The FCC should ignore a push by CTIA for licensed use of part of the 6 GHz band (see 2003120065), NCTA said in a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. “The United States needs more unlicensed spectrum in the near term and cannot afford to delay unlicensed access to half of the 6 GHz band in order to consider an ill-conceived, last minute push by CTIA to auction the upper frequencies,” NCTA said. “Next-generation Wi-Fi technology is here: NCTA’s members have debuted Wi-Fi 6 access points, leading smartphone manufacturers have incorporated the technology, and the market expects a deluge of new Wi-Fi 6 devices in the near term.” CTIA didn't comment.

The CTIA push for licensed use of the 6 GHz band continues. Doug Hyslop, vice president-technology and spectrum planning, blogged Thursday that 6 GHz proponents offer contradictory data to justify the need for sharing the entire band. “Cable, Google and Facebook are demanding all 1200 megahertz in the 6 GHz band for free,” he said: “That is twice the international consensus, and is more than four C-Band auctions worth of spectrum. It’s a lot.” With the FCC expected in April to tackle order on the 6 GHz band, a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council teleconference Thursday heard about cable and other hopes for the spectrum (see 2003120065).

With the FCC expected in April to tackle order on the 6 GHz band, CTIA remains committed to licensed use of part of the band, Jen Oberhausen, director-regulatory affairs, said during a Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council teleconference Thursday. CTIA is fighting what some think is a losing battle to get the FCC to reconsider a plan to open all the spectrum for unlicensed use (see 2003050058).

Federated Wireless extended its spectrum controller platform for use in the 6 GHz band, which the FCC is expected to open for sharing with unlicensed users (see 2003050058). Federated provides similar service for the citizens broadband radio service band. The platform is “in trials … and is expected to be available for commercial use by the end of 2020,” the company said Wednesday.

Broadcom and Intel demoed unlicensed very low-power technology in the 6 GHz band for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr and an aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. The FCC is expected to consider an order on the spectrum in April (see 2003050058). Broadcom said it showed “how 6 GHz devices can help consumers experience the full power of their home internet connections as wireline providers invest to bring them gigabit broadband” and “the importance of the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi 6 and rapidly enabling 5G services.”

Tech companies opposed a request for a 35-mile radius exclusion zone around RigNet's Gulf of Mexico 6 GHz sites (see 1911180046). “RigNet is incorrect that its exclusion proposal would have little cost,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-183: 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.”

House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Mike Quigley, D-Ill., told us he’s eyeing attaching a rider to the subcommittee’s FY 2021 appropriations bill aimed at allocating proceeds from the FCC’s coming auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band. Quigley raised concerns about the FCC’s current C-band auction plan during a Wednesday House Appropriations Financial Services hearing on the commission’s FY 2021 budget request. The C-band plan drew criticism from Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., during that subpanel’s Tuesday FCC budget hearing (see 2003100022).

Center for Democracy & Technology names Alexandra Reeve Givens, from Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law & Policy, president-CEO, effective May 11, succeeding Nuala O’Connor (see this section, Sept. 11) ... Point52 Group started by CBS Washington veteran John Orlando (see this section, Oct. 10), working on regulatory, legislative and crisis management issues ... Oregon Public Utility Commission advances Bryan Conway to utility program director ... Otelco President Richard Clark becomes also CEO and board member, succeeding Robert Souza, retired ... Nexstar promotes Byron Grandy to vice president and general manager-broadcast and digital operations, Denver market ... Entravision announces Bernice Lopez Smith, from R Communications, is senior vice president; and Debbie Flores, ex-KRGV-TV Weslaco, Texas, returns as vice president-integrated marketing ... Facebook appoints Nancy Killefer, ex-McKinsey & Co., and Tracey Travis, Estee Lauder Cos., to board ... GameStop announces Reggie Fils-Aime, ex-Nintendo; Bill Simon, ex-Walmart; and J.K. Symancyk, PetSmart, joining board; ex-CEO Dan DeMatteo; Gerald Szczepanski, ex-Gadzooks; Larry Zilavy, ex-Barnes and Noble; and Steve Koonin, Atlanta Hawks, retiring from board, effective June annual meeting, with Kathy Vrabeck, Korn Ferry, succeeding DeMatteo as chair; and Jerome Davis, ex-Jerome L. Davis & Associates, and Tom Kelly, ex-Nextel, retiring from the board, effective June 2021.

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly hopes for a decision on the reallocation of the 5.9 GHz band this summer, he told us at the Free State Foundation conference Tuesday. Chairman Ajit Pai didn’t speak live but sent a recorded address (see 2003100027). Commissioner Brendan Carr canceled an appearance.

With public and highway safety groups staking out a hard line, it’s unclear when the FCC will act on new rules for the 5.9 GHz band, industry and commission officials said. Commissioners agreed 5-0 in December to examine revised rules for the band, reallocating 45 MHz for Wi-Fi, with 20 MHz reserved for cellular vehicle to everything and possibly 10 MHz for dedicated short-range communications (see 1912180019). Some observers said with the FCC poised to open the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and unlicensed, Chairman Ajit Pai may be less inclined to continue the fight over 5.9 GHz while taking some actions to allow C-V2X. Comments were due at 11:59 p.m. Monday in docket 19-138.