King joins lawmakers urging FCC caution on broadband spectrum rollout

File Photo Courtesy / U.S. Naval War College, Flickr U.S. Sen. Angus King has joined seven other senators urging the USDA to ease restrictions on broadband funding.

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By Renee Cordes

U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and a bipartisan group of 11 other senators are urging caution by the Federal Communications Commission as it rolls out a broader spectrum of broadband.

In a three-page letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the lawmakers are calling on the agency as it considers giving more frequencies to wireless providers, to protect "critical infrastructure industries" including electric, water and natural gas utilities from harmful interference.

Though the agency has already decided to open up some spectrum, lawmakers have concerns about the rollout and want to make sure the agency treads carefully where utilities are concerned.

"These entities," the letter says, "are concerned that the proposal does not protect their mission-critical systems located in the band from harmful interference caused by unlicensed use.

"As these entities provide critical, life-sustaining services, it is essential that the FCC protects these industries from harmful interference and continues to reserve the band for these licensed operations if the Commission cannot ensure such protection."

Electric, water and natural gas utilities use the 6 GHz band for mission-critical communications, including emergency response and storm restoration, and the lawmakers argue against "harmful interference" with that band.

"If the band can no longer be relied upon for these functions," they write, "this would be akin to removing a tried and tested tool from a utility's toolbox to manage reliability and resilience of the grid."

A response or decision from the FCC to the Nov. 5 missive is expected in January, though one observer notes there's a small chance of a reply as soon as next month.

The U.S. Senate in June passed a bipartisan bill sponsored by King and Sen. Jim Risch, R- Idaho, who also signed the letter to FCC Chairman Pai, aimed at protecting the U.S. energy grid from cyberattacks.

Known as the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, the bill seeks to remove vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to access the grid through holes in digital software systems.

In a 2017 interview with Mainebiz before that measure was passed, King said that protecting the grid from cyberattacks is "one of the most urgent problems we face from a national security point of view."