docket

No. 14–177

A. Background

1. As part of a multiyear effort to

enable deployment of advanced wireless

services such as 5G, the Commission

has made 4.95 gigahertz of spectrum

above 24 GHz available on an

exclusively-licensed geographic area

basis. The Commission has already

established service and licensing rules

for the 24 GHz, 28 GHz, Upper 37 GHz,

39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands, all of which

are available on either a county or a

Partial Economic Area (PEA) basis.

The

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and Order, and Third Further Notice of Proposed

Rulemaking, 33 FCC Rcd. 5576 (2018); Use of

Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz For Mobile Radio

Services, et al., Fourth Report and Order, 33 FCC

Rcd 12168 (2018). See also 47 CFR 30.4, 30.5. When

citing to the Report and Order portions of the 2016

or 2018 documents, the Commission will refer to

the First R&O or Third R&O, respectively. When

citing to the Memorandum Opinion and Order

portion of the 2018 document, the Commission will

refer to the MO&O. When citing to the Further

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking portion of the 2016

or 2018 document, the Commission will refer to the

First FNPRM or Third FNPRM, respectively.

47 CFR 2.106.

Nine experimental licenses are authorized for

testing using this frequency range. Pursuant to the

Commission’s rules, operation of an experimental

radio station is permitted only on the condition that

harmful interference is not caused to licensees. If

harmful interference to an established radio service

occurs, upon becoming aware of such harmful

interference the Experimental Radio Service

licensee must immediately cease transmissions. See

47 CFR 5.84.

47 CFR 2.106. Footnote US211 urges applicants

for airborne or space stations assignments in the

40.5–42.5 GHz band to take all practicable steps to

protect radio astronomy observations in the 42.5–

43.5 GHz band from harmful interference. 47 CFR

2.106 n.US211.

MOBILE NOW Act, Public Law 115–141, Div. P,

tit. VI, 132 Stat. 1097 (2018), §604(a), (b)(1), (b)(2)

(codified at 47 U.S.C. 1503) (requiring the

Commission to publish a Notice of Proposed

Rulemaking to consider service rules to authorize

mobile or fixed terrestrial wireless operations,

including for advanced mobile service operations,

in the 42 GHz band).

Generally, spectrum between 30 GHz and 300

GHz.

As of March 31, 2023, nine experimental

licenses are authorized for testing using this

frequency range; however, as noted above, these

licenses are issued on a noninterference basis. See

47 CFR 5.84.

Some commenters supported this approach.

The Commission notes that it has already

established a record on an exclusive-use licensed

approach for the 42 GHz band. See Third FNPRM,

33 FCC Rcd at 5599, paragraph 54.

Commission has held three auctions to

award licenses in these bands, the most

recent of which was completed in 2020.

2. The Commission also has made

available a significant amount of high-

band spectrum for unlicensed use. The

rules for unlicensed device use at 57–64

GHz were expanded in 2016 to include

64–71 GHz, bringing the total amount of

high-band spectrum available on an

unlicensed basis to 14 gigahertz.

3. The 42 GHz band is currently

allocated to non-Federal Fixed and

Mobile services on a primary basis;

there is no Federal allocation in the

band.

Although the Commission sought

comment previously on proposed

service rules for this band among other

bands above 24 GHz, none are currently

in place, and the band has no

incumbent licensees.

The lower

adjacent 40–42 GHz band has been

designated for satellite use. The upper

adjacent 42.5–43.5 GHz band is

allocated to radio astronomy services

(RAS) on a primary basis for Federal

and non-Federal use and to the Federal

fixed, fixed-satellite (Earth-to-space),

and mobile—except aeronautical

mobile—services on a primary basis.

4. The Commission previously sought

comment on a proposal to authorize

flexible fixed and mobile operations in

the 42 GHz band under the new part 30

Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service

(UMFUS) rules, but only on the

condition that adjacent channel RAS at

42.5–43.5 GHz could be protected.

Specifically, the Commission sought

comment and detailed information on

what protections should be established

for this adjacent band—for example,

whether out-of-band emission limits

into the 42.5–43.5 GHz band should be

established or whether it was necessary

to create a guard band below 42.5 GHz.

The Commission also sought comment

on the appropriate band plan for the 42

GHz band, including whether the band

should be licensed as a single channel,

split into two channels, or split into

multiple 100 megahertz channels. The

Commission proposed licensing the

band geographically using PEAs.

5. Pursuant to the directives in the

MOBILE NOW Act,

the Commission

later included in the Third FNPRM, 83

FR 34520 (July 20, 2018), requests for

further comment on a regulatory

framework to enable licensed and/or

unlicensed uses of the 42 GHz band.

The Commission received 17 comments

and six reply comments to the Third

FNPRM relating to the 42 GHz band.

B. Shared Use of the 42–42.5 GHz Band

1. Potential Benefits of Shared Licensing

6. Millimeter wave (mmW)

transmissions have a shorter

propagation range than lower-frequency

spectrum and are blocked by walls and

other obstacles, making it easier to reuse

the same band or channel within a

smaller geographic area. Technological

advances such as MIMO (multiple-input

multiple-output) and beamforming

antennas offer additional possibilities

for reuse between multiple operators.

Given that the Commission already has

offered both traditionally-licensed

spectrum (on a geographic basis) and

made spectrum available on a flexible

basis for unlicensed devices in the

mmW bands, and that the

characteristics of mmW spectrum lend

themselves to sharing and reuse, the

Commission seeks to explore how novel

approaches to shared licensing may

support increased efficiency and

intensity of use among a wider range of

users within this mmW spectrum.

7. Unlike many other mmW bands,

the 42 GHz band has no existing

operations, either federal or non-

federal.

This ‘‘greenfield’’ spectrum

gives the Commission greater flexibility

in designing a shared licensing scheme

that may be optimized for future use

and can take advantage of new

developments in technology more easily

than a band with existing deployments.

The Commission therefore believes that

consideration of alternatives to

exclusive geographic area licensing in

the 42 GHz band is appropriate.

8. Although the Commission has

previously sought comment on licensing

the 42 GHz band on the same

geographic area basis as the UMFUS

bands such as the 37/39 GHz bands,

those two ranges are separated by the

40–42 GHz satellite-only band. This

separation means that there appear to be

fewer potential synergies to using the

same licensing approach in both bands

than if the two could be combined into

a single continuous band.

9. The benefits of potential unlicensed

use of the 42 GHz band also appear to

be limited. No commenter previously

supported making this band available

on an unlicensed basis, and de Vries

suggested that unlicensed use of the

band would not provide adequate

protection against harmful interference.

This latter point is significant given the

importance of protecting RAS

operations in the adjacent 42.5–43.5

GHz band. Harmful interference from

unlicensed devices would likely be

more difficult to resolve, given the

additional difficulty relative to licensed

operations of identifying the specific

interferer.

10. In light of these considerations,

the Commission seeks comment on

applying a shared approach to the 42

GHz band. The Commission asks

commenters to enumerate the benefits

or drawbacks of this approach, as

compared with either an exclusive-use

licensed

or unlicensed approach.

2. Shared Licensing Approaches

11. In this section, the Commission

discusses a variety of potential

approaches to licensing the 42 GHz

band on a shared basis. These

approaches may have different costs and

benefits in different situations, and

some may facilitate certain uses better

than others. The Commission seeks

comment on these approaches and on

any alternatives that might better

promote its goals of more efficient

spectrum use and lower barriers to

spectrum access compared with

traditional exclusive-use licensing in

this band.

