Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told reporters his expectation is the FCC will vote on a 6 GHz item at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting (see 2003300053). “I certainly hope it is part of that agenda for next meeting,” he said Tuesday: “We’ll see it tomorrow. You’ll see it in a couple of days. … I worked with my colleagues and the commission staff to get it on [the April] meeting.”

Commissioners approved secure telephone identity revisited and secure handling of asserted information using tokens call authentication rules electronically before their abbreviated meeting Tuesday (see 2003310012). No items were discussed in detail. Commissioners released statements expressing some concerns about Stir/Shaken authentication rules and urging more action in response to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about 14 minutes.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai confirmed Wednesday he will seek a vote at the commissioners' March 23 meeting on making 1,200 megahertz available for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use in the 6 GHz band. The draft rules are to be posted Thursday.

Chairman Ajit Pai is expected to announce Wednesday he will seek a vote at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting on an order that would open 6 GHz to sharing with Wi-Fi, industry and FCC officials said in interviews. The issue has seen heavy lobbying in recent weeks. Much recent debate involved when the FCC will require automatic frequency coordination (AFC) or allow low-level use without. The agency is expected to post the draft item Thursday.

Companies weighed in about sharing the 6 GHz band with Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices, in filings posted Friday in docket in 18-295. Lobbying has intensified with an announcement expected this week on whether Chairman Ajit Pai will seek a vote at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting. AT&T said the FCC shouldn’t approve unlicensed use of the entire band, absent automated frequency coordination (AFC). “Even if the probability of harmful interference for each individual unlicensed device were low, the overall impact would still be enormous due to the very high number of potentially interfering devices (nearly a billion) and the crucial nature of the components of the Nation’s infrastructure that rely on those licensed uses,” AT&T said. "Absent AFC protections, interference from these devices could not be stopped, nor could so many devices be retrieved once released into the wild.” Sony Electronics said the FCC shouldn’t require AFC in an RF environment that contains both “managed” and “unmanaged” access points. It's "difficult for an AFC system to identify the precise source of any harmful interference in a scenario where both managed and unmanaged access points operate on the same frequency channel,” Sony said. Model rules on those for the 5.15-5.25 GHz band, which “accommodate both outdoor and indoor operation, while imposing additional requirements on outdoor deployments to protect licensed services,” Sony said. Tech companies said power levels for very-low-power (VLP) devices are critical. “A Commission decision to establish a maximum power level of less than 14 dBm for a 160-megahertz channel would render VLP devices unreliable based on our examination of body loss and battery drain in typical usage scenarios,” said Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft and Qualcomm. Broadcom, Cisco, HPE, Intel, Qualcomm and Ruckus Networks separately commented on power levels to protect the 5.9 GHz band. “The Commission should adopt its proposal to limit emissions from fixed 6 GHz ... devices below 5925 MHz and above 7125 MHz to -27 dBm/MHz, provided that compliance is verified using the same assumptions as those included in this record,” they said. “The -27 dBm/MHz average emissions limit for fixed devices will protect licensed operations in the bands immediately below and above the 6 GHz unlicensed band.” Verizon told Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr the FCC should consider licensing part of the band, as urged by CTIA.

FCC interaction with constituents is changing in the face of the pandemic, with ex parte meetings down in recent weeks, according to our analysis of more than 400 electronic comment filing system filings. Agency officials said stakeholders presumably are reluctant to set up meetings on non-pressing matters, and commissioners' Tuesday meeting agenda lacks major items. That could change in April with the 6 GHz order expected (see 2003270032), one agency official said. The regulator said aides in Chairman Ajit Pai's office don't seem less busy.

Lobbying continues on the 6 GHz item expected to get a commissioner vote in April (see 2003190051). The 5G Automotive Association said rules must protect cellular vehicle to everything in the upper 5.9 GHz band. “The modest safeguards 5GAA requests are necessary -- particularly at this point in time, when the full uses of portable unlicensed [very low power] operations in the 6 GHz band remain largely unknown,” the group said. Filings were posted Thursday in docket 18-295. CableLabs, Charter and Comcast told Office of Engineering and Technology staff low-power indoor operations across the entire band “at an 8 dBm/MHz radiated power spectral density (PSD) will unleash unparalleled innovation with the deployment of Wi-Fi 6 and future generations such as Wi-Fi 7, which will bring multi-gigabit, high compute connectivity, and support the continued expansion of broadband performance for Americans in communities of all sizes.” CTIA and member companies argued (see 2003050058) for exploring licensed use of the upper part of the spectrum, in a call with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, plus Wireless Bureau and OET staff. The U.S. “needs to double its licensed mid-band spectrum to keep up with leading nations,” CTIA said. Qualcomm said the rules must be technology neutral. Without a rule ensuring equal access “asynchronous nodes can starve synchronous nodes, particularly in dense environments where this new unlicensed band is needed most, and thus curtail the demonstrated performance benefits of synchronous access, including greatly improved throughput and latency,” the company said.

Pacific Gas and Electric warned of risks from sharing 6 GHz with unlicensed devices, echoing and amplifying "concerns by other utilities regarding the significant harm that interference to utility 6 GHz microwave links would have,” said a PG&E filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. With a vote possible in April (see 2003190051), others also weighed in. Apple, Broadcom, Facebook and Google spoke with FCC staff about the “importance of authorizing a very-low-power unlicensed device class in the 6 GHz band.” Broadcom reported on a call with a staffer from the Office of Engineering and Technology on “appropriate measurement techniques” for out-of-band emissions: “Ensure that its 6 GHz technical rules do not inadvertently inhibit home networking by applying client-device power restrictions to devices that would comply with the indoor-only restrictions.” CTIA said the FCC should consider licensed use of part of the band, in a call with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly.

Tech companies told the FCC listen-before-talk features of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices will protect electronic newsgathering operations in the 6 GHz band. “Wi-Fi does not transmit if it detects energy above a specified ‘energy detection’ threshold,” said a filing posted Monday in 18-295. “If it detects the presence of such a signal, or after transmitting itself, it will then wait a random period of time before attempting to transmit again, minimizing the odds that multiple transmitters will begin transmitting” simultaneously. Traffic is also “regulated to ensure that no single device transmits continuously for more than a few milliseconds,” the companies said. The filing was by Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google and other companies advocating the FCC allow sharing in the spectrum, and responded to NAB. SiriusXM Radio reported on a call with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai on its 6 GHz concerns (see 2003180044).

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America and others asked to extend the April 6 deadline to comment on proposed changes to rules for the 5.9 GHz band. ITS America cited the “unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” in a filing posted Monday in docket 19-138. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sought a 90-day delay. “State Departments of Transportation are on the front lines trying to maintain current operations of the transportation system as well as respond to nearly hourly and daily requests from Governor’s and other leaders needs for changes and exemptions to current regulations,” the group said. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation supported AASHTO's request.