Tech Companies Oppose 6 GHz Protections Sought by RigNet

RigNet’s “specialized protection proposal would, in fact, significantly impact consumers nationwide and is completely unnecessary to prevent harmful interference.” Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft and Qualcomm were among signers. "Tech companies keep critiquing the scientifically backed and documented concerns that we and others have voiced with their unproven assertions and admonitions that interference won't be that bad,” responded Jamie Barnett, RigNet senior vice president-government service. “They've had plenty of time to provide actual data, so I think the FCC has to conclude that they cannot back up their claims." The same companies challenged data in a January CTIA filing “purporting to describe harmful interference for five real-world cases drawn from a search” of the FCC’s universal licensing system. CTIA’s examples “were not real-world at all” said a second filing: “They were created by cherry picking some information from ULS for real [fixed service] links, ignoring other relevant information, then replacing the rest with CTIA’s preferred values regardless of accuracy. CTIA did not disclose these alterations, much less justify them.” CTIA supports "introducing unlicensed operations in the lower portion of 6 GHz, so long as they protect the critical incumbents in the band,” emailed Scott Bergmann, senior vice president-regulatory affairs. “The record in the FCC’s proceeding makes clear that an Automatic Frequency Coordination mechanism is necessary to protect incumbents from both indoor and outdoor unlicensed operations. It’s time for the unlicensed community to take seriously their obligations to protect incumbents.”