12. Nationwide non-exclusive

licensing. Under this approach,

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Letter from John W. Kuzin, Vice President,

Qualcomm, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC,

GN Docket 14–177 et al., at 1 (filed Mar. 18, 2022)

(emphasis removed). See also Letter from John W.

Kuzin, Vice President, Qualcomm, to Marlene H.

Dortch, Secretary, FCC, GN Docket 14–177 et al., at

2 (filed Oct. 2, 2021).

currently in use in the 70/80/90 GHz

bands, operators would first obtain a

nationwide non-exclusive license from

the Commission, and then coordinate

specific deployment sites with a third-

party database. This approach would

likely require advance work in

identifying and setting up a database

administrator but could facilitate quick

and efficient site registration once

established. OTI, focusing on point-to-

multipoint service, supports this

licensing regime for the 42 GHz band (as

well as for the Lower 37 GHz band), and

it argues that such a system would

reduce costs and facilitate entry and

coexistence between licensees. Charter

also supports this approach for the

Lower 37 GHz band, in order to promote

greater efficiency.

13. The Commission seeks comment

on the potential use of this nationwide

non-exclusive licensing approach for

the 42 GHz band. Would this model best

facilitate efficient use of this spectrum?

Would it lower barriers to entry as

compared with either traditional

exclusive-use licensing, or the other

shared licensing approaches discussed

in this NPRM? Commenters advocating

such an approach should also provide

information regarding any limitations

that should be placed on users. For

example, should all licensees operating

in a common area have access to the full

500 megahertz or only a portion to

preserve the ability of other licensees to

operate in that same area? Should there

be limitations on the size of a service

area that could be registered with a

database to promote coexistence and

enable access by other licensees?

Should the Commission simply make

the band available and require licensees

to cooperate in the selection and use of

frequencies in the band? What are the

costs and benefits of taking this

approach? The Commission notes that

OTI’s proposal focuses on fixed point-

to-multipoint service. Would it be

possible to use this approach to license

mobile service as well? What would be

the costs or obstacles associated with

identifying and establishing a database

administrator? The Commission seeks

comment on these issues and any other

considerations involved with a

nationwide non-exclusive model for this

band.

14. Site-based licensing.

Alternatively, the Commission could

license the 42 GHz band on a site-by-site

basis directly, without the use of a

nationwide non-exclusive license

regime or a third-party database. This

approach might provide greater

transparency than the use of third-party

databases, because information for each

licensed site—including, for example,

construction notifications

demonstrating whether buildout

requirements have been met—would be

publicly available in the Commission’s

Universal Licensing System (ULS). This

would also allow the Commission to be

more responsive to potential disputes,

and facilitate easier administration and

enforcement of buildout requirements,

without needing to communicate with

the third-party database manager as part

of this process.

15. The Commission seeks comment

on a potential site-based licensing

approach in this context. Would

licensing each individual site directly

be overly burdensome on licensees?

Would adopting a site-based licensing

approach facilitate the easier

enforcement of buildout requirements as

compared to using a third party

database registrar, and therefore

contribute to greater efficiency and less

warehousing of this spectrum? To what

extent would the lack of a third-party

database administrator result in

logistical hurdles that might increase

costs or decrease efficiency of licensees’

operations, or would it be a benefit to

have license issues addressed directly

with the Commission? Would

prospective licensees be able to access

this spectrum more quickly and easily

under a third-party database approach,

versus licensing each site with the

Commission? Would there be additional

or different technical or operational

rules needed under either approach, for

example specific rules for resolving

coexistence issues under site-based

licensing versus relying on the database

for this purpose in a third-party

registration approach? The Commission

seeks comment on these and any other

considerations relating to this licensing

model.

16. Technology-based sensing. In the

context of the Lower 37 GHz band,

Qualcomm proposes that the

Commission adopt a technology-based

long-term sensing mechanism for mmW

spectrum. Qualcomm suggests that this

approach would allow ‘‘multiple

licensees each using any air interface, to

share on a licensed basis the entire . . .

band in the same location, on the same

frequencies, and at the same time, by

taking advantage of the highly

directional nature of mmW

communications.’’

This proposal,

which describes technology-based

sensing using a geographic area

licensing regime, would require that

licensees coordinate among themselves

a measurement window during which

all licensees (except for a priority user

in each channel) cease transmissions for

a given time period in order to use long-

term sensing to detect any active

receivers, and then transmit afterwards

only in directions where no such

receivers are detected. Qualcomm

suggests that, if properly implemented,

this system would provide priority

licensees with more reliable protection

than other sensing-based systems such

as Listen Before Talk, and would also

allow indoor operation across the entire

band without disrupting priority or

outdoor operations, and without

requiring a database.

17. The Commission seeks comment

on applying this potential approach to

the 42 GHz band, and the attendant

costs and benefits of adopting a

technology-based sensing framework.

Because Qualcomm designed this

proposal for the Lower 37 GHz band, are

there changes that would need to be

made to make it suitable for the 42 GHz

band? For example, would this proposal

be viable without a priority user in a

given channel? Similarly, given that

Qualcomm’s proposal demonstrates

how technology-based sensing operates

using geographic license areas, would

adjustments need to be made to the

proposal for a different type of licensing

regime? Further, would the

measurement and sensing requirements

mean that users of the 42 GHz band

could not take advantage of the

equipment ecosystems of existing

millimeter-wave bands? If so, would it

increase equipment costs or increase

barriers to entry for smaller or emerging

operators? Are there other long-term

sensing systems that should be

considered? The Commission seeks

comment on what steps the Commission

or industry should take to ensure that,

if adopted, any technology-based

sensing protocols are non-proprietary/

open-source or widely available to

maximize use and drive innovation. The

Commission seeks comment on these

and any other considerations for this

approach.

18. Coordination mechanism. The

Commission assumes that any shared

licensing regime will require a

coordination mechanism to protect all

licensees from harmful interference.

Examples of potential coordination

mechanisms include the third-party

database queries used in 70/80/90 GHz,

the Spectrum Access Systems (SAS)

used in the Citizens Broadband Radio

Service to manage access to spectrum by

different classes of licensed users in the

3550–3700 MHz band, the Automated

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The Commission could, for example adopt a

first-come-first-served licensing or registration

scheme in which the first actual users that are

licensed/registered have a right to interference

protection (provided they deploy their systems

within the requisite time period), but they have no

right to exclude other users.

Frequency Coordination (AFC) system

recently established in 6 GHz to

facilitate coexistence of unlicensed

devices with incumbent operations and

radio astronomy observatories, and

equipment-based long-term sensing like

the approach proposed by Qualcomm

for the Lower 37 GHz band. The

Commission seeks comment on these

and other potential coordination

mechanisms. What are the costs and

benefits of each model? Which model

would work best for each potential

licensing regime? Are there concerns

specific to the 42 GHz band that might

recommend one coordination

mechanism over another?

19. Other Considerations. The

Commission seeks general comment on

the sharing and licensing mechanisms

described above, as applied to the 42

GHz band. Which model would be most

conducive to the intensive and efficient

use of this spectrum? Which model

would yield the greatest benefits, at the

least cost? What are the potential

barriers to deployment, operation, or

equipment availability under each

model? The Commission also seeks

comment on which types of services

might be accommodated by these shared

licensing regimes. OTI suggests the

Commission also allow for point-to-

multipoint service in this context.

Would it be possible to accommodate

both point-to-point and point-to-

multipoint services in the 42 GHz band?

