Steve Lang, who recently replaced Anna Gomez as head of the U.S. delegation to the World Radiocommunication Conference (see 2309120069), is already hard at work preparing for the conference, said Austin Bonner, deputy U.S. chief technology officer-policy, at the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas last week. Lang has been “out on the road, meeting his counterparts to help pave the way for U.S. success,” she said. The WRC starts Nov. 20 in Dubai.

Broadcom representatives met with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on the company’s recently filed analysis of the interference risk of very-low-power operations in the 6 GHz band to electronic newsgathering operations (see 2309120051), said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. Rosenworcel teed up a vote on 6 GHz VLP for the commission’s Oct. 19 meeting (see 2309280071). “We explained that the result of that study demonstrated that VLP devices are exceptionally unlikely to cause harmful interference to mobile ENG receivers, such as those mounted on news trucks,” Broadcom said.

Of the items teed up for a vote at the FCC’s Oct. 19 meeting, changes to rules for the 6 GHz band have gotten the most attention since Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the meeting agenda Wednesday. The FCC released drafts Thursday for all the items at what will be the first meeting with new Commissioner Anna Gomez and the first 3-2 Democratic majority during the Biden administration. Among other items also on tap are Wi-Fi on school buses, improving maternal care, changes to wireless emergency alerts, video programming for the blind and visually impaired, and universal service in Alaska.

The FCC’s Oct. 19 meeting is packed, with items on 6 GHz rules, Wi-Fi on school buses, wireless emergency alerts, video programming for the blind and visually impaired, maternal healthcare and other items. That's aside from the NPRM on net neutrality, which is expected to grab most of the attention (see 2309270056). The meeting will be the first with new Commissioner Anna Gomez and the first with a 3-2 Democratic majority during the Biden administration.

The U.S. wireless industry invested $39 billion in infrastructure, and “America leads the world in 5G availability,” but leadership is in doubt unless more spectrum is allocated for industry to keep up with demand, CTIA President Meredith Baker said Tuesday at the start of the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas. The U.S. is falling behind many other countries on mid-band for 5G, she said. Baker urged special focus on reallocating the lower 3 GHz, 4 GHz and 7 GHz bands for 5G.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday the FCC will take up an order on the use of very-low-power 6 GHz devices anywhere without location awareness or automated frequency control, at the commissioners' meeting Oct. 19. As expected, the FCC isn’t addressing at this time increasing the power at which low-power indoor access points may operate. Both uses were teed up in 2020 Further NPRM.

Nick Weaver, CEO of eero, which builds home Wi-Fi systems, and Amazon representatives met with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on how eero “is leveraging the latest developments in wifi technology to improve customers’ home network experience while also keeping those customers’ networks safe and secure,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. Weaver also “expressed support for the pending 6 GHz proceeding that will allow for further innovative uses of unlicensed spectrum,” Amazon said. Wi-Fi advocates expect a vote in coming months on part of the changes proposed by the FCC in a 2020 Further NPRM on 6 GHz rules (see 2309180050).

Extreme Networks got support from some groups and other Wi-Fi advocates for its petition for a waiver of FCC rules for low-power indoor devices for 6 GHz access points (APs), to be installed exclusively in indoor-only sports venues. The company wants to protect the APs with a waterproof enclosure “to protect the devices from beverage spills and during venue washing,” said a July waiver request (see 2308010074). The Utilities Technology Council, the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, APCO and the Enterprise Wireless Alliance opposed the waiver (see 2309080045). “Extreme Networks has clearly demonstrated ‘good cause’ and that the public interest will be served by waiving what we believe is the least important of the multiple form factor requirements that govern the authorization of low-power, indoor-only access points,” Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute at New America said in a filing posted Monday in docket 23-282. “The waiver is necessary for sports fans to benefit from the full capacity, low latency and higher quality that next generation Wi-Fi 7 makes possible, as well as for lower costs, greater spectrum efficiency, and more competition in the market for indoor venue connectivity solutions. Extreme Networks’ proposal also eliminates the risk that granting the waiver would result in its devices being used outdoors,” the public interest groups said. The Commission was clear that the prohibition on weatherized indoor access point devices is a means to an end -- ensuring that devices remain indoors -- not an end itself,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said. “This limited waiver is necessary to avoid frustrating the enormous public interest benefits that access to next generation Wi-Fi 7 across the full 1,200 MHz of the band can bring to the fan experience at indoor arenas,” the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance said. “Without a waiver, venue operators would have to limit deployment of Indoor Access Points to areas where spills are unlikely, severely diminishing coverage when data demands are increasing,” NCTA said: “Extreme has shown that special circumstances exist that warrant a deviation from the general rule, as the Extreme Waiver Request clearly delineates the measures it will take to ensure that the Sports Venue Indoor Access Points will operate indoors without causing risk of harmful interference.” Cisco Systems has “partnerships” with numerous sports venue customers where it has also deployed its Wi-Fi networking equipment, the company said. “Permitting the certification and sale of 6 GHz-capable low-power indoor access points using a waterproof enclosure, subject to the conditions outlined in Extreme’s waiver request, will serve the public interest by expanding the availability of 6 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity and encouraging development of the 6 GHz ecosystem, while protecting against harmful interference to incumbent operations,” Cisco said.

An expected FCC order on the 2020 Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band likely won’t go as far as Wi-Fi advocates hoped (see 2308070060). Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is now expected to seek changes only permitting very-low-power (VLP) devices to operate anywhere without location awareness or automated frequency control, industry experts said. The order is expected to delay a decision on a second part of the FNPRM, on increasing the power at which low-power indoor (LPI) access points may operate.

The next iteration of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 7, will enjoy increased throughput due to use of the 6 GHz band and 4K quadrature amplitude modulation, and should support wireless device speeds of up to 5 Gbps in optimal wireless conditions, CableLabs Principal Architect-Wireless R&D Lili Hervieu blogged Wednesday. A key feature of Wi-Fi 7 will be multilink operation -- simultaneous connections to different bands -- which will improve reliability, enhance band steering and load balancing, and reduce latency, she said. The finalization of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' 802.11bn standard, which will support Wi-Fi 7, isn’t expected before 2027 or 2028, she said.