Representatives of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) met with various FCC offices on the group’s push to use the 6 GHz band (see 2305260032). Members “discussed the progress the Bluetooth industry is making towards developing methods for Bluetooth sharing with other unlicensed devices in the lower 6 GHz band,” the SIG said in a Monday filing in docket 18-295. They discussed standards development work with the IEEE, European Telecommunications Standards Institute and other standards groups. The group is considering filing a petition for rulemaking, the filing said. The group met with Chief Ron Repasi and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology and aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez.

The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition urged the FCC to take a cautious approach in making any changes to power spectral density rules for automated frequency coordination systems in the 6 GHz band, as sought by Broadcom and others. “To ensure transparency in future changes to AFC systems” the group asked the commission to “require operators making changes to their AFC to rerun the test vectors required by the Office of Engineering and Technology’s testing plan public notice and file a copy of the resulting report in the docket for public comment,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-352. The Broadcom letter “raises a crucial question about how changes to AFC systems will be made going forward,” the FWCC said: The OET public notice “did not specify what information would be necessary in future public notices regarding changes to an AFC” and the Broadcom letter “gives the Commission the opportunity to provide clarification on that question now.”

Commenters disagreed sharply on what mechanisms the FCC should use to make available unassigned licenses in its inventory absent general auction authority. Comments were posted Tuesday in docket 24-72. The FCC sought comment in March on the first anniversary of the expiration of its general auction authority (see 2403070062). Wireless carriers said grants of special temporary authority (STA) are the best alternative. Unlicensed advocates hailed the benefits of dynamic spectrum sharing.

APCO supported comments from the Edison Electric Institute and other groups representing incumbent 6 GHz users that the FCC should revisit how interference is addressed as automated frequency coordination systems open (see 2403260046). “APCO agrees with other representatives of incumbent 6 GHz users that, absent input from incumbents and oversight from the Commission, this resource for mitigating interference will fail to provide what’s needed for critical communications,” said a filing Thursday in docket 21-352: “APCO urges the Commission to adopt clearer guidelines, enhance transparency, and facilitate a more inclusive approach to the development and modification of AFC systems and procedures that impact critical communications.”

The Ultra Wide Band Alliance supports an FCC proposal expanding parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination and allowing client-to-client operations (see 2403280038), said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. But the alliance opposed increasing VLP power above current levels. “UWB has been operating in the frequency range of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz on an unlicensed basis for over 20 years,” the group said: It's often “misstated” that a 2020 order “opened the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operation” when “the band had been in use on an unlicensed basis for two decades at that time.”

Comparisons of 5G spectrum allocations and investments in China, the U.S. and Europe often lack detail or rely on data with different definitions, Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday. Such comparisons "are mostly political and competitive." In addition, those who make such comparisons are often seeking more stringent regulation of a perceived competitor, he said. Claims that China has more midband spectrum allocated than the U.S. ignore that the 3.3-3.4GHz is dedicated for shared, indoor use by multiple mobile network operators, while 200MHz in the lower 6 GHz band is for "localised enterprise private networks," he said. Citing wireless interests seeking additional spectrum for fixed wireless access, Bubley said it is "rather disingenuous ... to complain about traffic volumes on mobile networks ... and then specifically promote services that they know will use 20x more data per subscriber."

The U.S. table of frequency allocations can differ from the international table because of variations in U.S. rules, FCC Office of Engineering and Technology officials explained during an FCBA lunch Thursday. Attendees heard from Nicholas Oro, deputy chief of the Policy and Rules Division, and Jamie Coleman, chief of the Spectrum Policy Branch. The U.S. doesn’t adopt all the allocations in the international table and may adopt additional allocations, Oro said. Most parts of the table match, he said. Oro noted as one example the supplemental coverage from space (SCS) framework that commissioners approved two weeks ago (see [2403150045). In each of the bands affected, across the 600-700 MHz frequency range, the U.S. table now shows a secondary mobile service allocation, he said. That allocation isn’t included in the international table. “This is kind of the case of the U.S. getting out ahead of the international community,” Oro said. Another example is 6 GHz, where the international table has an allocation for mobile communications but the U.S. table doesn't, he said. Changes to the U.S. table often come through NTIA or as a result of actions during a World Radiocommunication Conference, Oro said. In addition, changes are made as a result of commission orders, he said. All changes require that the FCC seek public comment. NTIA has its own rulebook, the “Manual of Regulations for Federal RF Spectrum Management” or “Redbook,” which applies to federal agencies. Making changes doesn’t require a rulemaking process, Oro said. Coleman said her team at OET is largely responsible for managing the frequency table, ensuring updates are made, checking footnotes and issuing Federal Register updates when needed. “It’s a lot of work,” she said. Her office also works with other parts of the commission “to make sure that we’re properly analyzing … revisions and their impact on other areas of the spectrum.”

Wi-Fi advocates and 6 GHz incumbents clashed on an FCC proposal that would expand parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate without coordination, beyond the initial 850 MHz commissioners approved last year (see 2310190054). The VLP rules took effect March 9. 6 GHz incumbents have lined up in opposition to further changes (see 2403270055).

The National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council are concerned about an FCC proposal that expands parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate (see 2310190054). Comments were posted on Wednesday in docket 18-295. The FCC has “recognized the public interest need to protect important radio astronomy and remote sensing observations at 6 GHz” and shouldn’t “undercut the protections already enacted in this proceeding,” CORF said. The 6650-6675.2 MHz band is important “for observations of methanol that play a critical role in research into star formation, astrochemistry, and precision astrometry,” the committee said. Frequencies between 6425 and 7250 MHz are used for passive microwave measurements, with 6425-7075 for ocean remote sensing, CORF said: “Observations at these frequencies are an essential component for both weather prediction and observing climate change.” NPSTC counseled against further liberalizing the rules for the 6 GHz band. “Public safety, critical infrastructure, commercial wireless and broadcast entities rely on this spectrum to support licensed microwave links for their respective operations,” the group said. It's clear from decisions made so far that the commission “has no intention of reversing course in this proceeding,” NPSTC said. If that’s the case “it is imperative that 6 GHz licensees have a viable mechanism to report and expeditiously resolve any 6 GHz harmful interference to critical microwave links that occurs.” The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) said studies show that unlicensed wideband VLP devices can operate at 14 dBm with a power spectral density of 1 dBm/MHz “without causing harmful interference into incumbent services, and that narrowband VLP devices will provide even greater margin.” The SIG has made a push for Bluetooth devices to be allowed to use 6 GHz spectrum (see [Ref2310270027]). “Bluetooth is an essential unlicensed technology that requires additional spectrum to support the volume growth of existing product categories and to support the technological expansion of important Bluetooth products,” the SIG said. The Wireless Innovation Forum told the FCC it’s “eager” to “support the development of geofencing systems,” one of the FCC’s proposals for protecting 6 GHz incumbents. The group said it could develop “specifications for data systems including any needed enhancements” and work on “propagation models to accommodate possible VLP mobility” and addressing “mobility in spectrum availability determinations.”

The Information Technology Industry Council called on the FCC to expand parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low power (VLP) devices can operate beyond the 850 MHz of the band in which commissioners voted last year to allow operations (see 2310190054). Comments are due Wednesday on a Further NPRM that the commissioners also approved last year. “The Commission’s decision to authorize VLP operations provides innovators with an important new capability to provide very high-speed connections for some of the most advanced applications, such as augmented and virtual reality, that will help businesses, enhance learning opportunities, advance healthcare opportunities, and bring new entertainment experiences,” the group said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295.