BALTIMORE -- The T band remains a big concern for some APCO members, based on questions at an FCC session Tuesday at the group's annual meeting. Commission officials didn’t focus on the band during a presentation, but almost all the questions afterwards were on the topic. “I didn’t know it would be the first question, but I did know it would be one of the questions,” joked Public Safety Bureau Deputy Chief David Furth, who led the session.

AT&T Services filed at the FCC a recent study by the Electronic Communications Committee of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations that it said has implications for the 6 GHz band. The report “examines the co-existence of RLAN [radio local access network] systems with, among other things, Fixed Service microwave point-to-point links operating in the precise band where RLAN operations have been proposed in this docket,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. AT&T said the report “includes a Minimum Coupling Loss 3 analysis that is far more comprehensive and rigorous than RKF Report submitted in this docket previously, finds that significant separation distances are required for RLANs, regardless of the morphology of the analyzed area and under varying indoor/outdoor and power conditions.” The report “underscores the need to adopt automated frequency coordination (AFC) system requirements for all devices -- if any -- introduced into any portion of the 6 GHz band,” the filing said. Major tech players argued part of the band can safely support unlicensed operations without the need for AFC (see 1906260055).

One of the bands NTIA seeks more information on from other agencies is a relative mystery band, 7125-8400 MHz, which has gotten little previous attention. It's among those mentioned in the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act, which seeks to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for auction (see 1802070054). The band is directly north of spectrum the FCC is already looking at for unlicensed use, the 6 GHz band.

A group of tech company executives met with aides to all the FCC commissioners on the 6 GHz band, urging the agency to authorize use of the band indoors without automated frequency control (AFC). The issue figured large when the FCC took comment earlier this year (see 1903180047). “We expressed support for the NPRM’s framework, its recognition of the need for additional unlicensed frequencies, and the importance of FCC rules implementing a framework that would support intensive use of the band,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-183. “We explained that authorization of low-power, indoor-only devices throughout the band is critical to this goal as AFC control may be incompatible with a number of important use cases and device price points.” The companies also said the FCC should allow very-low-power devices “at power levels 160 times lower than today’s Wi-Fi -- to enable important short-range, portable applications.” Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft and Qualcomm had representatives at the meetings.

Parties in proposed reallocation of some C band for 5G said each of their plans is the only one that makes sense, in docket 18-122 comments posted Friday. The Wireless and International bureaus and offices of Engineering and Technology and of Economics and Analytics said in a public notice Friday they were seeking comment on the band-clearing plans put forward by AT&T; America's Communications Association, the CCA and Charter Communications; and the Wireless ISP Association, Google and Microsoft. Comments are due Aug. 7 and replies Aug. 14.

Top officials at major energy associations asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry to hold a public meeting on the 6 GHz band and concerns it will be reallocated for unlicensed use. Last month, utilities brought their complaints to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see 1907010064). Despite “recognition from DOE, the White House, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security, the FCC is proposing a rule which, if adopted as currently drafted, would likely cause significant reliability concerns along the energy and water infrastructure in the U.S.,” the letter said. “Many of our individual members could be forced to rebuild parts of their infrastructure over a multi-year process because of the risk and uncertainty.” The American Public Power Association, American Water Works Association, Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Nuclear Energy Institute and Utilities Technology Council signed. DOE didn’t comment Thursday.

Debate over the best plan for clearing spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C-band is expected to be the big draw for stakeholders during the House Communications Subcommittee's Tuesday hearing on spectrum policy issues. It won't be the only focus. Six other bands are known to be on subcommittee members' radar amid ongoing Capitol Hill interest in U.S. strategy for taking a lead role in 5G development, lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. The panel is set to start at 10:30 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn (see 1907100069).

Apple, Broadcom and other tech companies presented a new study on interference risks in the 6 GHz band, from low-power indoor (LPI) unlicensed devices. They see it as a key band for Wi-Fi (see 1903190050). The companies presented an interference protection analysis of fixed service (FS) links used by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, a top U.S. public power company. "Potential interference from unlicensed LPI operations to any LADWP FS link is extremely unlikely even when an unlicensed device is operating within direct line of sight of a licensed FS link,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-183. Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Marvell Technology, Qualcomm and Ruckus also attended.

Electric utilities asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to use its influence to urge the FCC to go slow on opening the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, which was controversial when the FCC took comment this year in docket 18-295 (see 1903180047). Utilities warned FERC of their concerns during a technical conference last week. Energy industry officials said this was the first time the regulator made communications a separate part of that conference. Wi-Fi advocates see the 6 GHz band as critical to meeting the growing demand for unlicensed spectrum (see 1906250015).

The 6 GHz, citizens broadband radio service and C bands got much of the attention at the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit Thursday. Another hot topic was CBRS-like sharing beyond the 3.5 GHz band. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly touched on all three bands during his keynote speech (see 1906270026).