By John P. Wong, Federal Communications Commission
Cable systems operators are discovering that it is getting more and more difficult to locate spectrum space in the Cable Antenna Relay Service (CARS) band. With the advent of 400 MHz plus broadband technology, the CARS band is saturating at an alarming rate. Practically all of the newer and more sophisticated cable television systems make extensive use of CARS microwave in order to bring in a wider variety of programming. At this point in time, many of the urban and large suburban areas of the country are being wired for cable. The entry of cable into the cities further congest the already crowded CARS band around the metropolitan areas.
The CARS microwave band allocation scheme, as it exists today, simply cannot accommodate the needs of the cable industry. This paper will suggest an interim solution to help ease the existing CARS band congestion problem. In addition, the author will discuss some of the future possibilities for CARS band users.