Utilities Technology Council President Joy Ditto met with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on the group’s concerns over interference in the 6 GHz band, tied to the mid-band proceeding, and other issues important to electric utilities. “For their wireless networks, utilities need access to additional spectrum to expand capacity and coverage, and they also need protection from interference and congestion in existing spectrum bands,” the group said in a filing in docket 17-183. The 6 GHz band is “home to thousands of fixed microwave systems, which utilities, public safety and other critical infrastructure industries, including railroads use for a variety of mission critical communications that protect the safety of life, health and property.” UTC also said utilities need “sufficient notice from carriers prior to discontinuance or replacement of copper-based wireline networks and services” and to recover the full costs of pole attachments by third-party communications service providers.

FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly welcomed Chairman Ajit Pai's spectrum frontiers plan to issue an order by year's end, and a Pai aide warned of a "potential stumbling block" to 5G auctions. Both spoke to the Americas Spectrum Management Conference Friday. O'Rielly said the agency should auction licensed bands quickly or at least set a schedule. He said millimeter-wave spectrum "of greatest interest to manufacturers and providers" should be prioritized, with industry focused on the 24 and 42 GHz bands. "Considering these bands also makes sense due to the proximity" to already-allocated 28, 37 and 39 GHz bands where providers are conducting trials, he said in remarks. O'Rielly cited benefits of international spectrum harmonization and said the EU and China are among those studying the 24 and 42 GHz bands for 5G use. He said more work is needed on mid-band spectrum for next-generation technologies. He couldn't support proposals for fixed operations at 3.7-4.2 GHz, and labeled as "gibberish" criticisms that proposals to provide industry more certainty contained in a pending draft 3.5 GHz NPRM were "stale ideas." Those ideas ushered in auctions and modern networks that made the U.S. "the leader" in wireless, he said. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Wednesday criticized the 3.5 GHz draft as offering "stale ideas" (see 1710120009). Citing unlicensed mid-band opportunities, O'Rielly said it's time to bring the 5.9 GHz proceeding to a close, and also consider whether dedicated short-range communications are needed. If DSRC isn't needed, the FCC could combine the 5.9 and 6 GHz bands to expand unlicensed operations. Surveying Pai's policies, his adviser Rachael Bender hailed "flexible" spectrum use and detailed FCC efforts in low, mid and high bands as part of his "all-of-the-above approach." She said a hurdle to the 5G push is that bidder upfront payments are required by law to be put in an FCC-designated "interest bearing account of a financial institution," but no private entities want to do that for spectrum auctions because of recent regulatory changes on collateralization and capitalization. "So the commission currently has no way to comply with the law or move forward with a large spectrum auction," she said, noting a legislative fix was included in a draft FCC Reauthorization Act cleared by the House Communications Subcommittee Thursday (see 1710110070).

The FCC’s mid-band notice of inquiry attracted what some saw as a surprising amount of interest last week, with just under 80 substantial comments filed by carriers, cable companies, Wi-Fi advocates, satellite operators, content companies, electric utilities and public safety entities, and the interest groups that represent them. Several industry officials said by opening such a broad inquiry the FCC probably inadvertently raised red flags on some bands that aren't under consideration for 5G. The NOI asks about spectrum 3.7-24 GHz, while targeting three specific bands -- 3.7-4.2, 5.925-6.425 and 6.425-7.125 GHz (see 1708030052).

The Broadband Access Coalition told the FCC that as a first step on mid-band spectrum, it should approve high-throughput, licensed, point-to-multipoint (P2MP) fixed wireless broadband in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band. “These P2MP links can facilitate the rapid deployment of much-needed gigabit and near-gigabit fixed broadband service to rural and other underserved areas,” the group said in docket 17-183. The newly formed coalition made that proposal in a June filing at the FCC (see 1706210044). “Implementing P2MP services can be done rapidly and simply, using existing Part 101 frequency coordination procedures,” the coalition said now. “The Commission can implement rules now for the immediate deployment of P2MP broadband that will not preclude later entry into the band by mobile services.” The coalition said it has nearly 30 members led by Mimosa Networks, the Wireless ISP Association and New America’s Open Technology Institute. Electric utilities opposed opening the 6 GHz band for broadband. It's “heavily used by utilities for mission critical operations,” said the Edison Electric Institute and Utilities Technology Council jointly. The interference mitigation approaches the FCC is considering “would not be effective as a practical matter, particularly in the long term due to increases in the noise floor that would cause interference from the proliferation of unlicensed devices operating in the bands.” CBS, Disney, Scripps Networks Interactive, Time Warner, 21st Century Fox and Viacom said the FCC needs to protect the 6 GHz band. “The Content Companies rely on fixed satellite service transmissions in the C-band to ensure the reliable distribution of compelling programming to more than 100 million American television households,” they said.

Tech companies and Wi-Fi advocates pressed the FCC to open the entire 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, saying it's a key band for the future of Wi-Fi. Wireless carriers were more focused on the 3.7-4.2 GHz band and said the need for more spectrum is real. But public safety groups raised concerns in docket 17-183 about the 6 GHz band (see 1710020058). Commissioners approved a notice of inquiry in August (see 1708030052) and the next logical step would be an NPRM proposing bands for reallocation, industry officials said.

