Broadcom and Intel executives gave the first demonstration of the next generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 7, to all four FCC commissioners and staff, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. “Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of wireless technology, and will deliver higher capacity, lower latency, and higher reliability to consumers around the world,” the companies said. “Intel and Broadcom demonstrated links between Broadcom access points and Intel laptops, over an 80-megahertz Wi-Fi 6 channel in the 5 GHz band, a 160-megahertz Wi-Fi 6E channel in the 6 GHz band, and a 320-megahertz Wi-Fi 7 channel in the 6 GHz band,” they said: “The Wi-Fi 7 channel achieved 5 Gbps throughput, an enormous increase over already-fast Wi-Fi 6 technologies. The demonstration also showed that this performance is now a reality between different devices developed by two of the world’s leading technology companies -- confirming that the FCC’s forward-looking 6 GHz decision has already produced a thriving ecosystem.” The officials urged the FCC to do what's needed to allow automated frequency coordination in the 6 GHz band (see 2210170075).

Southern Co. told the FCC it agrees with AT&T arguments on the need for changes to rules for the 6 GHz band, countering arguments by NCTA and CableLabs (see 2209120027). “Southern agrees that the Commission should not provide further flexibility for unlicensed 6 GHz devices without an automated frequency coordination requirement and, despite claims by NCTA/CableLabs to the contrary, agrees that increasing the permitted power level of low power indoor devices poses a substantial harmful interference risk to primary, licensed fixed microwave incumbents,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295.

Verizon took a hit on Wall Street Friday after announcing the loss of 189,000 wireless consumer postpaid phone customers Q3, partially as a result of raising prices. Consumer wireless postpaid churn was 1.1%. Verizon’s share price was down as much as 6% and closed down 4.46% at $35.35. Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis warned that pricing pressure would continue into Q4.

Major tech players met virtually with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to urge FCC action on 6 GHz and the companies’ “plans and preparations for Standard Power Wi-Fi operations” in the band. They discussed the “costs and complexities that Standard Power operations, in conjunction with an Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system, introduces to their companies’ solutions and their customers’ deployments, and that fact that AFC coordination is completely inappropriate for the Low Power Indoor and potential Very Low Power modes of operation in the 6 GHz band,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. The companies also discussed “indoor Standard Power operations and the use of an industry specified Building Entry Loss (BEL) [measure] when applicable." They urged the agency to complete the standard power device updates “to the 6 GHz unlicensed equipment approvals … as soon as possible utilizing the test products that have been developed within the Wi-Fi Alliance.” Companies on the call were Cisco, Extreme Networks, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks.

The FCC appears close to releasing a public notice on testing and public trials prior to certifying automated frequency coordination providers in the 6 GHz band, industry officials said. The PN is reportedly in Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s office, though it could be sent back to the Office of Engineering and Technology for further work. A decision on rules for very-low-power devices in the 6 GHz band appears further off.

A study by utility FirstEnergy said contention-based protocols or low-power-indoor operations aren’t enough to curb interference to fixed-service operations by utilities in the 6 GHz band. “The experimental results confirm an additive interference effect when more than one [device] is simultaneously operating co-channel with the FS system,” the report said: “The study only represented a small sampling of sites and there are anticipated to be hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of future unlicensed Wi-Fi 6E sources of interference along each microwave path.” Researchers studied the effects of two Wi-Fi 6E devices on two microwave paths of an existing, incumbent FS station in central New Jersey. Commissioners approved a Further NPRM 5-0 in April 2020 (see 2004230059) that examines further liberalization of the agency’s 6 GHz rules.

