The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making outlining planned regulations for the 5 GHz U-NII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) spectrum, including the new frequencies reported on in the May 19, 2003 RF Report.
Existing technical requirements for the 5.250-5.350 GHz sub-band would apply to the new 5.470-5.725 GHz sub band, with the addition of two mechanisms to reduce interference to other users of the spectrum. A transmit power control (TPC) mechanism would be required for operation on the new 5.470-5.725 GHz U-NII band. A listen-before-talk mechanism called dynamic frequency selection (DFS) will be required for U-NII operation on 5.470-5.725 GHz and, after two years, U-NII devices operating in the 5.250-5.350 GHz spectrum.
The FCC NPRM is seeking comments on exactly how TPC and DFS should be applied to U-NII devices in these bands. If you have an interest in this part of the spectrum, take a look at the NPRM and submit comments.