The FCC mid-band spectrum inquiry, asking for advice on bands from 3.7 GHz to 24 GHz that might be suitable for 5G, has run into concerns from public safety groups worried about the 6 GHz band, one of the bands targeted. Commissioners approved 3-0 a mid-band spectrum notice of inquiry Aug. 3 (see 1708030052). The NOI asked about 3.7-4.2, 5.925-6.425 and 6.425-7.125 GHz, but also for suggestions on other suitable spectrum. APCO asked the FCC to move with care, saying the 5.925-6.425 GHz and 6.425-7.125 GHz bands, used for fixed point-to-point microwave links, are essential to public safety agencies. “To avoid negatively impacting public safety communications, APCO urges the Commission to consider bands other than 6 GHz to achieve its flexible spectrum use goals,” the group commented in docket 17-183. “The 6 GHz bands are the most ideal for long haul microwave transmissions for public safety, in some cases throughout entire states. By comparison, higher frequency bands available for public safety use, such as 11 GHz are not as useful given the shorter path lengths and susceptibility to signal attenuation from environmental factors like rain.” The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council said public safety had to move some critical functions to the 6 GHz band now in the agency’s sights. In the early 1990s, the FCC reallocated another critical microwave band, 1.8-2 GHz range “for emerging technology services and required public safety and other critical users to relocate from that band,” NPSTC said. “The 5.925-6.425 GHz band now under consideration for ‘additional flexible use’ is the home to which many of the microwave links were relocated, albeit at increased costs.” The National Academy of Sciences, through its Committee on Radio Frequencies, noted that radio astronomy researchers and others do research on many of the bands being studied for 5G. "As the Commission has long recognized, radio astronomy is a vitally important tool used by scientists to study the universe,” the filing said. “It was through the use of radio astronomy that scientists discovered the first planets outside the solar system, circling a distant pulsar. … Radio astronomy has also enabled the discovery of organic matter and prebiotic molecules outside our solar system, leading to new insights into the potential existence of life elsewhere in our galaxy, the Milky Way.”

The FCC should leave the rules for the 3.5 GHz band largely as they are, said Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld in a meeting with Julius Knapp, chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology. The FCC is expected to rewrite rules for the shared band, especially provisions on the licensed segment (see 1708010058). “The record contains diverse and overwhelming opposition to proposals to change the Priority Access License rules as proposed by T-Mobile and CTIA,” Feld said, according to a filing in docket 12-354. “Billions of dollars in capital are ready to be invested in the 3.5 GHz band under the current rules.” Feld also said the FCC should “quickly finalize its sharing rules” for the 37 GHz band and allocate three 6 MHz TV channels in every market for unlicensed use.

Changes to the 6 GHz license structure should be adopted “only after adequate protections are included to protect existing operations from interference or disruption,” said U.S. Cellular CEO Ken Meyers in a meeting with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. The CEO discussed a wide range of issues with the new commissioner, including rules for the Connect America Fund II and Mobility Fund II. “We stressed our disappointment with the speed tier weightings adopted by the Commission in its prior order and discussed the inherent disadvantages placed on wireless carriers by such a weighting system,” Meyers said. “We also highlighted our ongoing concerns regarding the potential for the use of statewide package bidding in conjunction with the CAF2 auction.” Meyers supported changes in the rules for the 3.5 GHz band proposed by CTIA and T-Mobile (see 1706200081), said the filing in docket 10-208 and seven other dockets.

Google parent Alphabet Access said the FCC should approve the Broadband Access Coalition’s (BAC) proposal for the 3.7 GHz band (see 1708100037). But satellite commenters continue to raise concerns. “A range of commenters demonstrate that these changes would improve broadband service across the country, especially in underserved areas and locations where purchasers lack a competitive provider,” Alphabet said in replies in RM-11791. “Because the 3700-4200 MHz band represents 500 megahertz of prime but underutilized mid-band spectrum, the Commission should take action to improve utilization.” Alphabet's comments are important because Google also supports a rival plan for the band by an Intel-led group (see 1708080050), a BAC proponent told us. The BAC plan isn't the answer and would interrupt satellite operations across the band, the Satellite Industry Association said. “Neither the BAC nor any other party has proposed a framework that would adequately protect existing and future satellite operations,” SIA said. “The BAC Petition’s approach would undercut, not advance, its stated goal of bridging the digital divide.” SIA member Intelsat also opposed the BAC proposal. Technology provider NetMoby endorsed the BAC proposal. The 3.7 GHz band is the largest “underutilized swatch of spectrum” below 6 GHz managed by the FCC, NetMoby said. The coalition's three lead members are Mimosa Networks, the Wireless ISP Association and New America’s Open Technology Institute. “Shared access to this high-quality spectrum can narrow the high-capacity broadband gap in rural and other low-density areas, while increasing competition in areas where consumers have only one choice for high-speed service,” Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Project at New America told us Wednesday. “As a fiber substitute, fixed wireless can fill the void between fiber, where it’s too expensive to trench, and mobile, which cannot yet provide enough capacity to be an adequate substitute for fixed broadband at home or work.” The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition is a member of BAC and supports the proposal, Executive Director John Windhausen said: “Rural areas are struggling to find sufficient broadband capacity, and this is especially true of community anchor institutions, who need much higher capacity than residential consumers. 5G technologies, while exciting, are largely an urban play and rural areas are likely to fall further behind unless there is more focus on rural broadband solutions.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved an experimental license for Mimosa Networks Friday to test its proposal for offering broadband in spectrum above 5.7 GHz. “The FCC is considering Mimosa’s proposal to allocate the 5.85-6.4 GHz band for terrestrial fixed wireless services,” the company said in a filing seeking authorization. “Mimosa seeks to test equipment in that band in order to collect, and then provide to the FCC and other government agencies, real-world information about the utility of that band for fixed services and the ability to use that band on a shared basis with incumbent users, including government radiolocation services.”