Blog

Updated research notes chart CBRS progress

Updated research notes devoted specifically to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) have now been added to the PolicyTracker Spectrum Sharing Dossier.

| Jonathan Watson

The CBRS is a dynamic shared access (DSA) system in the US that operates in the 3.5 GHz band (3550—3700 MHz), also known as Band 48.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the rules that govern the CBRS in 2017. Since 2023, the US regulator has proposed several changes to those rules to create “CBRS 2.0”.

In our updated CBRS research notes, we analyse those changes and examine the controversial topic of how much the CBRS is being used. The mobile industry is critical of the CBRS, claiming it under-utilises a valuable resource. It argues that the CBRS spectrum would be better assigned on an exclusive rather than a shared basis.

The changes include allowing systems that control access to CBRS spectrum to change how they model interference. This shrinks the size of most “dynamic protection areas”.

Dynamic protection areas are those parts of the US where incumbent band users (like Navy radar systems) are protected from potential interference from commercial CBRS users, with the protection activated and deactivated dynamically based on incumbent activity.

Our new CBRS research notes have just been added to our Spectrum Sharing Dossier, part of the Spectrum Research Service. They are now available to Spectrum Research Service subscribers.

Img Alt

Newsletter

Discover why hundreds of regulators and technology companies use our services

SUBSCRIBE
Comments
Weekly Wrap: Join us for a live demonstration of our new Data Explorer
You can see a recording of the Data..." by Martin Sims
Sep 29, 2025
New broadcast standard ATSC 3.0 gains ground
This spectrum allocation decision maybe..." by Richard Womersley
Sep 24, 2025
The European Union is close to its initial 5G coverage goal
The claimed 5G coverage is a fairy..." by Stefan Zehle
Jul 03, 2025
Apple
Since early 2025, Apple's position on..." by Graham MacDonald
Jun 20, 2025