Would it also be possible to

accommodate mobile service? Are there

specific licensing or sharing

mechanisms that would better facilitate

multiple services in the band? Are there

specific technical or licensing

requirements or coordination

mechanisms that would better facilitate

the inclusion of mobile service?

20. The Commission seeks comment

on whether first-in-time protections

are necessary or appropriate for each of

the shared licensing regimes discussed

above, and if so, what form they should

take. Charter argues that the use of time

division duplex (TDD) synchronization

would enable multiple operators to

coexist in exactly the same area. Would

requiring TDD synchronization be

sufficient to enable such reuse? If so,

would such a system render first-in-time

protections moot? To what extent would

the certainty provided by a first-in-time

guarantee be necessary to encourage

deployment in this band? Would the

lack of such a guarantee deter

investment by potential licensees? Do

the answers to these questions depend

on which shared licensing regime the

Commission adopts? Are there licensing

mechanisms (such as technology-based

sensing) for which a first-in-time

guarantee would be unnecessary, or

more burdensome than beneficial? If the

Commission does not adopt first-in-time

protections, what other mechanisms

might resolve situations of congestion or

harmful interference in a particular

area? The Commission seeks general

comment on this issue, including on

any other potential costs or benefits not

mentioned here.

21. The Commission also seeks

comment on the appropriate

coordination requirements for site-based

licensing or site-based registration (in

conjunction with a nationwide license),

should the Commission adopt it. OTI

suggests that site-based licensing (or

registration) should require

coordination not only on a site-by-site

basis, but on a sector-by-sector basis, to

increase spectrum reuse, avoid

warehousing, and encourage

competition. Would this level of

specificity be feasible from a

deployment perspective? Would it be

unduly burdensome on licensees who

might wish to license or register

multiple sectors at the same site? How

prevalent are deployment scenarios in

which operators use only a subset of

sectors? Would access to one sector (or

some subset of a full arc) at a particular

site provide smaller or later-deploying

operators with a greater opportunity to

deploy alongside other licensees? If the

Commission does incorporate sector-

level licensing or registration, what

would the appropriate sector size be? Is

it 30-degree sectors, as OTI suggests?

Should the Commission allow licensees

or registrants to specify a sector size

when applying or registering? If sector-

based licensing is not appropriate in the

42 GHz band, is there some other way

of licensing or registering sites that

might facilitate greater spectrum reuse

while still providing licensees with

adequate spectrum access?

22. The Commission also seeks

comment on whether there would be

any potential synergies in the instant

context with approaches being

considered for the Lower 37 GHz (37–

37.6 GHz) band. In 2016, the

Commission adopted rules to permit

fixed and mobile terrestrial operation

across the 37 GHz band (37–38.6 GHz)

and made the Lower 37 GHz band

available for coordinated co-primary

sharing between Federal and non-

Federal users, with the non-Federal

users licensed by rule. The Commission

indicated that both Federal and non-

Federal users would access the band by

registering individual sites through a

coordination mechanism and sought

comment on the details of that

coordination mechanism and what

functions it should perform. In 2018, the

Commission sought comment on several

specific proposals for this coordination

mechanism, including first-come-first-

served site-based licensing or

registration in conjunction with several

different types of potential licenses. In

addition to OTI, Charter, and

Qualcomm, whose proposals are

discussed above, several commenters

suggest that Commission base its rules

for Lower 37 GHz on those adopted for

the 70/80 GHz bands. The Commission

seeks comment on whether it should

adopt a shared licensing approach for

the 42 GHz band that mirrors the

Commission’s approach to the Lower 37

GHz band. What would be the benefits

or costs to doing so? Are there other

ways to leverage the potential of these

bands together? The Commission notes

that unlike the 42 GHz band, the Lower

37 GHz band must accommodate

sharing and coordination between

Federal and non-Federal users.

23. Finally, the Commission also

seeks comment on any other model or

mechanism for non-exclusive licensing

not discussed here which may be better

suited for the 42 GHz band, or any other

relevant considerations for these or

other shared licensing regimes.

Commenters suggesting alternative

approaches should do so with as much

specificity as possible, including

discussing the potential costs and

benefits of their proposed option as

compared with the approaches above

and either an exclusive-use licensed or

unlicensed approach. The Commission

also seeks comment on whether it could

enable secondary operations in the 42

GHz band, while still ensuring primary

licensees protection from harmful

interference.

3. Buildout Requirements

24. In traditional exclusive-use

geographic area licensing regimes, the

Commission typically sets buildout

requirements in terms of service

coverage of a given percentage of the

population of the license area. For

licensing regimes not tied to a particular

license area, or where a license area is

shared among multiple licensees,

however, this metric may not be suitable

or feasible. The Commission’s

overarching goal is to adopt a buildout

metric that ensures in each

circumstance that spectrum is

meaningfully being put to use in

practice. To this end, the Commission

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47 CFR 30.201 through 209.

No commenters oppose the inclusion of 42 GHz

in these technical rules, or suggest specific

variations.

TIA addressed this issue in its comments to a

separate Further Notice, 83 FR 42089 (Aug. 20,

2018). See Use of Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz

For Mobile Radio Services, GN Docket 14–177,

Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 33

FCC Rcd 7674 (2018) (Fourth FNPRM). See TIA

Fourth FNPRM Comments at 5–6, Table 1, 11.

The adjacent band, 42.5–43.5 GHz, is allocated

for Federal and non-Federal RAS operations and

Federal fixed, earth-to-space satellite and mobile

services. 47 CFR 2.106.

seeks comment on the appropriate

buildout requirements for potential

licensees under the various approaches

described above.

25. One buildout approach could be

to require licensees to begin operations

within a specified time. OTI has

proposed that an appropriate timeframe

would be 12 months or less from site

registration, after which a licensee

would lose any first-in-time protections

for that site. The Commission seeks

comment on this proposal, including

any alternative timeframes. The

Commission also seeks comment on

whether this approach would be better

suited to certain sharing and licensing

regimes, and, conversely, whether it

might be unsuitable or inapplicable to

certain others. Recognizing that the

Commission seeks comment above on

whether it should adopt first-in-time

protections for this band, if the

Commission ultimately do not adopt

such protections as part of the shared

licensing regime here, what other

consequence for failing to meet a build-

out deadline might be appropriate?

Would any consequence for failure to

build out in a timely manner be

necessary in such circumstances?

26. The Commission also seeks

general comment on the appropriate

buildout metrics for potential

technology-based sharing regimes. If the

Commission ultimately adopts a sharing

mechanism where the equipment itself

determines access to spectrum, should it

impose any buildout requirement at all,

or is the inherently non-exclusive

nature of such a regime sufficient to

ensure efficient use and prevent

spectrum warehousing? The

Commission seeks comment on these

and any other considerations for

buildout requirements under sharing

regimes based on technology-based

long-term sensing, including any

potential solutions not discussed here.

27. The Commission also seeks

comment on any other potential

buildout requirement metrics or levels

suitable for the sharing mechanisms

discussed in this NPRM. Additionally,

to the extent that commenters have

suggestions for other potential sharing

or licensing mechanisms, the

Commission encourages them to include

suggestions for corresponding buildout

requirements, or other methods of

ensuring efficient spectrum use and

preventing spectrum warehousing.

4. License Term and Applicability of

Part 30 Technical Rules

28. The Commission previously

sought comment on licensing the 42

GHz band under the part 30 UMFUS

licensing and technical rules. Although

the Commission is not proposing to

adopt an exclusive-use licensing regime,

it does propose to adopt a ten-year

license term for licenses in this band,

similar to other part 30 services. The

Commission seeks comment on this

proposal, and ask whether there are

additional considerations in adopting a

ten-year license term under a shared

licensing approach.

