T-Mobile remains at least two years ahead of its competition on the deployment of spectrum for 5G, CEO Mike Seivert told analysts Wednesday as the carrier announced Q3 results. T-Mobile said it added 850,000 postpaid smartphones in the quarter, with churn of 0.87%. The carrier also announced it now covers 300 million POPs with dedicated mid-band 5G, two months ahead of its target.

The FCC should reject the Electric Power Research Institute's request to extend by 30 days the deadline to file challenges to ongoing public trials of the automated frequency coordination (AFC) systems that will manage access to the 6 GHz band (see 2310180053), the Wi-Fi Alliance said. FCC rules “state that ‘[i]t is the policy of the Commission that extensions of time shall not be routinely granted,’” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-352. “EPRI fails to provide any facts or circumstances that require the Commission to deviate from its policy in this case,” the alliance said: “To the contrary, the Commission routinely denies requests for extension of time when, as here, the requesting party is simply dissatisfied with the amount of time permitted for a required action.”

The FCC approved an order authorizing the use of very-low-power (VLP) devices in 850 MHz of the 6 GHz band 5-0 at the commissioners' open meeting Thursday, as expected (see 2310160050). An accompanying Further NPRM asks about additional changes, including on the rules for low-power indoor (LPI) devices. Commissioner Brendan Carr said the FCC should have gone further and addressed the other major proposal in a 2020 FNPRM. Commissioner Nathan Simington questioned whether the concerns of band incumbents had been adequately addressed.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) asked the FCC to extend by 30 days the deadline to file challenges to ongoing public trials of the automated frequency coordination (AFC) systems that will manage access to the 6 GHz band (see 2308250061). An August order requires that test portals be able to accept challenges for 15 days after the close of a 45-day trial period. EPRI “in collaboration with multiple utilities, other 6 GHz fixed service (FS) system operators, and … FS equipment vendors, has been conducting research for the past three years on the potential for harmful interference from the introduction of unlicensed use into the 6 GHz band,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. EPRI said for a Comsearch trial the end date is Oct. 23 and challenges are due Nov. 7. EPRI said it submitted test vectors to the test portal Sept. 5 and received responses Sept. 8. “EPRI invested significant hours analyzing the responses and is currently preparing challenges to some of the responses” but then on Oct. 11 “received revised responses from Comsearch for the entire set of requests,” the institute said: “For EPRI to provide accurate analysis, we respectfully ask the FCC for more time.”

CTIA and Google officials clashed Tuesday on the future of spectrum sharing and the citizens broadband radio service band, speaking during a Broadband Breakfast webinar on spectrum sharing. Other speakers said CBRS has been a success.

Southern Co. raised concerns about the use of unlicensed very-low-power devices in the 6 GHz band, teed up for an FCC commissioner vote Thursday (see 2310160050), meeting with an aide to Commissioner Anna Gomez. “We discussed how Southern and other utilities use privately-owned and operated communications systems to ensure the efficient, safe, and reliable delivery of essential electric utility services to the public,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. The draft item makes clear the FCC “intends to rely primarily, if not exclusively, on computer models and simulations as the basis for its spectrum management decisions in this and in future proceedings,” the utility said: “Southern agrees that simulations can be effective analytical tools, provided they are transparent, are based on complete and accurate data, and provide consistent and reproducible results.”

Extreme Networks said its petition for a waiver of FCC rules for low-power indoor (LPI) devices for 6 GHz access points (APs), to be installed exclusively in indoor-only sports venues, has broad support in the industry. Other reply comments in docket 23-282 (see 2309180036) said the waiver should be rejected. The FCC will consider an order and Further NPRM Thursday on changes to 6 GHz rules (see 2310160050). “A broad array of stakeholders, representing a substantial majority of all commenters, expressed support for Extreme Networks’ request for a narrow waiver,” the company said. Approving the waiver “will not increase the risk of harmful interference to incumbent operations and will advance the goals” of the FCC’s 6 GHz order by “expanding Wi-Fi connectivity and reliable Wi-Fi-coverage in indoor arenas, which are among the most challenging broadband environments in the country,” Extreme said. AT&T said its concerns remain. Extreme seeks “an expansive waiver” of form-factor LPI devices. AT&T said. The rules were adopted as part of the 6 GHz order “to ensure that LPI devices can't be taken outdoors because the Commission’s interference analysis assumes -- and the protection of primary [fixed service] incumbents thus depends -- on emissions from LPI devices being attenuated by a substantial amount of building entry loss,” the carrier said: “AT&T’s concern -- echoed by other commenters -- is that by circumventing this protection, weatherproofed LPI APs might be operated outdoors.” Other 6 GHz incumbents also opposed the waiver. “The record fails to demonstrate that waiver relief is needed to serve the public interest, but rather is desired to reduce costs to the venues and to leapfrog the FCC’s process for approving standard power APs,” the incumbents said. The waiver would “dramatically increase the number of LPI APs, devices that operate outside the Automated Frequency Coordination process, even before the FCC has addressed multiple Incumbent field studies that have reported interference from LPI APs, and these weatherized devices could end up in the hands of consumers,” they said. The filing was signed by the Utilities Technology Council, the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, APCO and the Enterprise Wireless Alliance. “Because the Extreme Waiver Request fails to meet any of the Commission’s standards for granting a waiver, the request must be denied,” the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition said: “Extreme’s request is a petition for rulemaking masquerading as a waiver request.”

With a vote scheduled for Thursday, FCC commissioners are expected to approve, largely as proposed, a draft order and Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band, though a few tweaks are possible. The Department of Transportation raised concerns last week about the out-of-band emission limits allowed by the FCC for very-low power (VLP) portable devices and mobile access points (see 2310110060). An FNPRM examines increasing the power at which low-power indoor (LPI) access points may operate.

With FCC commissioners set to vote Oct. 19, the Department of Transportation questioned whether the -27 dBm/MHz out-of-band emission limit allowed by the FCC for very-low power portable devices and mobile access points in the 6 GHz band will be harmful to cellular vehicle-to-everything operations in the adjacent 5.9 GHz band. The FCC’s draft order addresses the C-V2X concerns raised by DOT.

Comsearch became the latest to file a report at the FCC on lab tests of its 6 GHz automated frequency coordination system, posted Tuesday in docket 21-352. In August, the Office of Engineering and Technology launched a process for testing AFC systems (see 2308250061) and in 2022 provisionally approved 13 companies to be AFC operators (see 2211030066). “We note the report shows that the Comsearch … system passed all tests,” Comsearch said.