Why Turning Up the Volume Could Silence the CBRS Innovation Band

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) has been hailed as the "innovation band," a landmark three-tiered spectrum sharing framework that allows over 1,000 different operators to coexist seamlessly. However, a new technical analysis by Valo Analytica, prepared for Spectrum for the Future, warns that proposals to significantly increase allowed power levels could effectively dismantle this ecosystem. Currently, CBRS relies on relatively low power limits that allow many users to share limited spectrum resources efficiently and harmoniously. The new study, titled Negative Impacts of Higher-Power Operation on the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, explores what happens when megaphones are deployed among the whisperers.

Download the full report here.