6 GHz Incumbents Raise Concerns About Automated Frequency Plans
Seek more information and ask more questions of the 14 companies or organizations seeking FCC certification to become automated frequency coordination (AFC) system operators in the 6 GHz band (see 2112010002), asked the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition and other incumbents…
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in comments posted Wednesday in docket 21-352. “Protecting incumbent 6 GHz users remains critically important, and the Commission must demand that AFC operators meet rigorous standards to ensure licensees’ protection,” the coalition said: “At least one FWCC member has already experienced harmful interference to a licensed 6 GHz link from an unlicensed device.” The Utilities Technology Council and Edison Electric Institute raised similar concerns. None of the applicants “sufficiently demonstrate that they will fully comply with the Commission’s rules and all lack necessary technical detail for the Commission or affected incumbent operators to be certain that they will properly function and protect primary licensees from harmful interference,” the groups said. Applicants offer “differing explanations for how they will respond to reports of harmful interference,” with some suggesting “they will only be responsive to reports from the Commission,” APCO warned: “Public safety agencies should not be expected to report interference to individual AFC operators. Even if the particular device causing interference can be identified, incumbents are not likely to know which AFC operator is controlling the device.” AT&T said “the vast majority of the AFC System applications only superficially describe their compliance with the requirements of the 6 GHz Report and Order, and therefore fail to provide assurances that primary … incumbents will be protected.” Stakeholders haven't "identified consensus parameters for the propagation models that will assess unlicensed 6 GHz transmissions, in particular the confidence level, and only one of 13 AFC system applicants revealed the confidence level its system applies,” Verizon said. Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft, Meta and Qualcomm encouraged the FCC to act. “Articulate a decisional framework for processing the applications … with a goal of completing the review and authorization of commercial operations of AFCs and Standard Power devices in 2022,” the tech players said: “The relative simplicity of the AFC sharing mechanism compared to those in other bands should make FCC review and approval straightforward.” That 14 entities submitted proposals to operate AFC systems “evidences the utility of AFC-controlled standard power devices in the 6 GHz band,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said.