Regulators Should Weigh In
Dan Pfeiffer is Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs at Itron.
A proposed policy change at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is drawing significant attention from across the utility, transportation, and public safety sectors due to its potential to disrupt critical infrastructure and impose substantial costs on consumers. Technology company NextNav has requested the FCC re-band the lower 900 MHz radio frequency spectrum in the U.S. for its priority use. This rule change would enrich NextNav owners at the public’s considerable expense.
The lower 900 MHz spectrum is currently the backbone for a multitude of essential services, including advanced metering infrastructure for electric, gas, and water utilities. More than 160 million meters depend on this frequency band to deliver real-time data, improve operational efficiency, and support reliability for nearly 200 million Americans. This same spectrum also supports tolling systems like EZ-Pass, railroad safety networks, SCADA systems, municipal flood warning systems, security infrastructure, logistics tracking, and home automation applications.