CBRS deep dive: SAS, PAL, GAA, CBSD tiers

The CBRS Three-Tier Framework

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service operates in the 3550-3700 MHz band under a three-tier sharing framework managed by the FCC. Incumbent users — primarily US Navy radar and fixed satellite services — hold the highest priority. Priority Access License holders occupy the second tier with purchased rights to specific channels within a county. General Authorized Access users share remaining capacity on an opportunistic basis. The Spectrum Access System dynamically coordinates all three tiers in real time, ensuring incumbents are always protected while maximizing spectrum utilization across PAL…