FCC interaction with constituents is changing in the face of the pandemic, with ex parte meetings down in recent weeks, according to our analysis of more than 400 electronic comment filing system filings. Agency officials said stakeholders presumably are reluctant to set up meetings on non-pressing matters, and commissioners' Tuesday meeting agenda lacks major items. That could change in April with the 6 GHz order expected (see 2003270032), one agency official said. The regulator said aides in Chairman Ajit Pai's office don't seem less busy.

Lobbying continues on the 6 GHz item expected to get a commissioner vote in April (see 2003190051). The 5G Automotive Association said rules must protect cellular vehicle to everything in the upper 5.9 GHz band. “The modest safeguards 5GAA requests are necessary -- particularly at this point in time, when the full uses of portable unlicensed [very low power] operations in the 6 GHz band remain largely unknown,” the group said. Filings were posted Thursday in docket 18-295. CableLabs, Charter and Comcast told Office of Engineering and Technology staff low-power indoor operations across the entire band “at an 8 dBm/MHz radiated power spectral density (PSD) will unleash unparalleled innovation with the deployment of Wi-Fi 6 and future generations such as Wi-Fi 7, which will bring multi-gigabit, high compute connectivity, and support the continued expansion of broadband performance for Americans in communities of all sizes.” CTIA and member companies argued (see 2003050058) for exploring licensed use of the upper part of the spectrum, in a call with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, plus Wireless Bureau and OET staff. The U.S. “needs to double its licensed mid-band spectrum to keep up with leading nations,” CTIA said. Qualcomm said the rules must be technology neutral. Without a rule ensuring equal access “asynchronous nodes can starve synchronous nodes, particularly in dense environments where this new unlicensed band is needed most, and thus curtail the demonstrated performance benefits of synchronous access, including greatly improved throughput and latency,” the company said.

Pacific Gas and Electric warned of risks from sharing 6 GHz with unlicensed devices, echoing and amplifying "concerns by other utilities regarding the significant harm that interference to utility 6 GHz microwave links would have,” said a PG&E filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. With a vote possible in April (see 2003190051), others also weighed in. Apple, Broadcom, Facebook and Google spoke with FCC staff about the “importance of authorizing a very-low-power unlicensed device class in the 6 GHz band.” Broadcom reported on a call with a staffer from the Office of Engineering and Technology on “appropriate measurement techniques” for out-of-band emissions: “Ensure that its 6 GHz technical rules do not inadvertently inhibit home networking by applying client-device power restrictions to devices that would comply with the indoor-only restrictions.” CTIA said the FCC should consider licensed use of part of the band, in a call with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly.

Tech companies told the FCC listen-before-talk features of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed devices will protect electronic newsgathering operations in the 6 GHz band. “Wi-Fi does not transmit if it detects energy above a specified ‘energy detection’ threshold,” said a filing posted Monday in 18-295. “If it detects the presence of such a signal, or after transmitting itself, it will then wait a random period of time before attempting to transmit again, minimizing the odds that multiple transmitters will begin transmitting” simultaneously. Traffic is also “regulated to ensure that no single device transmits continuously for more than a few milliseconds,” the companies said. The filing was by Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google and other companies advocating the FCC allow sharing in the spectrum, and responded to NAB. SiriusXM Radio reported on a call with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai on its 6 GHz concerns (see 2003180044).

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America and others asked to extend the April 6 deadline to comment on proposed changes to rules for the 5.9 GHz band. ITS America cited the “unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” in a filing posted Monday in docket 19-138. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sought a 90-day delay. “State Departments of Transportation are on the front lines trying to maintain current operations of the transportation system as well as respond to nearly hourly and daily requests from Governor’s and other leaders needs for changes and exemptions to current regulations,” the group said. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation supported AASHTO's request.

Automated frequency coordination (AFC) in the 6 GHz band doesn’t need to be complex to be effective, tech companies told the FCC. Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm and Ruckus signed a letter, posted Friday in docket 18-295. The companies argue AFC should be reserved for standard-power devices operating indoors and outdoors. “Unnecessarily burdensome AFC requirements could greatly increase the cost of AFC implementations, delaying the availability of AFC-controlled devices, limiting innovation, and driving up costs for consumers,” the companies said: “Our companies strongly support the Commission’s long history of light-touch, technology-neutral and innovation-friendly decision-making, especially with respect to unlicensed operations.” Rules should be targeted and concise and “emphasize security and robust interference protection," they said.

The COVID-19 pandemic comes as Ajit Pai enters what is likely to be the homestretch of his time as FCC chairman. Pai has sketched out an ambitious agenda for the rest of 2020, but no one knows how long the pandemic will last. Industry officials agree it will likely slow work on at least some items due to refocusing on coronavirus-related orders. The crisis offers Pai a chance to write a new legacy, they said.

Technology-neutral regulation is critical to efficient use of the 6 GHz band, Qualcomm officials said in calls with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Chief Technology Officer Monisha Ghosh, and Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “Licensed spectrum deployments rely on time synchronization to support advanced techniques for efficient spectrum use, and, in unlicensed spectrum, time synchronized access is a key enabler to supporting advanced techniques that use coordinated, highly flexible, spatial sharing to provide more predictable access, and thus, improved throughput and latency,” Qualcomm said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295: Under their proposed rule, “time-synchronized access does not disadvantage any user, including those using devices employing asynchronous access.”

Tech companies said very-low-power devices, which don’t require automatic frequency control, are critical as the FCC looks at Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band. VLP devices can be used for augmented- and virtual-reality, headphones, game controllers, keyboards, hearing aids and other applications, said Apple, Broadcom, Facebook and Google in a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. “The VLP device class would ensure that the 6 GHz band supports a class of technologies that our companies see as central to the next generation of wireless innovation -- personal area networks,” the companies said: “Not only are higher powers unnecessary for these devices, they are counterproductive because personal area devices are smaller and battery-driven, requiring extreme energy efficiency.” The four and other companies, including Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Qualcomm, proposed “a simple rule to identify a class of fixed client devices for certification purposes” in a second filing. CTA spoke with aides to Pai about the band: “CTA has a keen interest in ensuring the availability of spectrum needed to enable the widespread adoption of connected devices and services.”

In a key early test of the FCC’s ability to wrap up big items in a coronavirus world, commissioners are expected to vote in April to allow Wi-Fi to share the 6 GHz band (see 2003050058). The Office of Engineering and Technology hadn’t completed work on the order before FCC staff was ordered to telework last week, but most industry and FCC officials said they still expect the order to be ready for a vote at the April 23 meeting, though questions remain difficult.