The FCC should set a USF budget of about $11 billion to impose fiscal discipline, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute. He said at least 200 or 300 MHz of spectrum should be made commercially available within the 3.7-4.2 GHz band, and wants an associated NPRM this summer to examine reallocating 6 GHz band spectrum for unlicensed services. He also expects the regulator to begin a rulemaking this summer on creating more flexible broadcast children's TV rules, believes the agency will soon address its process for transactions affected by "Team Telecom" reviews (see 1804190059), and wants more process reforms in general. His speech tracked written remarks and was followed by Q&A (video here). A commission spokesman declined comment.

The FCC will consider FM translator interference and mid-band spectrum for 5G, with a focus on the 2.5 GHz band, at its May 10 commissioners’ meeting, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday. The agency also will vote on a media modernization proposal to eliminate requirements that broadcasters physically display their licenses, plus a hearing designation order and enforcement item that will remain confidential until the meeting. Pai noted it's the first meeting since 2009 lacking Mignon Clyburn, leaving as commissioner before then (see 1804170056) and 1804180071).

The FCC approved a public notice on the first auctions of millimeter-wave spectrum for 5G. The Tuesday vote was 5-0, though Commissioner Mignon Clyburn concurred, at what she later said is her last meeting, because of her concern the notice should ask additional questions (see 1804170021). A day earlier, CTIA said the U.S. is falling behind China in the race to the next generation of wireless (see 1804160056). U.S. carriers have been focused on high frequency bands in their initial rollouts of 5G with tests underway and commercial launches expected later this year.

Officials from Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft and Qualcomm discussed the 6 GHz band with aides to the five FCC commissioners. The companies said they addressed questions about a January study by RKF Engineering Solutions, which said the band can be shared with no downside (see 1801260043). “Further analysis reconfirms the RKF study’s conclusion: the band can support sharing without risking harmful interference to incumbents,” said a filing in docket 17-183 about last week's meeting.

The Wi-Fi Alliance urged the FCC to move quickly on opening the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, in a meeting with Chief Julius Knapp and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology. “Limited availability of unlicensed mid-band spectrum undermines the potential of Wi-Fi technology to deliver ubiquitous broadband connectivity,” said a filing Thursday in docket 17-183. “The next generation of Wi-Fi, based on IEEE standard 802.11ax, is optimized to support high data throughput applications in wider channels (i.e., 80 megahertz and 160 megahertz), and therefore requires access to contiguous spectrum segments.” The alliance said the band is “ideally suited for rapid deployment of Wi-Fi technologies because it is adjacent to spectrum in the 5 GHz band that is designated for unlicensed use.”

Representatives of the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition met with FCC staff on the importance of the 6 GHz band to coalition members. An accompanying presentation said, “6 GHz is the only band available for links that must span tens of miles.” The group stressed high fade margin, which it said is expensive but critical. “Fade margin is reserve power that allows communication to continue through fades,” FWCC said in docket 17-183. “Higher-reliability links require greater fade margin. Even a brief outage to one link can be catastrophic: all networked links in a system go down for several minutes while the system resynchronizes.”

APCO said it remains concerned about an FCC proposal to open the 5.925-6.425 and 6.425-7.125 GHz bands to unlicensed and new fixed/mobile uses. The band was one of those on which the FCC sought comment last summer in its mid-band spectrum notice of inquiry (see 1708030052). “The GHz band is heavily used and relied upon for fixed point-to-point microwave links essential to public safety services, including backhaul for mission critical land mobile radio systems that support dispatch and tactical communications,” APCO said in a filing in docket 17-183. “Furthermore, public safety has no other viable spectrum options to support these essential services. To avoid negatively impacting public safety communications, the Commission should consider bands other than 6 GHz to achieve its flexible spectrum use goals.” APCO raised particular concerns about a report by RKF Engineering Solutions, filed by tech companies in January, which said the band can be opened without harmful interference to incumbents (see 1801260043). Nokia also disputed the RKF analysis. "Such flawed analysis should not be used as the basis for analyzing potential coexistence of unlicensed mobile operations with the Fixed Service in the 6 GHz band," Nokia told the FCC.

Ericsson said the FCC should release an NPRM soon on the future use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band. An NPRM is widely seen as likely this summer or earlier (see 1803020042). Ericsson said the FCC shouldn’t wait. “This band is of vital importance in fulfilling the goal of ensuring that adequate low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum is available for licensed, mobile terrestrial uses with a focus on 5G,” the company said in a filing in docket 17-183. “An extensive record that began with the publication of the Notice of Inquiry continues to develop, demonstrating interest in this band.” Last summer, the Broadband Access Coalition (BAC) asked the agency to allow fixed wireless use of the band (see 1708080050). A rival plan by Intel and others supports licensed use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band and unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band. Intel also proposed a plan with Intelsat for clearing the 3.7 GHz band (see 1710020047). “Because the issues have coalesced around a few central themes, Ericsson urges the Commission to move forward with an NPRM to seek more granular comment on critical matters,” Ericsson said. “We ask that the upcoming NPRM state anticipated clearing targets in order to provide some certainty and also guide the discussion on the various approaches to making the spectrum available.” Meanwhile, representatives of BAC and Google said they met with FCC staff on the importance of moving forward on the band.

Amazon executives said they met with Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel at the Mobile World Congress to talk spectrum. Amazon discussed “how additional spectrum resources, especially in the 3.5 GHz and 6 GHz bands, can benefit consumers by making more spectrum available for unlicensed and shared uses,” said a filing in docket 14-177. “The Amazon representatives commended the Commission for maintaining unlicensed use in the 64-71 GHz band and for examining bands above 95 GHz. Lastly, the parties urged the Commission to move forward on its spectrum agenda.”

The 3.7-4.2 GHz band is emerging as one of the next big spectrum focuses of the FCC, with an NPRM likely this summer or before, officials said, but exactly what Chairman Ajit Pai will propose remains to be seen. Last summer, the Broadband Access Coalition (BAC) asked the agency to allow fixed wireless use of the band (see 1708080050), while protecting fixed satellite service incumbents. A rival plan by Intel and others backs licensed use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band and unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band. Intel also proposed a plan with Intelsat for clearing the 3.7 GHz spectrum (see 1710020047).