29. The mmW bands the Commission

has previously licensed are all governed

by the technical rules found in part

30.

This uniform treatment facilitates

development of a common equipment

ecosystem and easier operator

deployment, and is supported generally

in the underlying record in this

proceeding.

Inclusion in this uniform

technical regime might allow these

benefits to also accrue to the 42 GHz

band. If this band is made available

under a licensing scheme significantly

different from the other part 30 bands,

however, it is possible that those

benefits might be diminished, or costs

or other inefficiencies incurred.

30. The Commission seeks comment

on the applicability of the part 30

technical rules to the 42 GHz band as

licensed under the various potential

sharing regimes outlined above. Should

the Commission apply these existing

technical rules for the 42 GHz band,

regardless of the licensing regime it

ultimately adopts? Are there changes to

the technical rules might be appropriate

or necessary to accommodate shared

licensing? Are there different costs or

benefits that may be associated with the

existing part 30 technical rules in this

context, which the Commission has not

previously considered?

5. Band Plan

31. In the Third FNPRM, the

Commission proposed to license the 42

GHz band as five 100 megahertz

channels. Most commenters supported

the Commission’s proposal. They noted

that a 100 megahertz channel is a

building block for mmW mobile

equipment, and that this channel size is

consistent with 3rd Generation

Partnership Project (‘‘3GPP’’) standards

in the mmW bands. Several commenters

also asserted that 100 megahertz block

sizes would facilitate the deployment of

5G services. A few commenters

advocated using 200 MHz channels. For

example, TIA argues that wider

channels will better support 5G

services.

In response to the First

FNPRM, 81 FR 58269 (August 24, 2016),

Qualcomm also supported a band plan

with two 200 megahertz channels.

32. The Commission again proposes

to license the 42 GHz band in five 100

megahertz channels and seeks comment

on this proposal in the context of the

new proposals under consideration

here. Would the benefits previously

noted by commenters supportive of 100

megahertz channels still apply under

the sharing regimes discussed above?

Would the increased flexibility of a non-

exclusive licensing regime benefit more

from 100 megahertz channels, or from

another channel size? Are there

particular sharing or licensing regimes

that would benefit most from a different

channel size?

6. Protecting RAS Services at 42.5–43.5

GHz

33. As noted above, in the First

FNPRM, the Commission proposed to

authorize flexible mobile and fixed

operations in the 42 GHz band,

provided that RAS could be protected in

the adjacent 42.5–43.5 GHz band.

The

Commission sought comment on the

forms that such protection should take,

e.g., whether it should establish special

out-of-band emission (OOBE) limits into

the 42.5–43.5 GHz band or create a

guard band below 42.5 GHz. After

noting the National Academy of

Sciences’ Committee on Radio

Frequencies (CORF) and T-Mobile’s

agreement that RAS bands could be

protected by limiting UMFUS

operations near an RAS observatory, the

Commission renewed its call in the

Third FNPRM for interested parties to

provide detailed technical analysis of

the coexistence of RAS with terrestrial

mobile operations that fully supported

any proposed methodology.

Specifically, the Commission asked

whether its rules should be based on the

International Telecommunication Union

Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R)

RA.769 parameters, or alternate

protection criteria, and sought comment

on whether to establish coordination

zones around relevant RAS facilities.

34. CORF has asserted that frequency

lines at 42.519, 42.821, 43.122, and

43.424 GHz are of the greatest

importance for the detection of strong

silicon monoxide maser emissions from

stars and star forming regions, which

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RAS observations in this band are currently

made at various U.S. observatories: Green Bank

Telescope (GBT), WV; VLA Socorro, NM; Westford,

MA (Haystack); Brewster, WA; Fort Davis, TX;

Hancock, NH; Kitt Peak, AZ; Los Alamos, NM;

Mauna Kea, HI; North Liberty, IA; Owens Valley,

CA; Pie Town, NM; St. Croix, VI. CORF FNPRM

Comments at 9 & n.7 (citing 47 CFR 2.106,

n.US131).

Although they provide no new studies, Nokia

and others direct the Commission to T-Mobile’s

RAS sharing study, produced for the 32/47/50 GHz

bands and assert this study is well-suited to also

calculating protection zones for RAS sites operating

adjacent to the 42 GHz band. CORF agrees this

study could be applicable for calculating

coordination distances. The Commission does not

find this study sufficient to establish coordination

distances because it is based on an analysis done

with respect to different systems in the 32 GHz

band.

FWCC urges that any guard band adopted

should be limited to fixed-only operations subject

to full fixed service frequency coordination to

control emissions in the direction of RAS sites.

47 CFR 1.924.

facilitates the measurement of stellar

temperature, density, wind velocity and

other parameters. The 42 GHz band also

is one of the preferred bands for

measuring continuum observations.

RAS observations are currently made at

a limited set of observatories around the

United States.

Additionally, according

to a report by the National Academy of

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,

the Next Generation Very Large Array

(ngVLA) is a top priority for U.S.

astronomy in the coming decade and

would include new sites predominantly

near the current VLA, but also

throughout New Mexico and adjacent

states with long baseline stations in

close proximity to existing VLBA

stations. Because a typical radio

telescope receives less than 1 percent of

one-billionth of one-billionth of a watt

(10

¥20

W) from a typical cosmic object,

the telescope is particularly vulnerable

to in-band emissions, spurious out-of-

band emissions, and emissions

producing harmonics, making

protection important. CORF has

represented that the detrimental levels

for continuum and spectral line radio

astronomy observations for single dishes

are ¥227 dBW/m

/Hz and ¥210 dBW/

/Hz, respectively, for the average

across the full 1 gigahertz of the 42.5–

43.5 GHz band and the peak level in any

single 500 kHz channel, as based upon

ITU–R RA.769, Tables 1 and 2,

respectively. For observations using the

entire VLBA, CORF represented that the

corresponding limit is ¥175 dBW/m

Hz). T-Mobile agreed that the ITU power

flux density (PFD) limits are appropriate

to address potential interference to RAS.

35. Proponents of using the 42 GHz

band for flexible terrestrial wireless use

have generally agreed that various

practical methods may be effective at

protecting RAS, including use of

exclusion zones, coordination zones,

and aggregate emissions limits—

particularly because RAS sites are

remotely located. None provide detailed

information or examples showing how

these proposed methods would work in

practice.

Regarding whether it is

necessary or appropriate to establish a

guard band below 42.5 GHz in order to

protect RAS, CORF stated that a guard

band of 200 MHz within the radio

horizon around radio astronomy sites

would meet the ITU–R RA.769

protection criteria. T-Mobile argued that

a guard band is unnecessary and the

ITU protection threshold can be met

with minimum exclusion distances. In

response to the First FNPRM, some

commenters asserted that a guard band

would narrow the usable aspects of the

42 GHz band.

TIA argued it should be

possible to craft UMFUS operating rules

that protect adjacent RAS services via

geographic coordination or otherwise,

making guard bands unnecessary,

especially since they interfere with the

Commission’s channel block plans.

36. The Commission agrees with

CORF and T-Mobile that RAS bands can

probably be protected by limiting 42

GHz operations near a RAS facility to

reduce the risk of terrestrial

interference. Because the Commission

believes that geographic separation of 42

GHz licensed operations and RAS

facilities will provide sufficient

protection of RAS facilities, it does not

propose to impose out-of-band

emissions limits on licenses in the 42

GHz band that are tighter than out-of-

band-emissions limits on UMFUS

licenses in other mmW bands.

