The FCC unanimously approved a public notice seeking to refresh the record on improving how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders (see 2206060052), as expected. Commissioners at Wednesday's meeting also agreed to propose a $34,000 fine against an Idaho man for allegedly interfering with emergency communications as firefighters took on a wildfire, the largest fine of its kind, officials said.

The Wi-Fi Alliance urged the FCC to ignore requests to go slow and start approving automated frequency control operators for the 6 GHz band. “As recent ex parte letters to the Commission reveal, parties that have unsuccessfully challenged expanded use of the 6 GHz band in the past have not relented,” the alliance said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-352: “Now, they wish to slow or stop even the grant of conditional authorizations to further test AFC systems. The Commission must reject these groundless efforts and allow the AFC authorization process to proceed.”

APCO said questions remain as the FCC considers applications to become automated frequency coordination (AFC) system operators in the 6 GHz band (see 2112220070), in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “The AFC system proposals and supplemental filings have exposed gaps and inconsistencies that need to be addressed,” APCO said. The group noted the Office of Engineering and Technology sought supplemental information from each applicant: “Even with the supplemental filings, critical issues remain unresolved, several of which have direct impacts on the ability of the AFC systems to prevent and eliminate harmful interference to licensed users. ... One of the most troubling issues that has been raised in the record is that applicants intend to adopt AFC parameters with significantly different likelihoods of causing interference to licensed microwave links.”

Reserve a "limited amount" of 55 MHz spectrum "for exclusive use by licensed mobile operations," said the NAB regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's remand of part of the FCC's 2020 6 GHz order (see 2204250031). NAB said in comments posted Thursday in docket 18-295 that the FCC had "no basis" to conclude its rules "can adequately protect licensed mobile operations." The commission should "reserve the 7070-7125 MHz portion of the 6 GHz band" because it's the "only proposal in the record that will protect licensed [electronic news-gathering] operations," NAB said. Use of a contention-based protocol has "demonstrably failed to protect broadcast ENG operations in the 2.4 GHz band," NAB said. There's "no technical basis for concluding that any CBP could plausibly protect itinerant ENG operations." Other commenters disagreed. NAB’s concerns are "vague and unsupported," said NCTA: It "provided no credible evidence of actual harmful interference from unlicensed 2.4 GHz devices to mobile indoor operations, nor has it shown that a contention-based protocol could not prevent the alleged harmful interference from occurring." NAB has "significantly misconstrued and misrepresented interference to ENG operations in the 2.4 GHz band," said Public Knowledge and New America's Open Technology Institute in joint comments: The "lack of evidence ... provides the commission with ample explanation for dismissing NAB's concerns." The court "broadly rejected challenges by NAB and others" to the order, and the FCC should "reject any argument for modification," said Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Meta, Microsoft and Qualcomm in joint comments. The record didn't show that NAB’s "underlying assertion was, or is, accurate," said the Wi-Fi Alliance, saying there's "no connection" between ENG devices operating at the 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz bands. Don't create "any spectrum carveout based on the evidence offered to support such a carveout," said ACT | The App Association.

Representatives of Amazon's Kuiper urged FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and the regular commissioners to allow increased power levels and very-low-power device use in the 6 GHz band, per a series of docket 21-456 ex parte filings Wednesday. Amazon discussed how it was using the band for home network connectivity and its support for the FCC allowing downlinks in the 17 GHz band from non-geostationary orbit fixed service satellite systems.

Tech company representatives met virtually with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology to discuss a path to the certification of standard-power devices operating in the 6 GHz Band, with an approved automated frequency coordination operator. “Industry is excited about 6 GHz Standard Power (SP) operations,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295: “Along with discussions on the certification of AFC systems, we are working on SP device certification requirements.” Representatives of Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Intel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Qualcomm were on the call. Verizon, meanwhile, wants further investigation before AFC applications are approved in the band. “Sharing in 6 GHz will only be effective with meaningful” AFC, it said, noting it earlier raised concerns. “We appreciate that OET has since requested supplemental information from the AFC applicants, including inquiry on issues that Verizon identified,” Verizon said: AFC proposals “continue to have gaps that need to be addressed before AFC operations commence, and we strongly urge OET to develop a robust testing regime that will ensure any authorized AFC systems will adequately protect incumbent operators in the band.”

Supporters of a proposal to reallocate the 12 GHz band for 5G think the proposal will likely move forward in coming months, buoyed by responses by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr to members of Congress last week, as a follow-up to the recent House hearing. Meanwhile, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen offered a candid assessment of the future of DBS spectrum in a presentation to analysts.

APCO urged the FCC to proceed cautiously in granting requests for special temporary authority for experimental operations in the 6 GHz band, in a call with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff. “Given the risk of interference from unlicensed devices operating on the same channels licensed for public safety microwave links, these applications must be carefully evaluated,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. “While real-world testing was not conducted prior to adoption of the 6 GHz Order, subsequent testing has confirmed the potential for interference and demonstrated that fundamental assumptions in the Order were incorrect,” APCO said. How and where devices are used “is important for evaluating the risk of interference and should therefore be noted in the applications,” APCO said: “The types, numbers, and locations of user devices should also be specified.”

The aviation safety concerns the FAA and airlines voiced about top U.S. wireless carriers’ use of 5G on the C band “won’t be completely resolved by this summer,” though ongoing “dialogue and collaboration” between all parties means “we’re on a better path” now, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a Thursday Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee hearing. Buttigieg’s assessment of the current situation kicked off a new case of heartburn among some communications sector stakeholders.

The ITU has switched to mostly in-person meetings for its study groups and working sessions as final preparations are underway for the World Radiocommunications Conference next year, said Mario Maniewicz, director of the ITU-Radiocommunications Bureau, at the Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference Tuesday. The conference itself was hybrid, with some speakers participating live in Bangkok and others, like Maniewicz, participating virtually.