The Wi-Fi Alliance briefed FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff on upcoming documents needed for the use of standard power devices in the 6 GHz band, controlled by an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system. The documents are: AFC System to AFC Device/Interface Specification, v1.2.3; AFC System Under Test Compliance Test Plan, v1.1.5; and AFC Device Under Test Compliance Test Plan, v1.2, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “In each case, the specifications remain in development,” the alliance said: The group “continues to work with 6 GHz stakeholders and industry experts to finalize these specifications following resolution of the remaining outstanding issues while taking into account comments received.” The alliance expressed hope that “even in their current preliminary form, these specifications will allow OET to initiate the AFC systems testing process, and thereby expedite introduction of robust and ubiquitous 6 GHz connectivity.”

The National Wireless Communications Council supported a December petition by APCO, the Utilities Technology Council and others asking the FCC to stop certifying low-power indoor devices in the 6 GHz band because of the alleged interference risk (see 2112080058). “Given that hundreds of millions of 6 GHz LPI devices are expected to be in use this year, and there will be no way to quickly shut down these devices if they do in fact cause harmful interference to these vital fixed communications links, it is necessary for the Commission to revisit the 6 GHz rules to ensure unlicensed 6 GHz devices will not cause harmful interference to licensed microwave systems,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295.

Two top litigators in the FCC Office of General Counsel think the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s December decision upholding the FCC’s 6 GHz order (see 2112280047) and a decision by the same court remanding the FCC’s 2019 RF rules to the agency for further work (see 2108130073) were the two most important recent court decisions affecting the FCC. The two spoke during an FCBA webinar Friday. A top administrative law expert said the Chevron doctrine is in doubt, but still not dead.

NAB urged the FCC to reserve 55 MHz of spectrum for licensed mobile operations, including electronic newsgathering (ENG), as part of the agency’s response to U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s remand of part of the FCC’s 6 GHz order. Wi-Fi advocates said the FCC should address the court’s concerns and move on to a further liberalization of the rules (see 2204080042). Replies were posted Thursday and Friday in docket 18-295. The court otherwise upheld the order, which opened the band for sharing with Wi-Fi (see 2112280047).

The FCC’s newly reconstituted Technology Advisory Council met for the second time Thursday, dedicated to exploring 6G, as directed by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. She and TAC members said 5G is still in early stages, but it’s not too early to focus on the next generation of wireless. TAC heard updates from its working groups on the work they have done so far during a virtual meeting.

The FCC unanimously approved a public notice seeking to refresh the record on improving how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders (see 2206060052), as expected. Commissioners at Wednesday's meeting also agreed to propose a $34,000 fine against an Idaho man for allegedly interfering with emergency communications as firefighters took on a wildfire, the largest fine of its kind, officials said.

The Wi-Fi Alliance urged the FCC to ignore requests to go slow and start approving automated frequency control operators for the 6 GHz band. “As recent ex parte letters to the Commission reveal, parties that have unsuccessfully challenged expanded use of the 6 GHz band in the past have not relented,” the alliance said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-352: “Now, they wish to slow or stop even the grant of conditional authorizations to further test AFC systems. The Commission must reject these groundless efforts and allow the AFC authorization process to proceed.”

APCO said questions remain as the FCC considers applications to become automated frequency coordination (AFC) system operators in the 6 GHz band (see 2112220070), in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “The AFC system proposals and supplemental filings have exposed gaps and inconsistencies that need to be addressed,” APCO said. The group noted the Office of Engineering and Technology sought supplemental information from each applicant: “Even with the supplemental filings, critical issues remain unresolved, several of which have direct impacts on the ability of the AFC systems to prevent and eliminate harmful interference to licensed users. ... One of the most troubling issues that has been raised in the record is that applicants intend to adopt AFC parameters with significantly different likelihoods of causing interference to licensed microwave links.”

Reserve a "limited amount" of 55 MHz spectrum "for exclusive use by licensed mobile operations," said the NAB regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's remand of part of the FCC's 2020 6 GHz order (see 2204250031). NAB said in comments posted Thursday in docket 18-295 that the FCC had "no basis" to conclude its rules "can adequately protect licensed mobile operations." The commission should "reserve the 7070-7125 MHz portion of the 6 GHz band" because it's the "only proposal in the record that will protect licensed [electronic news-gathering] operations," NAB said. Use of a contention-based protocol has "demonstrably failed to protect broadcast ENG operations in the 2.4 GHz band," NAB said. There's "no technical basis for concluding that any CBP could plausibly protect itinerant ENG operations." Other commenters disagreed. NAB’s concerns are "vague and unsupported," said NCTA: It "provided no credible evidence of actual harmful interference from unlicensed 2.4 GHz devices to mobile indoor operations, nor has it shown that a contention-based protocol could not prevent the alleged harmful interference from occurring." NAB has "significantly misconstrued and misrepresented interference to ENG operations in the 2.4 GHz band," said Public Knowledge and New America's Open Technology Institute in joint comments: The "lack of evidence ... provides the commission with ample explanation for dismissing NAB's concerns." The court "broadly rejected challenges by NAB and others" to the order, and the FCC should "reject any argument for modification," said Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Meta, Microsoft and Qualcomm in joint comments. The record didn't show that NAB’s "underlying assertion was, or is, accurate," said the Wi-Fi Alliance, saying there's "no connection" between ENG devices operating at the 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz bands. Don't create "any spectrum carveout based on the evidence offered to support such a carveout," said ACT | The App Association.

Representatives of Amazon's Kuiper urged FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and the regular commissioners to allow increased power levels and very-low-power device use in the 6 GHz band, per a series of docket 21-456 ex parte filings Wednesday. Amazon discussed how it was using the band for home network connectivity and its support for the FCC allowing downlinks in the 17 GHz band from non-geostationary orbit fixed service satellite systems.