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Starks Appears to Support Using C-Band for 5G Deployment

FCC nominee indicated his position during a Wednesday confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee

WASHINGTON — Geoffrey Starks, a current FCC Enforcement Bureau official, moved one step closer to confirmation as a commissioner on Wednesday, when the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved his nomination on a voice vote. He must still be confirmed by the full Senate.

Starks, currently an assistant bureau chief, was nominated to succeed Mignon Clyburn as one of the FCC’s two Democratic commissioners, according to wirelessweek.com. If confirmed, his term would run through mid-2022.

Committee Chairman John Thune, (R-S.D.) indicated that both Starks’ nomination and a second term for current Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr could be taken up by the full chamber this week, according to the same article.

During his appearance before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing, Starks gave his views on telecom policies and 5G in particular. 

“The race to 5G is on and the US, I believe, needs to maintain its leadership here,” he said, according to fiercewireless.com. “It is going to be essential that we continue to have more and more spectrum that can be brought to market — low, mid and high band…in particular, 3.5, the C-band, 5.9, 6.4 and then getting up into the high band, 24 GHz, 28, 37, 39, 47, 64 and higher.” 

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