Furthermore, the Commission does not

propose to establish coordination zones

around RAS facilities because it believes

that compliance with the limits it

proposes in this NPRM will be sufficient

to protect RAS observations. The record

to date does not contain sufficient

information to determine whether, and

if so, at what distances, coordination

zones would be appropriate, but the

Commission invites the submission of

such information from commenters.

37. The Commission proposes to

require 42 GHz licensees to limit

emissions into the 42.5–43.5 GHz

passive band at those relatively few

locations where RAS observatories make

observations in this band. The

Commission proposes to adopt the

parameters established by ITU–R

RA.769 as the interference protection

criteria for RAS operations, as suggested

by CORF and T-Mobile. While the

Commission believes that these

parameters are extremely conservative,

no one has previously submitted studies

suggesting alternative criteria, and the

ITU’s analysis indicates compliance

with those criteria are likely to protect

the RAS facilities from harmful

interference. Given that the

observatories are mostly located in

remote areas and signals in this

frequency range are significantly

attenuated by terrain and clutter, the

Commission expects that adopting these

conservative criteria would have only a

small impact on 42 GHz licensed

operations.

38. Therefore, for all 42 GHz licensees

operating near designated RAS facilities,

the Commission proposes that: (1) the

spectral PFD received at the RAS sites

at the Haystack Observatory (Westford,

MA), the Green Bank Telescope (Green

Bank, WV) and the Very Large Array

(Socorro, NM) averaged over the entire

42.5–43.5 GHz frequency range must not

exceed ¥227 dBW/m

/Hz; (2) the

spectral PFD received within any 500

kHz channel within the 42.5–43.5 GHz

frequency range for the three sites noted

above must not exceed ¥210 dBW/m

Hz; and, (3) the spectral PFD within the

42.5–43.5 GHz frequency range for the

Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)

Stations must not exceed ¥175 dBW/

/Hz. The Commission proposes to list

the relevant sites in a new footnote to

the United States Table of Frequency

Allocations for clarity. The Commission

believes that these limits are sufficient

to protect RAS operations in the

adjacent band without establishing a

guard band within the 42 GHz band.

The Commission emphasizes that its

proposal to adopt these limits is based

on the specific factors present in the 42

GHz band and would not necessarily

control future decisions it makes

regarding other frequency bands subject

to note US342. In addition to these

requirements, the existing requirements

for coordination in the National Radio

Quiet Zone will be maintained.

The

Commission seeks comment on this

proposal.

C. Costs and Benefits and Diversity,

Equity, and Inclusion

39. The Commission invites comment

generally on the costs and benefits

associated with the various approaches

discussed in this NPRM. Are there any

aspects of the above issues that the

Commission has not considered? Are

there any studies, efforts, or analyses

that the Commission should consider? If

so, the Commission asks that

commenters identify them and explain

why they should be considered.

40. Digital Equity and Inclusion.

Finally, the Commission, as part of its

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Section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934

as amended provides that the FCC ‘‘regulat[es]

interstate and foreign commerce in communication

by wire and radio so as to make [such service]

available, so far as possible, to all the people of the

United States, without discrimination on the basis

of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.’’ 47

U.S.C. 151.

The term ‘‘equity’’ is used here consistent with

E.O. 13985 as the consistent and systematic fair,

just, and impartial treatment of all individuals,

including individuals who belong to underserved

communities that have been denied such treatment,

such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native

American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific

Islanders and other persons of color; members of

religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons

with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas;

and persons otherwise adversely affected by

persistent poverty or inequality. See E.O. 13985, 86

FR 7009, E.O. on Advancing Racial Equity and

Support for Underserved Communities Through the

Federal Government (Jan. 20, 2021).

See 5 U.S.C. 603. The RFA, 5 U.S.C. 601

through 612, has been amended by the Small

Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of

1996, (SBREFA) Public Law 104–121, Title II, 110

Stat. 857 (1996).

See 5 U.S.C. 603(a).

See id.

5 U.S.C. 603(b)(3).

5 U.S.C. 601(6).

5 U.S.C. 601(3) (incorporating by reference the

definition of ‘‘small-business concern’’ in the Small

Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 632). Pursuant to 5 U.S.C.

601(3), the statutory definition of a small business

applies ‘‘unless an agency, after consultation with

the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business

Administration and after opportunity for public

comment, establishes one or more definitions of

such term which are appropriate to the activities of

the agency and publishes such definition(s) in the

Federal Register.’’

15 U.S.C. 632.

See 5 U.S.C. 601(3) through (6).

See SBA, Office of Advocacy, Frequently

Asked Questions, ‘‘What is a small business?,’’

https://cdn.advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/

2021/11/03093005/Small-Business-FAQ-2021.pdf.

(Nov 2021).

continuing effort to advance digital

equity for all,

including people of

color, persons with disabilities, persons

who live in rural or Tribal areas, and

others who are or have been historically

underserved, marginalized, or adversely

affected by persistent poverty or

inequality, invites comment on any

equity-related considerations

and any

potential benefits that may be associated

with the various approaches and issues

discussed herein. Specifically, the

Commission seeks comment on how the

various approaches that the Commission

may consider may promote or inhibit

advances in diversity, equity, inclusion,

and accessibility, as well the scope of

the Commission’s relevant legal

authority.

II. Initial Regulatory Flexibility

Analysis in WT Docket No. 23–158 and

GN Docket No. 14–177

41. As required by the Regulatory

Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended

(RFA),

the Commission has prepared

this Initial Regulatory Flexibility

Analysis (IRFA) of the possible

significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities by

the policies and rules proposed in this

NPRM. Written public comments are

requested on this IRFA. Comments must

be identified as responses to the IRFA

and must be filed by the deadlines for

comments in the NPRM. The

Commission will send a copy of the

NPRM including this IRFA, to the Chief

Counsel for Advocacy of the Small

Business Administration (SBA).

addition, the NPRM and IRFA (or

summaries thereof) will be published in

the Federal Register.

A. Need for, and Objectives of, the

Proposed Rules

42. In the NPRM, the Commission

proposes to increase the Nation’s supply

of spectrum for mobile broadband by

adopting rules for fixed and mobile

services in the 42–42.5 GHz band. The

Commission proposes to license this

spectrum on a shared, non-exclusive

basis. This additional spectrum for

mobile use will help ensure that the

speed, capacity, and ubiquity of the

nation’s wireless networks keeps pace

with the skyrocketing demand for

mobile service. It will also make

possible new types of services for

consumers and businesses. The

Commission seeks comment on the

specific types of licenses under which it

should make this spectrum available,

including non-exclusive nationwide

licensing, site-based licensing, and

technology-based sensing. The

Commission seeks comment in

particular on what licensing models

might best facilitate entry and

participation by smaller and emerging

entities as well as comments that

provide options for potentially lowering

barriers to entry for smaller or emerging

wireless service providers, encourage

competition, and avoid spectrum

warehousing.

43. Until recently, the mmW bands

were generally considered unsuitable

for mobile applications because of

propagation losses at such high

frequencies and the inability of mmW

signals to propagate around obstacles.

As increasing congestion has begun to

fill the lower bands and carriers have

resorted to smaller and smaller

microcells in order to re-use the

available spectrum, the industry is

taking another look at the mmW bands

and beginning to realize that at least

some of the presumed disadvantages

can be turned to advantages. For

example, short transmission paths and

high propagation losses can facilitate

spectrum re-use in microcellular

deployments by limiting the amount of

interference between adjacent cells.

