§  27.1411   Transition of the 3700-3980 MHz band to the 3.7 GHz Service.

   (a) Transition of the 3700-3798 MHz Band. The 3700-3980 MHz band is
   being transitioned in the lower 48 contiguous states and the District
   of Columbia from geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) fixed-satellite
   service (space-to-Earth) and fixed service operations to the 3.7 GHz
   Service.

   (b) Definitions—(1) Incumbent space station operator. An incumbent
   space station operator is defined as a space station operator
   authorized to provide C-band service to any part of the contiguous
   United States pursuant to an FCC-issued license or grant of market
   access as of June 21, 2018.

   (2) Eligible space station operator. For purposes of determining
   eligibility to receive reimbursement for relocation costs incurred as a
   result of the transition of FSS operations to the 4000-4200 MHz band,
   an eligible space station operators may receive reimbursement for
   relocation costs incurred as a result of the transition of FSS
   operations to the 4000-4200 MHz band. An eligible space station
   operator is defined as an incumbent space station operator that has
   demonstrated as of February 1, 2020, that it has an existing
   relationship to provide service via C-band satellite transmission to
   one or more incumbent earth stations in the contiguous United States.
   Such existing relationships may be directly with the incumbent earth
   station, or indirectly through content distributors or other entities,
   so long as the relationship requires the provision of C-band satellite
   services to one or more specific incumbent earth stations in the
   contiguous United States.

   (3) Incumbent earth station. An incumbent earth station for this
   subpart is defined as an earth station that is entitled to interference
   protection pursuant to § 25.138(c) of this chapter. An incumbent earth
   station must transition above 4000 MHz pursuant to this subpart. An
   incumbent earth station will be able to continue receiving
   uninterrupted service both during and after the transition.

   (4) Earth station migration. Earth station migration includes any
   necessary changes that allow the uninterrupted reception of service by
   an incumbent earth station on new frequencies in the upper portion of
   the band, including, but not limited to retuning and repointing
   antennas, “dual illumination” during which the same programming is
   simultaneously downlinked over the original and new frequencies, and
   the installation of new equipment or software at earth station uplink
   and/or downlink locations for customers identified for technology
   upgrades necessary to facilitate the repack, such as compression
   technology or modulation.

   (5) Earth station filtering. A passband filter must be installed at the
   site of each incumbent earth station at the same time or after it has
   been migrated to new frequencies to block signals from adjacent
   channels and to prevent harmful interference from licensees in the 3.7
   GHz Service. Earth station filtering can occur either simultaneously
   with, or after, the earth station migration, or can occur at any point
   after the earth station migration so long as all affected earth
   stations in a given Partial Economic Area and surrounding areas are
   filtered prior to a licensee in the 3.7 GHz Service commencing
   operations.

   (6) Contiguous United States (CONUS). For the purposes of the rules
   established in this subpart, contiguous United States consists of the
   contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia as defined by Partial
   Economic Areas Nos. 1-41, 43-211, 213-263, 265-297, 299-359, and
   361-411, which includes areas within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. Gulf
   coastline (see § 27.6(m)). In this context, the rest of the United
   States includes the Honolulu, Anchorage, Kodiak, Fairbanks, Juneau,
   Puerto Rico, Guam-Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands,
   American Samoa, and the Gulf of Mexico PEAs.

   (7) Relocation Payment Clearinghouse. A Relocation Payment
   Clearinghouse is a neutral, independent third-party to administer the
   cost management for the transition of the 3700-4000 MHz band from the
   Fixed Satellite Service and Fixed Service to the 3.7 GHz Service.

   (8) Relocation Coordinator. A Relocation Coordinator is a third party
   that will ensure that all incumbent space station operators are
   relocating in a timely matter, and that is selected consistent with
   § 27.1413. The Relocation Coordinator will have technical experience in
   understanding and working on earth stations and will manage the
   migration and filtering of incumbent earth stations of eligible space
   station operators that decline accelerated relocation payment.