FCC to Consider Radio Receiver NOI in April

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FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has announced plans for the agency to launch a proceeding in April that would explore rules regarding Radio Receivers—not just transmitters, as is currently done

The proposal for a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) is in response to use of sub-standard altimeters in US aircraft. Apparently, some altimeter receivers can be affected by other radio signals several hundred MHz away.

Aircraft altimeters use 4.2 to 4.4 GHz, while new 5G services use completely different frequencies 3.7 to 3.98 GHz, but aviation interests and the FAA have said aircraft at 50 U.S. airports would be vulnerable to the new 5G communications - https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/01/20/5g-rollout-airplane-danger/

“In the past, our discussions of spectrum efficiency have been a one-way effort—they have focused almost exclusively on transmitters,” Rosenworcel said in prepared remarks delivered during a keynote at MWC 2022 in Barcelona that were released by the FCC.

But here’s the thing: Wireless communications only exists when transmitters are connected to receivers. Both are vital. Both matter. And going forward, policymakers need to consider both transmitting and receiving. Not just the former at the expense of the latter.

Next month, I will propose to my colleagues at the FCC that we launch a new inquiry to explore receiver performance and standards.”
— UrgentComm