Chairwoman Johnson Reiterates Concerns to FCC Over Interference with Accuracy of Weather Forecasts

Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to follow up on a September 30, 2019, request for information to which the Committee has yet to receive a response. That letter requested any technical analysis conducted or reviewed by the FCC on out-of-band emissions limits under consideration for the 24.25-24.75 GHz spectrum band to be discussed at the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 2019, which is scheduled to begin next week.

“I have received no response whatsoever to my September 30 letter,” said Chairwoman Johnson in the letter. “As such, I am left to assume that the FCC has no science-based evidence to support its position on out-of-band emission limits for the 24 GHz band.”

Chairwoman Johnson continued, “The United States government has invested tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money in our weather forecasting infrastructure. Throughout this process, the FCC has had a cavalier attitude towards protecting those investments and the critical weather forecasts they provide. I am deeply disappointed in the conduct of the FCC in addressing the very real issue of interference with our weather forecasting capabilities.”

A copy of the full letter can be found here.

The September 30 letter can be found here.