On February 4-5, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission hosted a bilateral spectrum coordination meeting with Mexican government officials from the communications regulator, the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT).    

The results of this meeting represent another significant milestone in the cooperation between the United States and Mexico on spectrum coordination issues.  We were able to advance spectrum policy goals related to the upcoming Incentive Auction, train safety, and emergency communications along our common border.  

Specific outcomes from this meeting include:

  • Reaffirmation of our shared commitment to follow agreed common guidelines for repacking TV stations that will clear 600 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband use in both countries.   
  • Commitment to complete work on an agreement that will facilitate implementation of Positive Train Control technology (PTC) in the border area.  PTC is a predictive collision avoidance technology that can stop a train before an accident occurs.
  • Agreement on a roadmap to facilitate rebanding the 800 MHz band along the common border to reduce interference to U.S. public safety licensees. 
  • Development of work plans to address coordination in several other frequency bands, including the 400 MHz, 700 MHz, 2500-2686 MHz, 3.4 -3.7 GHz, 5.9 GHz, and the PCS and AWS bands.

We thank our counterparts at IFT for their hard work and diligent efforts to reach this point and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our collaborative relationship.