The FCC doesn’t “really believe” public safety agencies will ever leave the 470-512 MHz T band, despite the 2012 Spectrum Act's mandate, Enterprise Wireless Alliance Regulatory Counsel Elizabeth Sachs told the EWA’s virtual wireless leadership summit Wednesday. Congress “adopted legislation without really understanding what it meant or who was involved or what the impact would be,” said Sachs, of Lukas LaFuria.

FCC Chief of Staff Matthew Berry and a top CTIA official downplayed reports the Trump administration is pushing the Pentagon to move forward on developing a national 5G network. The wireless industry sent a letter to President Donald Trump Tuesday opposing efforts to nationalize 5G network infrastructure. Berry and Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs, spoke Monday at the Americas Spectrum Management Conference. DOD isn’t planning to launch a competitive 5G network, Fred Moorefield, deputy chief information officer-command, control and communications, said at an FCBA virtual conference Tuesday. Moorefield said he had seen the reports on the White House push but couldn't confirm them.

Tech companies spoke with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on their quest for further changes to 6 GHz rules, the subject of a Further NPRM (see 2007280033). “We discussed the importance of Commission rules that ensure 6 GHz devices meet consumers’ expectations by enabling mobile use -- including both mobile [automatic frequency coordination]-controlled devices as well as very-low-power devices,” said a filing by Apple, Google, Facebook and other tech companies posted Friday in docket 18-295: “Mobile AFC-controlled devices would not add any significant new complexity to the AFC, and could leverage capabilities commonly found in mobile devices today.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved a waiver for Metrom Rail, allowing the certification and operation of ultra-wideband devices used to enhance the safety and reliability of transit rail operations. Metrom is a technology company that serves railroads. “Specifically, we are waiving the requirement that devices must be handheld while operating and are allowing Metrom’s directional antenna system to employ an additional 6 dB of gain to produce an [effective isotropic radiated power] of up to -35.3 dBm/MHz,” OET said in a Friday order in docket 18-284. Metrom’s operations are limited to 3.248-4.990 GHz, OET said. The waiver request was before the FCC for more than two years (see 1809200041).

RKF Engineering's statistical Monte Carlo analysis demonstrates very-low-power unlicensed devices at 14 dBm “will not create harmful interference to licensed services” in the 6 GHz band, tech companies told the FCC. “RKF’s study contained sensitivity analysis across multiple factors, including the number of active VLP devices,” said Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft, NXP Semiconductors and Qualcomm, in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. Commissioners are expected to consider rules in November (see 2008200040), responding to an April Further NPRM (see 2004230059).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied a stay of the FCC’s April order allowing Wi-Fi and other unlicensed users to share the 6 GHz band. APCO sought the stay, with the support of electric utilities (see 2009180044). Wi-Fi proponents said the Thursday decision is important in that the court considers the merits of a challenge in deciding whether to grant a stay. The court also declined a request for an expedited hearing. Wi-Fi industry officials said the first devices are likely this year, with rollout accelerating into 2021.

The pandemic is slowing 5G standards development and will delay Release 17 to as late as the end of 2021, Brian Daly, AT&T assistant vice president-standards and industry alliances, told the FCC Technology Advisory Council Tuesday. The focus of the meeting was on updates from the four working groups, including Daly’s 5G/IoT/open radio access network WG. 3rd Generation Partnership Project meetings have moved online, which may continue through 2020, Daly said. Continuous virtual meetings “are reducing productivity and increasing overall fatigue,” he said. “Who actually has the voting rights in these elections?” he asked: “That could influence everything from who leads the groups to who is going to set the stage for what gets into the various releases.” Release 16 was supposed to be done in March but was just approved, he said. U.S. companies are participating more, since travel isn't required, and so are Chinese officials, which is “a bit worrisome,” he said. “We still may see further down scoping as the pressures of COVID-19 impact the electronic meetings,” he said. The U.S. is pushing to include 6 GHz in the standards, amid “firm objections” from the Chinese, Daly said. “It was really a roller coaster ride at the last week's plenary meetings,” he said: “Even though it's a regional requirement, it was clearly a political blocking by the Chinese to try to push those requirements out of Release 17.” Planning is starting on Release 18, with no clear timeline, he said. TAC next meets Dec. 1. “We’re now into the sprint part of the year,” said TAC Chairman Dennis Roberson: “We’ve really got to hustle.”

APCO made its case for why the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit should stay the FCC’s April order allowing Wi-Fi and other unlicensed users to share the 6 GHz band (see 2004230059), in a filing (in Pacer) Friday in docket 20-1190. “The Commission has a statutory mandate to protect public safety,” APCO said: “It failed to honor that mandate, and that failure is likely to endanger the nation’s public safety communications systems.” The FCC argued (in Pacer) against a stay, saying the order was “based on its expert judgment and thorough consideration of the administrative record, including the needs of public safety operations in the 6 GHz band.” The Edison Electric Institute, Utilities Technology Council, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and American Public Power Association supported (in Pacer) the stay. Opponents argue that there's "no indication that any interfering devices will be on the market in the near future, and that a stay will harm the public because the devices must be allowed on the market as soon as possible,” the utility groups said: “Respondents cannot have it both ways. If the devices will not be on the market in the near future, then staying the Order while the Court determines the merits of the petitions presents no harm.”

A Thursday House Communications Subcommittee hearing is expected to feature partisan dueling assessments of the FCC's performance under Chairman Ajit Pai, capping off subcommittee Democrats’ often-rancorous relationship with commission Republicans this Congress (see 1901160031). Communications Democrats said the hearing will focus on FCC “lost opportunities” during President Donald Trump’s administration, including actions they say widened the digital divide (see 2009100066). The hearing begins at 10 a.m.

The FCC made the right decision on Ligado, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told Incompas Tuesday during its virtual conference. Pai stressed FCC focus on 5G, saying the upcoming C-band auction will be “massive.” Pai said more is coming, including on the 5.9 GHz band and a follow-up order on 6 GHz (see 2008200040). “We have a lot of big irons in the fire,” he said.