Important Reminders for the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window

Greetings from the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy.

I’m writing to share several important reminders about the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window, which allows federally recognized Tribes to apply for licenses for currently unassigned spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band over their rural Tribal lands.

The Commission has extended the application window to 6:00 p.m. EDT on September 2, 2020. Eligible Tribal entities must submit a completed application by this deadline.

Before the window closes, all Tribal applicants should check https://www.fcc.gov/25-ghz-rural-tribal-window-submitted-applications to verify they have a completed application on file with the Commission. Even if you have started and “saved” a draft application, to be eligible for a license you must go back into the system and SUBMIT a completed application by the September 2nd 6:00 p.m. EDT deadline. Please note that the system will only save your work on a draft application for 30 days; saved draft applications on which there has been no activity for 30 days are automatically deleted. Saved draft applications can be viewed in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) by logging in with your FCC Registration Number (FRN) and password.

All applicants will need to monitor the Commission’s Universal Licensing System (ULS), and Daily Digest, for notification of actions taken on their applications. Such notifications may be made by public notice. Please be aware that individual notifications may not be provided; you will need to check regularly for notifications in ULS and the Daily Digest.

Applicants and potential applicants should also keep in mind that the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window represents an opportunity to become a licensee subject to certain conditions and regulations. Applicants should be prepared to familiarize themselves with all legal and technical requirements as contained in the Commission’s rules, specifically those in Parts 1 and 27 of our rules for Commission licensees. A link to those rules can be found here: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title47/47tab_02.tpl.

Questions about the application process can be sent to ruraltribalwindow@fcc.gov. Commission staff are continually monitoring this mailbox and typically respond to inquiries within 24 hours.