Federated Wireless demonstrated a fully functional automated frequency coordinator (AFC) prototype for unlicensed services in the citizens broadband radio service band "while ensuring protection of existing services,” said Chief Technology Officer Kurt Schaubach and others in FCC meetings. An AFC can “enable new unlicensed services in the 6 GHz band as quickly as possible.” Federated discussed “potential coexistence issues at the C-Band/CBRS band edge, and the opportunity to leverage automated spectrum access tools to accelerate deployment of new terrestrial broadband services in the C-Band,” said a filing in docket 17-258, posted Friday. Federated met aides to Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel and Wireless Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology staff, it reported. "Industry has coalesced around the need for an AFC for a wide variety of use cases.”

A letter from President Donald Trump to ITU helped rather than complicated U.S. outreach at the 2019 World Radicommunication Conference, Grace Koh, U.S. ambassador to WRC-19, told reporters Friday. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he was at WRC with a broad focus to advocate for U.S. positions. Also on the call was Douglas Kinkoph, acting NTIA deputy administrator. Friday was day five of the conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

The 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference almost immediately got down to business this week, with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai there. But officials at the WRC, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, said a letter that President Donald Trump sent Monday (see 1910280054) likely raised question. This is considered potentially the most important WRC because of its focus on 5G and harmonizing bands.

The U.S. should push to open the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and oppose efforts at the World Radiocommunication Conference to study it for other use, high-tech players said in a letter posted Monday in docket 17-183. They asked the FCC "to remain steadfast to the goal of opening the 6 GHz band to unlicensed use and to consistently work toward this goal with respect to both its domestic and international agendas. ... Our companies, all headquartered in the U.S., are pushing hard to preserve the nation’s technological leadership. The U.S. is the world leader in unlicensed technologies, and specifically in Wi-Fi.” Some want ITU to evaluate the band for international mobile telecom use. “A technology is recognized as IMT through a formal, lengthy ITU process,” the companies said: “As part of the U.S. Delegation to the WRC, the FCC should oppose including 6 GHz in an IMT study.” Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft and Ruckus Networks signed. Intel officials urged use of the band for Wi-Fi in meetings with all commissioners, except Geoffrey Starks. They also met with Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp.

A key goal of the U.S. at the World Radiocommunication Conference should be shoring up its positions on mid-band spectrum, especially the 3.1-3.3 GHz band, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said at the Mobile World Congress. “The Americas region is supporting the study of spectrum from 3.3 GHz to 15.35 GHz, with specific bands to be determined later,” O’Rielly said: “It does not include bands the FCC was seeking, such as 3.1 to 3.3 GHz. That is a mistake and something that can be fixed in Egypt,” site of the conference. The U.S. should guard against anything that would undermine the use of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed, he said. “We have to ensure that unnecessarily restrictive technical protections are not adopted, under the guise of protecting users in adjacent bands, that could hamper 5G operations,” he said in remarks posted Thursday. WRC starts next week. O’Rielly said other federal agencies should speed their look at the 3.1 to 3.55 GHz band. "The federal government users have been told by Congress to study these bands, but this process has been painfully drawn out," he said: "After signaling that they would relinquish the upper portion of the band from 3.45 to 3.55 GHz, the Department of Defense instead, did an unnecessary sharing feasibility study. This is spectrum that should have already been turned over for commercial use."

CTIA supports unlicensed sharing in part of the 6 GHz band, “only with a rigorous interference protection framework that provides for positive control of all unlicensed devices,” the group said in meetings with aides to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. CTIA supports “licensing the upper portion of the 6 GHz band for flexible-use services and relocating incumbent,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. Tuesday, Pai said the band is critical for the future of Wi-Fi, in Q&A with CTIA's chief (see 1910220057).

The FCC sees 6 GHz as critical to the future of Wi-Fi and unlicensed, said Chairman Ajit Pai at the Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles Tuesday. The band will provide “huge 160 MHz channels that could be used for unlicensed innovation, the likes of which we only conceive now,” said Pai, interviewed by CTIA President Meredith Baker. The FCC is looking for “an accommodation” for public safety, business and other users of the band, he said.

Alex Roytblat, Wi-Fi Alliance senior director-regulatory affairs, met FCC officials to urge sharing of the 6 GHz band with Wi-Fi. The group “emphasized that an immediate need for additional spectrum capacity is driven by the ever-greater role Wi-Fi plays in delivering broadband connectivity and that the 6 GHz band remains ideally suited,” said a filing in docket 18-295, posted Thursday: “An overly restrictive regulatory approach of mandating automatic frequency coordination on all 6 GHz uses cases would effectively preclude any unlicensed operations until commercially-viable AFC systems are developed and certified, which may take years.” The band is needed to address “Wi-Fi spectrum congestion” and roll out Wi-Fi 6, the new generation of service, the alliance said. Roytblat met with Chief Julius Knapp and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology, and Aaron Goldberger, aide to Chairman Ajit Pai.

Lead supporters and opponents of Senate Appropriations Committee-backed pro-public 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band auction language (see 1909190079) in the chamber's version of the FY 2020 FCC-FTC budget bill (S-2524) say they're not budging and expect a long fight. The dispute, which began last month, continued Thursday as Senate Appropriations Financial Services Committee Chairman John Kennedy, R-La., and others grilled FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on whether he favors a private auction similar to what the C-Band Alliance proposes. Kennedy and some other lawmakers favor public auction (see 1908230049). Pai is expected to propose a private auction plan for a vote at commissioners' Dec. 12 meeting (see 1910100052).

Ericsson officials encouraged the FCC to quickly make more mid-band spectrum available for mobile broadband, including repurposing the 6.425-7.125 GHz band for flexible-use licensed services, said a filing in docket 18-122, posted Wednesday, on a meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. There's a "need for the U.S. to support studies and possible regulatory action for mid-band spectrum, including band frequencies in the 6 GHz range for mobile use as an agenda item for the World Radio Conference in 2023,” the company said.