FCC action on the 5.9 GHz band appears unlikely until at least November. The Department of Transportation appears to be digging in to defend the use of the band for safety alone, opposing sharing with Wi-Fi. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the Wi-Fi World Congress in May the commission would soon take another look at the spectrum (see 1905140050). Pai was expected to circulate a Further NPRM that month but pulled it after Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao objected (see 1906180072). The band is for dedicated short-range communications.

The FCC needs to move forward on its stalled look at the 5.9 GHz band, a Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) event was told Tuesday. Chairman Ajit Pai was expected to circulate a Further NPRM on the band in May, but pulled it after Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao objected (see 1906180072). Among the options is sharing with Wi-Fi.

DOD and other federal officials assured an NTIA spectrum symposium Tuesday the paradigm is changing and they're willing to share. Questions occurred repeatedly over the future of some bands, especially 5.9 GHz, now allocated to automotive safety, and the 6 GHz band, a top target for sharing with Wi-Fi.

FCC work on 6 GHz has hit an apparent bottleneck at the Office of Engineering and Technology, which is working through the engineering analysis of potential threats to incumbent users by radio local access networks (RLAN), said industry officials on both sides. Sharing with Wi-Fi has broad support at the commission, but OET has lots on its plate so a final order could take time, officials said. Meanwhile, the first Wi-Fi 6 devices are hitting stores. The band is considered the most promising to provide broad channels for a new generation of Wi-Fi.

Amazon encouraged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to open the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use. The FCC took comment earlier this year and saw lots of opposition to sharing with unlicensed (see 1902250054). “The availability of unlicensed spectrum is of great interest to Amazon and our customers,” Amazon said Friday in docket 18-295. “Access to unlicensed spectrum is essential for the creation and growth of groundbreaking consumer‐oriented technologies.”

Eutelsat's no longer being allied with the C-Band Alliance (CBA) (see 1909030041) hurts its band-clearing plan before the FCC, though it remains to be seen how much, experts told us. The key is why Eutelsat left and what it does now. Chairman Ajit Pai’s office and Eutelsat didn’t comment.

The full 1200 MHz of the 6 GHz band should be opened to unlicensed use, though coexistence between indoor low-power Wi-Fi and indoor broadcast auxiliary services and low-power auxiliary stations needs to be worked out, NCTA, Charter, Comcast and Cox representatives told an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, per a docket 18-295 posting Monday. Cablers said low-power indoor use of the 6 GHz sub-bands doesn't require automated frequency coordination (AFC). They seek light-touch AFC rules focused on protecting incumbents, and not requiring staged AFC deployment, specifying funding means or deciding if AFC should be centralized or decentralized. On C-band clearing and protecting uplink operations there, the industry discussed an antenna restriction for outdoor access points akin to what the agency adopted for the U-NII-1 band to limit aggregate noise at C-band uplink receivers. The cable reps opposed a cap on aggregate interference.

After years of work, the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band appears ready to open for business, as early as next month, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told us. O’Rielly predicted an FCC decision soon on the C band, and said the agency may not need to review CBS' buy of Viacom. O’Rielly insisted relations have improved among commissioners.

The FCC published its procedures for the 37, 39, 47 GHz auction, which is to start Dec. 10 (see 1904120065), in the Federal Register Tuesday. Applications to participate must be submitted by 6 p.m. EDT Sept. 9, the notice said: Upfront payments are due Oct. 22.

EU studies demonstrate “Wi-Fi can share the 6 GHz band without causing harmful interference to fixed and satellite operations,” said Broadcom and Qualcomm representatives in a meeting with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff. European regulators have started to draft “harmonized regulations that will enable” unlicensed use of the 5925-6425 MHz band, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-183. “Europe’s experience and the conservative assumptions that they used should give U.S. regulators confidence in opening the 6 GHz band to indoor low power unlicensed operations." Tech players see the band, under examination at the FCC, as critical to Wi-Fi's future (see 1906260055).