The Federal Communications
Commission in Washington, D.C., has issued a Public Notice seeking comment on a petition filed by the WiMAX
Forum proposing service rules for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport
Communications System (AeroMACS). This WiMAX Forum Petition for Rulemaking to Adopt
AeroMACS Service Rules was filed with the FCC on March 31, 2017. See the text here AeroMACS
refers to a collection of high data rate wireless networks that are used in
accordance with international aeronautical standards for airport surface
operations to provide broadband communications between aircraft and other
vehicles, as well as between critical fixed assets.
The FCC notes that AeroMACS
is designed to support a wide variety of services and applications, including Air
Traffic Control/Air Traffic Management and infrastructure functions, as well as
airline and airport operations. For
example, the FCC opines that AeroMACS frequencies might be used by pilots to
receive weather and airfield information; by fire rescue, snow removal, and
ground personnel to coordinate operations; and by airport security personnel to
monitor live video feeds. The FCC has previously allocated frequencies for AeroMACS
, which will operate in the 5000-5030 MHz and 5091-5150 MHz bands, and will be
utilized by Federal and non-Federal users.
See Amendment of Parts 2, 15, 80, 90, 97, and 101 of the Commission’s Rules
Regarding Implementation of the Final Acts of the World Radiocommunication
Conference (Geneva, 2012)(WRC-12), Other Allocation Issues, and Related Rule
Updates, Report and Order, 32 FCC Rcd 2703, 2717-18,
paras. 39-40 (2017); 47 CFR § 2.106, Footnotes US115, US444B.
Proposed uses for Federal
users (i.e., government entities, like the FAA) include air traffic management,
including air traffic control; aeronautical operations communications; and
communications related to airport operations, safety, and security. Non-Federal users may include airport owners
and operators, airline carriers, aeronautical communications network providers
(ACNPs), and other entities that engage in airport communications relating to
safety and regularity of flight.
The FCC has taken actions in support of aeronautical mobile (route) service (AM(R)S) surface
applications at airports in the 5000-5030 MHz band and unmanned aircraft
systems (UAS) in the 5030-5091
MHz band. The aeronautical mobile (route) service is an
aeronautical mobile service (i.e. a mobile service that supports communications
between aeronautical stations and aircraft stations, or between aircraft
stations) and is reserved for communications relating to the safety and
regularity of flight. See 47 CFR § 2.1.
The reason these allocations are
important for sUAS is that the FCC has allocated the 5030-5091 MHz band to the
AM(R)S on a primary basis for Federal and non-Federal use, while noting that the
5030-5091 MHz band would be appropriate to satisfy the terrestrial,
line-of-sight, spectrum requirements for command and control of UAS in non‑segregated
airspace. See U.S. Proposals for WRC-12,
First Tranche, Agenda Item 1.3 (“given that there is minimum use in this band
worldwide and because the lack of an existing or planned microwave landing
system deployment in the United States at 5030-5091 MHz ensures availability of
appropriate aeronautical spectrum for terrestrial line-of-sight UAS in the band”)(
The U.S. Proposals for the WRC-12
consisted of three letters from the Commission and NTIA to the U.S. Department
of State: First Tranche (February 17,
2011); Second Tranche (RCS-2394/1, June 21, 2011); and Third Tranche (September
19, 2011) (together, U.S. Proposals for
WRC-12, available at http://transition.fcc.gov/ib/wrc-12/us/).
The Small UAV Coalition
generally supported this allocation, noting that the allocation of this band
should be flexible to accommodate future uses of the band by low‑altitude small
UAS and uses beyond line-of-sight.
Boeing also supported this allocation, Boeing also supported the AM(R)S
allocation, noting the expected substantial growth of UAS in the coming years,
including flight operations outside of segregated airspace. Boeing also noted that the 5030-5091 MHz band
was well suited for line-of-sight control links because it remains relatively
unused.
So, while the allocations are
established, the service rules for use of the spectrum at and around airports
is not, and these rules are the subject of this Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking. Those readers with an interest
in helping to shape the rules for the deployment of the AeroMACS frequencies
for uses which will affect small UAS, particularly for uses beyond
line-of-sight, are urged to file comments.
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using
the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. The File
No. of this proceeding is RM-11793. The
Comment Date is August 18, 2017, and the Reply Date: September 5, 2017.