Service and Auction Rules for the 38.6-40.0 GHz Frequency Band

In the Report and Order portion of the Second Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Report and Order, the Commission amends rules to facilitate more effective use of the 39 GHz band, by implementing a number of improvements such as licensing by Basic Trading Areas (BTAs) and employing competitive bidding procedures as a means for choosing among mutually exclusive license applicants. In addition, the Commission concludes that the regulatory framework for the 39 GHz band should be expanded to include service rules for mobile operations. Such flexibility will promote competition by increasing both the diversity of potential service offerings and the number of providers that can offer any service. Finally, the Commission addresses those 39 GHz applications held in abeyance pursuant to a processing freeze.