CBRS CPI Certification Test Questions
with Verified Correct Answers
SAS - correct ans: Spectrum Access System
CBRS - correct ans: Citizens Broadband Radio Service
CPI - correct ans: Certified Professional Installer
FCC - correct ans: Federal Communications Commission
What is the purpose of CBRS? - correct ans: CBRS allows a range of RF bandwidth previously
allocated to one licensed user to be shared among many users while maintaining that low priority
users do not interfere with high priority users.
What RF band does CBRS control? - correct ans: 3550 MHz - 3700 MHz
When and by who was CBRS created? - correct ans: Created by the FCC in 2015
What is the CBRS vision? - correct ans: 150 Mhz of new wireless bandwidth that can be used for
fixed or mobile broadband access.
What does the SAS do? - correct ans: The SAS (Spectrum Access System) monitors all CBRS clients
and receives information from CPI's that allows it to make sure that low priority users are not
interfering with high priority users
What are the advantages of a shared spectrum? - correct ans: Efficiency: lower priority users are
able to use parts of RF spectrum that were previously allocated to a single user 100% of the time
even when they weren't being used.
Time To Market: It is very quick and easy for new companies to start using parts of the CBRS RF
spectrum, where it used to take over 10 years to gain possession of bandwidth.
Cost: It is completely free for a new business to begin using bandwidth, where companies do have
the option to pay for higher priority. Before CBRS it used to cost billions of dollars to take possession
of a range of bandwidth.
, What is an Aggregate Interference Constraint? - correct ans: Aggregate Interference Constraint
refers to something that makes sure that interference seen by higher priority users is kept at a
usable and acceptable level.
Incumbents - correct ans: Tier 1 users who were using the CBRS band before the CBRS was created.
What kind of architecture does CBRS use and what are the individual parts? - correct ans: CBRS uses
a 3-tiered architecture in order to define who has priority over others. The tiers are:
Tier 1 - Incumbents
Tier 2 - PAL Users
Tier 3 - GAA Users
PPA - correct ans: PAL Protected Area
PAL - correct ans: Priority Access License
GAA - correct ans: General Authorized Access
What is the main responsibility of the CPI? - correct ans: To make sure that all CBRS transmitting
equipment is correctly registered with the SAS and that all information being sent to the SAS is
accurate.
What are the 4 main incumbents and what frequency do they operate at? - correct ans: Military
ship-borne radar - 3550 to 3650
Military ground based radar - 3550 to 3700
Fixed satellite service earth stations - 3600 to 3700
Wireless broadband services - 3650 to 3700
What does a PAL cover? - correct ans: a PAL covers a single county with CBRS transmitting devices in
it, over a 10 MHz channel.
with Verified Correct Answers
SAS - correct ans: Spectrum Access System
CBRS - correct ans: Citizens Broadband Radio Service
CPI - correct ans: Certified Professional Installer
FCC - correct ans: Federal Communications Commission
What is the purpose of CBRS? - correct ans: CBRS allows a range of RF bandwidth previously
allocated to one licensed user to be shared among many users while maintaining that low priority
users do not interfere with high priority users.
What RF band does CBRS control? - correct ans: 3550 MHz - 3700 MHz
When and by who was CBRS created? - correct ans: Created by the FCC in 2015
What is the CBRS vision? - correct ans: 150 Mhz of new wireless bandwidth that can be used for
fixed or mobile broadband access.
What does the SAS do? - correct ans: The SAS (Spectrum Access System) monitors all CBRS clients
and receives information from CPI's that allows it to make sure that low priority users are not
interfering with high priority users
What are the advantages of a shared spectrum? - correct ans: Efficiency: lower priority users are
able to use parts of RF spectrum that were previously allocated to a single user 100% of the time
even when they weren't being used.
Time To Market: It is very quick and easy for new companies to start using parts of the CBRS RF
spectrum, where it used to take over 10 years to gain possession of bandwidth.
Cost: It is completely free for a new business to begin using bandwidth, where companies do have
the option to pay for higher priority. Before CBRS it used to cost billions of dollars to take possession
of a range of bandwidth.
, What is an Aggregate Interference Constraint? - correct ans: Aggregate Interference Constraint
refers to something that makes sure that interference seen by higher priority users is kept at a
usable and acceptable level.
Incumbents - correct ans: Tier 1 users who were using the CBRS band before the CBRS was created.
What kind of architecture does CBRS use and what are the individual parts? - correct ans: CBRS uses
a 3-tiered architecture in order to define who has priority over others. The tiers are:
Tier 1 - Incumbents
Tier 2 - PAL Users
Tier 3 - GAA Users
PPA - correct ans: PAL Protected Area
PAL - correct ans: Priority Access License
GAA - correct ans: General Authorized Access
What is the main responsibility of the CPI? - correct ans: To make sure that all CBRS transmitting
equipment is correctly registered with the SAS and that all information being sent to the SAS is
accurate.
What are the 4 main incumbents and what frequency do they operate at? - correct ans: Military
ship-borne radar - 3550 to 3650
Military ground based radar - 3550 to 3700
Fixed satellite service earth stations - 3600 to 3700
Wireless broadband services - 3650 to 3700
What does a PAL cover? - correct ans: a PAL covers a single county with CBRS transmitting devices in
it, over a 10 MHz channel.
