Utilities remain worried about the pending rollout of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed in the 6 GHz band and worry about the difficulty of getting a handle on interference, executives said Monday during a Utilities Technology Council virtual conference. The FCC approved unlicensed use of the band in April with further changes expected (see 2008200040).

NCTA and other Wi-Fi advocates told aides to the three Republican FCC commissioners an “updated and expanded” technical analysis by CableLabs shows the agency can safely make further changes to its 6 GHz rules. “We discussed the importance of authorizing low power indoor unlicensed operations in the band at 8 dBm/MHz power spectral density to ensure that new 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices can efficiently utilize the significant new bandwidth to deliver next-generation multi-gigabit Wi-Fi with the whole-home coverage and throughput Wi-Fi consumers experience and expect today,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295: “We appreciate the Commission’s need to take a conservative approach in unleashing expansive new Wi-Fi bandwidth, given the important incumbents operating in the band, and have completed additional, more comprehensive technical work to respond to its concerns and conclusively show that the Commission can create substantially more value and significantly reduce consumer costs for Wi-Fi without compromising critical incumbent protections.” Representatives of CableLabs, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Enterprises and Midcontinent Communications participated in the calls. The same parties spoke with the aides about the importance of an FCC vote reallocating part of the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi, said a filing in docket 19-138. The spectrum is “key to delivering gigabit Wi-Fi and much-needed unlicensed capacity to American consumers in the very near term,” they said.

The FCC’s May order reallocating a 6 GHz swath of spectrum in 900 MHz for broadband could be a game changer for utilities (see 2005130057), speakers said Wednesday at IWCE. Most are still watching, they said. On another panel, experts said despite the growth of FirstNet many public safety agencies remain committed to land-mobile radio (LMR).

APCO, the Utilities Technology Council, the Edison Electric Institute and other 6 GHz incumbents offered baseline principles for the multistakeholder group that will oversee interference issues in the band, in a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. FCC commissioners approved the 6 GHz order 5-0 in April despite incumbent concerns (see 2004230059). “Even having declined to establish rules on these significant issues, however, the FCC has an important role to play,” the filing said. The group should focus on low-power indoor device testing, in addition to automated frequency coordination (AFC), they said: “The goal should be to prevent interference from occurring, rather than reducing the occurrence of interference to some arbitrary level and remedying instances of interference after the fact through laborious, time-consuming, and expensive methods.” They asked for a focus on “the accuracy of the underlying data and the protocols for AFC, including security protocols.” The multistakeholder group's recommendations “should become binding and enforceable,” the incumbents said. It's activities and decisions “should be transparent and consensus-driven. Meetings should be scheduled in advance and conducted openly with an agenda and minutes that list the participants and describe the issues to be addressed and the decisions that were reached during the meetings.” Others signing included the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

High-tech companies spoke with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff on Wireless Research Center of North Carolina studies on the interference risk posed by body-worn devices. The companies presented “measurements of signal attenuation caused by the human body related to proposed very-low-power device operation in the 6 GHz band and the difference between far-field body loss and on-body link loss measurements,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. The FCC is considering changes to accommodate use of the devices (see 2007280033). Representatives of Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel, NXP Semiconductors and Qualcomm were on the call. The Wi-Fi Alliance sought action in a call with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. “The Commission’s action opening the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operations has strengthened U.S. technological leadership while also prompting other countries to take similar actions,” the alliance said.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment on a waiver request by Tesla to market a sensing device that would operate in the 60-64 GHz band at a higher power than specified in FCC rules. Comments are due Sept. 21, replies Oct. 19, in docket 20-264. “Tesla indicates that its device would be focused on the interior of automotive passenger vehicles for applications such as child safety systems and seatbelt reminders; however, it also states that the device may be able to scan up to 2 meters (6 feet) outside of the vehicle, and that millimeter-wave sensors can provide vehicle security benefits such as detecting a broken window or vehicle intrusion,” OET said Thursday. OET also sought comment on an Infineon Technologies waiver request, with the same deadlines, in docket 20-263, for in-vehicle child safety systems that operate in the 57-64 GHz band at higher power than specified in FCC rules.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is expected to push forward an aggressive agenda on spectrum during the last part of 2020, which could be the end of his tenure as chairman depending on the results of the November election. The FCC will likely take up the 3.45-3.55 GHz NPRM at the Sept. 30 meeting, and 5.9 GHz at the Oct. 27 meeting. A follow-up order on 6 GHz rules would probably follow in November.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology denied requests from APCO and the Edison Electric Institute to stay the 6 GHz band order, said a docket 18-295 order Thursday. “We find that both APCO and EEI have failed to demonstrate that the extraordinary equitable relief of a stay is warranted,” the order said. They didn’t demonstrate that they’re likely to prevail in their legal challenges of the rules or show that a stay wouldn’t harm others, OET said. The new 6 GHz rules will help meet growing, COVID-19-exacerbated demand for broadband and a stay would postpone those benefits, the order said. “Given the expected benefits that will result from deployment by both consumers and businesses of 6 GHz unlicensed devices, and the unlikely, speculative nature of the petitioners’ claims about the alleged dangers, we conclude that petitioners have not established that it would be in the public interest” to stay the new rules, the order said. “OET made the right decision,” said Wireless ISP Association Vice President-Policy Louis Peraertz in a statement. The FCC “made a thorough examination of the 6 GHz proceeding, which was open, diverse and robust, and properly chose not to require [automated frequency coordination] AFC for low power indoor devices or location-accuracy requirements for standard-power access points to define exclusion zones in the band.” APCO and EEI didn’t comment.

The potential departure of FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly may affect work to allocate part of the 3.1-3.55 GHz band for 5G, lawyers and commission officials told us. President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday DOD agreed to hand off a 100 MHz portion of the 3450-3550 MHz band for commercial shared use (see 2008100038). FCC work on the band isn’t as far along as some other frequencies and NTIA is raising concerns (see 2007070062).

President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of renomination of FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly (see 2008030072) is getting considerable scrutiny on Capitol Hill and within the communications industry. Some officials suggested Trump’s action will have repercussions for commission politics and policymaking heading into 2021. O’Rielly’s removal will likely make it very difficult for the Senate to confirm a nominee this year to replace him, given the limited amount of time left on the legislative calendar before this Congress ends, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews through Tuesday.