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The Federal Communications Commission is taking a new look at the spectrum needs of public safety and the internet of things, and the agency officially rescinded rules passed under the Trump administration that would have allowed state-by-state leasing of 50 megahertz of spectrum at 4.9 GHz.
Those rules had been stayed in June of this year. The background here is that in the fall of 2020, the FCC voted along party lines to expand the use of the 4.9 GHz band, over objections from public safety users. The 4.9 GHz spectrum, which consists of 50 megahertz (4.940-4.990 GHz), was designated for exclusive use by public safety for fixed and mobile services back in the early 2000s. That spectrum was allowed to be shared with non-traditional public safety responders. Under the Trump administration and then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC voted to drop the requirement that the spectrum be used for public safety-related activities…
