Seasons

The verdict isn’t in but the stakes are high – very high – for weather forecasting in the U.S. and for many nations who rely on our satellite imagery and data. The deployment of 5G technology has the potential to produce serious interference with the transmission of satellite data. An article in the Washington Post by Jason Samenow of the Capital Weather Gang details some of the technical issues I’ve been seeing in the literature for quite some time. As most of you know, the wireless industry and the FCC are racing to deploy 5G technology.

Besides 5G’s advances in communications capacity, there are very big bucks on the line. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been warning about possible major negative impacts on its mission to provide accurate forecasts that protect lives and property. NOAA’s warnings have not been warmly received by the FCC or the wireless industry. Complexities abound.

Make no mistake: 5G technology is a national priority and could deliver information as much as 100 times faster than current microwave technology. There are obviously good reasons for the FCC to essentially partner with the wireless industry to get this 5G show on the road. But NOAA has abundant evidence this technology could set us back decades by interfering with the transmission of a broad spectrum of satellite transmission bandwidth. Some of the most critical data for all computer models and for near term detection of dangerous and severe storms is in this bandwidth. The low orbiting polar satellites, with their ever-shifting orbital paths, provide higher resolution detail as they circle the globe.