On Monday, air cargo industry advocacy organization Cargo Airline Association (CAA) joined more than 70 other industry groups in opposition of the NextNav petition to reorganize the lower 900 MHz band.
According to the coalition, any reorganization of the lower band could significantly impact the functionality and reliability of existing devices and systems across multiple industries and sectors. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the coalition said Part 15 unlicensed devices operating within the Lower 900 MHz band, play a critical role in infrastructure, security systems and supply chain and transportation technologies. How those devices are used by private and public sectors to the benefit of consumers, customers and the broader public could be impacted by any reorganization, the coalition said.
“The Lower 900 MHz band is utilized for a wide range of purposes, including industrial, scientific, and medical equipment, Location and Monitoring Service (“LMS”) systems, federal radiolocation, Part 15 unlicensed devices and amateur radio operators,” the letter said. “A key requirement of this band is that the services of licensed users must coexist with Part 15 unlicensed devices. This is done through field testing to demonstrate that there is no unacceptable interference to Part 15 devices, which led manufacturers to develop a broad range and large number of unlicensed commercial and consumer products and devices for this band. The NextNav Petition proposes to eliminate that protection, endangering the viability of Part 15 devices.”
The coalition, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said severe unintended consequences could occur for those unlicensed users of the Lower 900 MHz band if the reorganization goes forward.