Wi-Fi equipment makers disputed arguments by AT&T that the FCC shouldn’t provide further flexibility for unlicensed 6 GHz devices without a requirement for automated frequency coordination. “There is no time urgency to act on the proposals to raise the LPI [low power indoor] power limit or to authorize VLP [very low-power] operations because it is now apparent that the use cases supporting those proposals can be realized under AFC control,” AT&T said last month (see 2209120027). “AT&T’s assertion is simply incorrect,” said the equipment makers' filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. “There are significant costs to develop, deploy, and operate an AFC-coordinated device,” the companies said: Costs include “geolocation capabilities, additional installation requirements, support for the AFC-to-device protocol interface, changes to radio resource management algorithms to incorporate AFC frequency and power inputs, updates to the user interface to reflect AFC operational aspects, and recurring costs associated with the AFC system. AFC coordination also introduces significant complexity for installation and ongoing operational management.” Cisco, Extreme Networks, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks signed the letter.

The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition opposed Encina Communications’ proposal to use Part 101 frequency coordination procedures as an alternative to automated frequency coordination (AFC) in the 6 GHz band (see 2209060034), in an FCC filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. “Encina’s request now incorrectly suggests its proposal enjoys wide support,” the coalition said: “Encina’s characterization ignores the Commission’s own rejection of Encina’s inclusion zone proposal and opposition to its repetitive Part 101 proposals from licensed and unlicensed 6 GHz stakeholders alike.”

Representatives of the Wi-Fi Alliance met virtually this week with aides to all four FCC commissioners, asking for action on further changes to 6 GHz rules, proposed by the commission in 2020. Final comments have been in since July 2020 (see 2007280033). “We urged the Commission to act on the Further Notice … and rely on its expertise to make a public interest judgment based on the robust record supporting the adoption of final rules for the 6 GHz band,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “Action on the Further Notice will allow the Commission to continue to demonstrate international leadership on the use of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operations and promote use of the band to close the homework gap and bridge the digital divide,” the alliance said.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the FCC should launch a rulemaking on higher power levels for the citizens broadband radio service band, saying that could be helpful to wireless ISPs, in a prerecorded interview with new WISP Association President David Zumwalt. The interview was aired Wednesday at a WISPA meeting in Las Vegas. “It’s worth asking the question, teeing it up,” Carr said. “There are certainly some use cases, particularly in rural communities where upping the power … might allow you from your existing tower site to reach one more home, one more business,” he said of CBRS changes: “At the end of the day, WISPs are so connected to their communities. … WISPs are scrappy. WISPs are getting the job done.” The FCC didn't comment. Carr said the FCC needs to get moving on other spectrum initiative as well, including on client-to-client devices in 6 GHz and the UNII2c band. WISPs are “looking for ways to have some stability in the ability to plan on what kind of spectrum they need to be prepared for, whether it’s licensed or unlicensed, and over what period of time they can roll that out,” Zumwalt said. His members are paying close attention to all the spectrum decisions being made at the FCC, he said. The FCC wants to offer licenses covering smaller geographic areas where possible, Carr said. “Maybe every single auction we might not get right ... but hopefully, over a course of years, we are doing some small geographies, some large geographies, and people are seeing a healthy mix,” he said. WISPA members have continuing concerns about NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and appreciate the questions that have been raised by Carr (see 2207210064), Zumwalt said: “It should have been more technology neutral and inclusive.” Carr said it looked to him like NTIA made “a lot of the right cuts” in the NOFO but “there was some political turning of the dials at the last minute.” Carr agreed about the need to refocus the NOFO. “We love fiber, we want tons of fiber,” he said. “But we need to be open-minded … for last-mile technologies, including fixed wireless,” he said. “We love fiber too,” Zumwalt responded: “But we love fiber in the right place, in the right circumstance.” Carr said insisting on a fiber-only approach means telling people “you need to wait on the wrong side of the digital divide years longer than necessary.” The FCC faces challenges delivering on a broadband map, expected in November, Carr said. “I don’t know that we have to hit a bulls-eye” with the initial map “but we have to at least get it in the strike zone,” he said. Carr said he hopes the FCC doesn’t revisit reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service. “That’s just a backward looking debate,” he said. Title II and possible price controls, “really that’s a 2005 debate,” he said.