Furthermore, where longer paths are

desired, the extremely short

wavelengths of mmW signals make it

feasible for very small antennas to

concentrate signals into highly focused

beams with enough gain to overcome

propagation losses. The short

wavelengths of mmW signals also make

it possible to build multi-element,

dynamic beam-forming antennas that

will be small enough to fit into

handsets—a feat that might never be

possible at the lower, longer-wavelength

frequencies below 6 GHz where cell

phones operate today.

B. Legal Basis

44. The proposed action is authorized

pursuant to sections 1, 2, 4, 301, 302,

303, 304, 307, 309, and 310 of the

Communications Act of 1934, as

amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 154, 301,

302a, 303, 304, 307, and 309, § 604 of

the MOBILE NOW Act, 47 U.S.C. 1503,

and § 1.411 of the Commission’s Rules,

47 CFR 1.411.

C. Description and Estimate of the

Number of Small Entities to Which the

Proposed Rules Will Apply

45. The RFA directs agencies to

provide a description of and, where

feasible, an estimate of the number of

small entities that may be affected by

the proposed rules, if adopted.

The

RFA generally defines the term ‘‘small

entity’’ as having the same meaning as

the terms ‘‘small business,’’ ‘‘small

organization,’’ and ‘‘small governmental

jurisdiction.’’

In addition, the term

‘‘small business’’ has the same meaning

as the term ‘‘small business concern’’

under the Small Business Act.’’

‘‘small business concern’’ is one which:

(1) is independently owned and

operated; (2) is not dominant in its field

of operation; and (3) satisfies any

additional criteria established by the

SBA.

46. Small Businesses, Small

Organizations, Small Governmental

Jurisdictions. The Commission’s actions,

over time, may affect small entities that

are not easily categorized at present.

The Commission therefore describes

here, at the outset, three broad groups of

small entities that could be directly

affected herein.

First, while there are

industry specific size standards for

small businesses that are used in the

regulatory flexibility analysis, according

to data from the SBA’s Office of

Advocacy, in general a small business is

an independent business having fewer

than 500 employees.

These types of

small businesses represent 99.9% of all

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Id.

See 5 U.S.C. 601(4).

The IRS benchmark is similar to the population

of less than 50,000 benchmark in 5 U.S.C 601(5)

that is used to define a small governmental

jurisdiction. Therefore, the IRS benchmark has been

used to estimate the number of small organizations

in this small entity description. See Annual

Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt

Organizations—Form 990–N (e-Postcard), ‘‘Who

must file,’’ https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-

profits/annual-electronic-filing-requirement-for-

small-exempt-organizations-form-990-n-e-postcard.

The Commission notes that the IRS data does not

provide information on whether a small exempt

organization is independently owned and operated

or dominant in its field.

See Exempt Organizations Business Master File

Extract (E.O. BMF), ‘‘CSV Files by Region,’’ https://

www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-

organizations-business-master-file-extract-eo-bmf.

The IRS Exempt Organization Business Master File

(E.O. BMF) Extract provides information on all

registered tax-exempt/non-profit organizations. The

data utilized for purposes of this description was

extracted from the IRS E.O. BMF data for businesses

for the tax year 2020 with revenue less than or

equal to $50,000 for Region 1-Northeast Area

(58,577), Region 2-Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes

Areas (175,272), and Region 3-Gulf Coast and

Pacific Coast Areas (213,840) that includes the

continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. This data

does not include information for Puerto Rico.

See 5 U.S.C. 601(5).

See 13 U.S.C. 161. The Census of Governments

survey is conducted every five (5) years compiling

data for years ending with ‘‘2’’ and ‘‘7’’. See also

Census of Governments, https://www.census.gov/

programs-surveys/cog/about.html.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Census of

Governments—Organization Table 2. Local

Governments by Type and State: 2017

[CG1700ORG02], https://www.census.gov/data/

tables/2017/econ/gus/2017-governments.html.

Local governmental jurisdictions are made up of

general purpose governments (county, municipal

and town or township) and special purpose

governments (special districts and independent

school districts). See also tbl.2. CG1700ORG02

Table Notes_Local Governments by Type and State_

2017.

See id. at Table 5. County Governments by

Population-Size Group and State: 2017

[CG1700ORG05], https://www.census.gov/data/

tables/2017/econ/gus/2017-governments.html.

There were 2,105 county governments with

populations less than 50,000. This category does

not include subcounty (municipal and township)

governments.

See id. at Table 6. Subcounty General-Purpose

Governments by Population-Size Group and State:

2017 [CG1700ORG06], https://www.census.gov/

data/tables/2017/econ/gus/2017-governments.html.

There were 18,729 municipal and 16,097 town and

township governments with populations less than

50,000.

See id. at Table 10. Elementary and Secondary

School Systems by Enrollment-Size Group and

State: 2017 [CG1700ORG10], https://

www.census.gov/data/tables/2017/econ/gus/2017-

governments.html. There were 12,040 independent

school districts with enrollment populations less

than 50,000. See also Table 4. Special-Purpose

Local Governments by State Census Years 1942 to

2017 [CG1700ORG04], CG1700ORG04 Table Notes_

Special Purpose Local Governments by State_

Census Years 1942 to 2017.

While the special purpose governments

category also includes local special district

governments, the 2017 Census of Governments data

does not provide data aggregated based on

population size for the special purpose

governments category. Therefore, only data from

independent school districts is included in the

special purpose governments category.

This total is derived from the sum of the

number of general purpose governments (county,

municipal and town or township) with populations

of less than 50,000 (36,931) and the number of

special purpose governments—independent school

districts with enrollment populations of less than

50,000 (12,040), from the 2017 Census of

Governments—Organizations Tables 5, 6 & 10.

See 47 CFR part 101, subparts C and I.

See id. Subparts C and H.

Auxiliary Microwave Service is governed by

part 74 of Title 47 of the Commission’s Rules. See

47 CFR part 74. Available to licensees of broadcast

stations and to broadcast and cable network

entities, broadcast auxiliary microwave stations are

used for relaying broadcast television signals from

the studio to the transmitter, or between two points

such as a main studio and an auxiliary studio. The

service also includes mobile TV pickups, which

relay signals from a remote location back to the

studio.

See 47 CFR part 30.

See 47 CFR part 101, subpart Q.

See id. Subpart L.

See id. Subpart G.

See id.

See id. Subpart O.

See id. Subpart P.

See 47 CFR 101.533 and 101.1017.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS

Definition, ‘‘517312 Wireless Telecommunications

Carriers (except Satellite),’’ https://

www.census.gov/naics/?input=517312&year=2017&

details=517312.

See 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 517312 (as

of 10/1/22, NAICS Code 517112).

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic

Census of the United States, Employment Size of

Firms for the U.S.: 2017, Table ID:

EC1700SIZEEMPFIRM, NAICS Code 517312,

https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?y=2017&n=

517312&tid=ECNSIZE2017.EC1700

SIZEEMPFIRM&hidePreview=false.

Id. The available U.S. Census Bureau data does

not provide a more precise estimate of the number

of firms that meet the SBA size standard.

businesses in the United States, which

translates to 32.5 million businesses.

47. Next, the type of small entity

described as a ‘‘small organization’’ is

generally ‘‘any not-for-profit enterprise

which is independently owned and

operated and is not dominant in its

field.’’

