§  27.1603   Coordination procedures.

   (a) Coordination requirement. Prior to operation of any 3.45 GHz
   Service license in a Cooperative Planning Area or Periodic Use Area, a
   3.45 GHz Service licensee must successfully coordinate such operation
   with any Federal incumbents in the Cooperative Planning Area or
   Periodic Use Area. The coordination procedures contained in this
   section shall apply unless the 3.45 GHz Service licensee and the
   Federal incumbent(s) have reached a mutually acceptable
   operator-to-operator coordination agreement that provides otherwise.

   (b) Informal discussions. Before a 3.45 GHz Service licensee submits a
   formal coordination request, it may share and discuss draft proposals
   with Federal incumbent coordination staff. These discussions are
   voluntary, informal, and non-binding and can begin at any time.

   (c) Formal coordination. The 3.45 GHz Service licensee shall initiate
   coordination by formally requesting access to operate within a
   Cooperative Planning Area and/or Periodic Use Area directly through the
   Department of Defense's online portal.

   (d) Initiation, timing, and affirmative concurrence. A 3.45 GHz Service
   licensee must initiate a formal coordination request through the online
   portal provided by the Department of Defense. Unless otherwise agreed
   between a 3.45 GHz Service licensee and the relevant Federal
   incumbent(s), no formal coordination requests may be submitted until
   nine (9) months after the date of the auction closing Public Notice.
   3.45 GHz Service licensees may request informal discussions (through
   the point of contact identified in the applicable Transition Plan)
   during this nine-month time period. Unless otherwise agreed to in
   writing, the requirement to reach a coordination arrangement is
   satisfied only by obtaining the affirmative concurrence of the relevant
   Federal incumbent(s) via the portal. The requirement of this paragraph
   (d) is not satisfied by omission.

   (e) Submission information. To submit a formal coordination request,
   the 3.45 GHz Service licensee must include information about the
   technical characteristics for the 3.45 GHz Service base stations and
   associated mobile units relevant to operation within the Cooperative
   Planning Area and/or Periodic Use Area. This information should be
   provided in accordance with the instructions provided in the portal
   user's guide provided by the Department of Defense. 3.45 GHz Service
   licensees must prioritize their deployments in the Cooperative Planning
   Area for each Federal incumbent when submitting a formal coordination
   request. If a 3.45 GHz Service licensee is seeking to coordinate with
   multiple systems or multiple locations of operation controlled by one
   Federal incumbent, the licensee must specify the order in which it
   prefers the Federal incumbent process the request (i.e., the order of
   systems or geographic locations).

   (f) Coordination analysis. If a 3.45 GHz Service licensee has questions
   about the result of a coordination request, it may contact the Federal
   incumbent to propose network design modifications to help address
   issues raised by the Federal incumbent. Once the 3.45 GHz Service
   licensee has revised its network design, it must resubmit a formal
   coordination request, and the 3.45 GHz Service formal coordination
   process begins again.

   (g) Interference resolution process. In instances of identified harmful
   interference occurring between a Federal and non-Federal operator not
   otherwise addressed by the coordination procedures or
   operator-to-operator agreements, the 3.45 GHz Service licensee shall
   first attempt to resolve the interference directly. If that effort is
   unsuccessful, the 3.45 GHz Service licensee, if adversely affected may
   escalate the matter to the Commission.