The Internal Revenue Service

(IRS) uses a revenue benchmark of

$50,000 or less to delineate its annual

electronic filing requirements for small

exempt organizations.

Nationwide, for

tax year 2020, there were approximately

447,689 small exempt organizations in

the U.S. reporting revenues of $50,000

or less according to the registration and

tax data for exempt organizations

available from the IRS.

Finally, the

small entity described as a ‘‘small

governmental jurisdiction’’ is defined

generally as ‘‘governments of cities,

counties, towns, townships, villages,

school districts, or special districts, with

a population of less than fifty

thousand.’’

U.S. Census Bureau data

from the 2017 Census of Governments

indicate there were 90,075 local

governmental jurisdictions consisting of

general purpose governments and

special purpose governments in the

United States.

Of this number, there

were 36,931 general purpose

governments (county,

municipal, and

town or township

) with populations

of less than 50,000 and 12,040 special

purpose governments—independent

school districts

with enrollment

populations of less than 50,000.

Accordingly, based on the 2017 U.S.

Census of Governments data, the

Commission estimates that at least

48,971 entities fall into the category of

‘‘small governmental jurisdictions.’’

48. Fixed Microwave Services. Fixed

microwave services include common

carrier,

private-operational fixed,

and broadcast auxiliary radio services.

They also include the UMFUS,

Millimeter Wave Service (70/80/90

GHz),

Local Multipoint Distribution

Service (LMDS),

the Digital Electronic

Message Service (DEMS),

24 GHz

Service,

Multiple Address Systems

(MAS),

and Multichannel Video

Distribution and Data Service

(MVDDS),

where in some bands

licensees can choose between common

carrier and non-common carrier

status.

Wireless Telecommunications

Carriers (except Satellite)

is the

closest industry with a SBA small

business size standard applicable to

these services. The SBA small size

standard for this industry classifies a

business as small if it has 1,500 or fewer

employees.

U.S. Census Bureau data

for 2017 show that there were 2,893

firms that operated in this industry for

the entire year.

Of this number, 2,837

firms employed fewer than 250

employees.

Thus under the SBA size

standard, the Commission estimates that

a majority of fixed microwave service

licensees can be considered small.

49. The Commission’s small business

size standards with respect to fixed

microwave services involve eligibility

for bidding credits and installment

payments in the auction of licenses for

the various frequency bands included in

fixed microwave services. When

bidding credits are adopted for the

auction of licenses in fixed microwave

services frequency bands, such credits

may be available to several types of

small businesses based average gross

revenues (small, very small and

entrepreneur) pursuant to the

competitive bidding rules adopted in

conjunction with the requirements for

the auction and/or as identified in part

101 of the Commission’s rules for the

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See 47 CFR 101.538(a)(1) through (3),

101.1112(b) through (d), 101.1319(a)(1) through (2),

and 101.1429(a)(1) through (3).

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS

Definition, ‘‘334220 Radio and Television

Broadcasting and Wireless Communications

Equipment Manufacturing,’’ https://

www.census.gov/naics/?input=334220

&year=2017&details=334220.

Id.

See 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 334220.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic

Census of the United States, Employment Size of

Firms for the U.S.: 2017, Table ID:

EC1700SIZEEMPFIRM, NAICS Code 334220,

https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?y=2017&n=

334220&tid=ECNSIZE2017.EC1700SIZEEMP

FIRM&hidePreview=false.

Id. The available U.S. Census Bureau data does

not provide a more precise estimate of the number

of firms that meet the SBA size standard.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS

Definition, ‘‘517410 Satellite Telecommunications,’’

https://www.census.gov/naics/?input

=517410&year=2017&details=517410.

See 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 517410.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic

Census of the United States, Selected Sectors: Sales,

Value of Shipments, or Revenue Size of Firms for

the U.S.: 2017, Table ID: EC1700SIZEREVFIRM,

NAICS Code 517410, https://data.census.gov/

cedsci/table?y=2017&n=517410&

tid=ECNSIZE2017.EC1700SIZEREVFIRM&hide

Preview=false.

Id. The available U.S. Census Bureau data does

not provide a more precise estimate of the number

of firms that meet the SBA size standard. The

Commission also notes that according to the U.S.

Census Bureau glossary, the terms receipts and

revenues are used interchangeably, see https://

www.census.gov/glossary/#term_

ReceiptsRevenueServices.

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service,

Universal Service Monitoring Report at 26, Table

1.12 (2021), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/

attachments/DOC-379181A1.pdf.

Id.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS

Definition, ‘‘517312 Wireless Telecommunications

Carriers (except Satellite),’’ https://

www.census.gov/naics/?input=517312&year=

2017&details=517312.

Id.

See 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 517312 (as

of 10/1/22, NAICS Code 517112).

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic

Census of the United States, Employment Size of

Firms for the U.S.: 2017, Table ID:

EC1700SIZEEMPFIRM, NAICS Code 517312,

https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?y=2017

&n=517312&tid=ECNSIZE

2017.EC1700SIZEEMPFIRM&hidePreview=false.

Id. The available U.S. Census Bureau data does

not provide a more precise estimate of the number

of firms that meet the SBA size standard.

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service,

Universal Service Monitoring Report at 26, Table

1.12 (2021), https://docs.fcc.gov/public/

attachments/DOC-379181A1.pdf.

Id.

See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS

Definition, ‘‘517919 All Other

Telecommunications,’’ https://www.census.gov/

naics/?input=517919&year=2017&details=517919.

Id.

See 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 517919 (as

of 10/1/22, NAICS Code 517810).

specific fixed microwave services

frequency bands.

50. In frequency bands where licenses

were subject to auction, the Commission

notes that as a general matter, the

number of winning bidders that qualify

as small businesses at the close of an

auction does not necessarily represent

the number of small businesses

currently in service. Further, the

Commission does not generally track

subsequent business size unless, in the

context of assignments or transfers,

unjust enrichment issues are implicated.

Additionally, since the Commission

does not collect data on the number of

employees for licensees providing these

services, at this time the Commission is

not able to estimate the number of

licensees with active licenses that

would qualify as small under the SBA’s

small business size standard.

51. Radio and Television

Broadcasting and Wireless

Communications Equipment

Manufacturing. This industry comprises

establishments primarily engaged in

manufacturing radio and television

broadcast and wireless communications

equipment.

Examples of products

made by these establishments are:

transmitting and receiving antennas,

cable television equipment, GPS

equipment, pagers, cellular phones,

mobile communications equipment, and

radio and television studio and

broadcasting equipment.

The SBA

small business size standard for this

industry classifies businesses having

1,250 employees or less as small.

U.S.

Census Bureau data for 2017 show that

there were 656 firms in this industry

that operated for the entire year.

this number, 624 firms had fewer than

250 employees.

Thus, under the SBA

size standard, the majority of firms in

this industry can be considered small.

52. Satellite Telecommunications.

This industry comprises firms

‘‘primarily engaged in providing

telecommunications services to other

establishments in the

telecommunications and broadcasting

industries by forwarding and receiving

communications signals via a system of

satellites or reselling satellite

telecommunications.’’

Satellite

telecommunications service providers

include satellite and earth station

operators. The SBA small business size

standard for this industry classifies a

business with $38.5 million or less in

annual receipts as small.

U.S. Census

Bureau data for 2017 show that 275

firms in this industry operated for the

entire year.

Of this number, 242 firms

had revenue of less than $25 million.

Additionally, based on Commission

data in the 2021 Universal Service

Monitoring Report, as of December 31,

2020, there were 71 providers that

reported they were engaged in the

provision of satellite

telecommunications services.

Of these

providers, the Commission estimates

that approximately 48 providers have

1,500 or fewer employees.

Consequently, using the SBA’s small

business size standard, a little more

than half of these providers can be

considered small entities.

53. Wireless Telecommunications

Carriers (except Satellite). This industry

comprises establishments engaged in

operating and maintaining switching

and transmission facilities to provide

communications via the airwaves.

Establishments in this industry have

spectrum licenses and provide services

using that spectrum, such as cellular

services, paging services, wireless

internet access, and wireless video

services.

The SBA size standard for

this industry classifies a business as

small if it has 1,500 or fewer

employees.

U.S. Census Bureau data

for 2017 show that there were 2,893

firms in this industry that operated for

the entire year.

Of that number, 2,837

firms employed fewer than 250

employees.

Additionally, based on

Commission data in the 2021 Universal

Service Monitoring Report, as of

December 31, 2020, there were 797

providers that reported they were

engaged in the provision of wireless

services.

Of these providers, the

Commission estimates that 715

providers have 1,500 or fewer

employees.

Consequently, using the

SBA’s small business size standard,

most of these providers can be

considered small entities.

54. All Other Telecommunications.

This industry is comprised of

establishments primarily engaged in

providing specialized

telecommunications services, such as

satellite tracking, communications

telemetry, and radar station operation.

This industry also includes

establishments primarily engaged in

providing satellite terminal stations and

associated facilities connected with one

or more terrestrial systems and capable

of transmitting telecommunications to,

and receiving telecommunications from,

satellite systems.

Providers of internet

services (e.g. dial-up ISPs) or Voice over

internet Protocol (VoIP) services, via

client-supplied telecommunications

connections are also included in this

industry.

The SBA small business size

standard for this industry classifies

firms with annual receipts of $35

million or less as small.

U.S. Census

Bureau data for 2017 show that there

were 1,079 firms in this industry that

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See U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic

Census of the United States, Selected Sectors: Sales,

Value of Shipments, or Revenue Size of Firms for

the U.S.: 2017, Table ID: EC1700SIZEREVFIRM,

NAICS Code 517919, https://data.census.gov/

cedsci/table?y=2017&n=517919&tid=ECN

SIZE2017.EC1700SIZEREVFIRM

&hidePreview=false.

Id. The available U.S. Census Bureau data does

not provide a more precise estimate of the number

of firms that meet the SBA size standard. The

Commission also notes that according to the U.S.

Census Bureau glossary, the terms receipts and

revenues are used interchangeably, see https://

www.census.gov/glossary/#term_ReceiptsRevenue

Services.

5 U.S.C. 603(a)(1) through (4).

operated for the entire year.

Of those

firms, 1,039 had revenue of less than

$25 million.

Based on this data, the

Commission estimates that the majority

of ‘‘All Other Telecommunications’’

firms can be considered small.

D. Description of Projected Reporting,

Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance

Requirements for Small Entities

55. The Commission expects the

proposed rules in the NPRM will

impose new or additional reporting or

recordkeeping and/or other compliance

obligations on small entities as well as

other licensees and applicants. At this

time however, the Commission is not in

a position to determine whether, if

adopted, its proposals and the matters

upon which it seeks comment will

require small entities to hire

professionals to comply and cannot

quantify the cost of compliance with the

potential rule changes discussed herein.

56. Depending on the licensing model

the Commission ultimately adopts for

the 42 GHz band, applicants for licenses

may be required to coordinate their

proposed operations with other

licensees and applicants. Under the

relevant licensing models, such

coordination would be necessary to

ensure that neighboring operations will

not interfere with each other. The

Commission seeks comment on the cost

to small entities for this potential

coordination with operations.

57. Small entities and other

applicants in the 42 GHz band may be

required to meet buildout requirements.

Depending on the type of buildout

requirement the Commission ultimately

adopts, licensees may be required to

provide information to the Commission

on the facilities they have constructed,

the nature of the service they are

providing, and the extent to which they

are providing coverage in their license

or registered site area. Any performance

or buildout requirements the

Commission adopts will be structured to

ensure that spectrum is being put into

use and to encourage rapid deployment

of next generation wireless services,

including 5G, which would benefit

small entities and the industry as a

whole. The Commission seeks comment

as to the potential equipment,

operational and implementation costs to

small entities working towards

complying with these buildout

requirements.

E. Steps Taken To Minimize the

Significant Economic Impact on Small

Entities, and Significant Alternatives

Considered

58. The RFA requires an agency to

describe any significant, specifically

small business, alternatives that it has

considered in reaching its proposed

approach, which may include the

following four alternatives (among

others): ‘‘(1) the establishment of

differing compliance or reporting

requirements or timetables that take into

account the resources available to small

entities; (2) the clarification,

consolidation, or simplification of

compliance and reporting requirements

under the rule for such small entities;

(3) the use of performance rather than

design standards; and (4) an exemption

from coverage of the rule, or any part

thereof, for such small entities.’’

59. The Commission believes the

potential licensing models on which it

seeks comment would facilitate access

to spectrum by small businesses and a

wide variety of other entities. However,

to assist in the Commission’s evaluation

of the economic impact on small entities

as a result of actions that have been

proposed in the NPRM, and to better

explore options and alternatives, the

Commission has sought comment from

the parties. Of particular interest are

those comments providing insight as to

whether any of the costs associated with

any potential performance or buildout

requirements can be alleviated for small

businesses. The Commission expects to

more fully consider the economic

impact and alternatives for small

entities following the review of

comments filed in response to the

NPRM.

F. Federal Rules That May Duplicate,

Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed

Rules

60. None.

III. Ordering Clauses

61. Accordingly, it is ordered,

pursuant to sections 1, 2, 4, 301, 302,

303, 304, 307, 309, and 310 of the

Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C.

151, 152, 154, 301, 302a, 303, 304, 307,

and 309, § 604 of the MOBILE NOW

Act, 47 U.S.C. 1503, and § 1.411 of the

Commission’s Rules, 47 CFR 1.411, that

this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is

hereby adopted.

62. It is further ordered that the

Commission’s Consumer and

Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference

Information Center, shall send a copy of

this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,

including the Initial Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief

Counsel for Advocacy of the Small

Business Administration.

Federal Communications Commission.

Marlene Dortch,

Secretary, Office of the Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2023–16167 Filed 7–28–23; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

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Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see a visualisation of a case and its relationships to other cases. An alternative to lists of cases, the Precedent Map makes it easier to establish which ones may be of most relevance to your research and prioritise further reading. You also get a useful overview of how the case was received.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Subscribers are able to see the list of results connected to your document through the topics and citations Vincent found.

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Request your trial

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Search over 120 million documents from over 100 countries including primary and secondary collections of legislation, case law, regulations, practical law, news, forms and contracts, books, journals, and more.
Thousands of Data Sources

Updated daily, vLex brings together legal information from over 750 publishing partners, providing access to over 2,500 legal and news sources from the world’s leading publishers.
Find What You Need, Quickly

Advanced A.I. technology developed exclusively by vLex editorially enriches legal information to make it accessible, with instant translation into 14 languages for enhanced discoverability and comparative research.
Over 2 million registered users

Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.

Shared Use of the 42-42.5 GHz Band

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users

You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.

Why Sign-up to vLex?

Over 100 Countries

Thousands of Data Sources

Find What You Need, Quickly

Over 2 million registered users