Utilities Want FERC to Make Clear Industry Concerns About Wi-Fi in 6 GHz Band

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).

Broadband deployment “should be balanced … with the need to maintain, safe reliable and cost-effective electric infrastructure, which depends on protecting our private wireless networks from harmful interference,” said JP Brummond, Alliant Energy vice president-business planning, representing the Edison Electric Institute. Critical communications systems that control electric networks rely on private wireless connections, Brummond said: “The FCC proposal would cause a level of interference to our operations that threatens the safety and reliability of our system.” Utilities don’t have a clear alternative to using the band, he said. Brummond urged the FERC to “engage with the FCC” on its protection: "It’s an opportunity for FERC and the FCC to promote interagency coordination and protect the licensed, mission-critical communications system."

“Utilities use their communications networks for mission-critical functions,” said Joy Ditto, Utilities Technology Council president. Ditto asked the FERC to weigh in at the FCC. UTC fears the FCC isn't considering the "special reliability and resilience needs of utilities,” she said. “The FCC has so far ignored comments by utilities, railroads, first responders and others who have urged the FCC to continue to reserve this band for licensed use." Opening the band to unlicensed use “is an intolerable risk for utilities,” she said: "An essential reliability tool is being taken away and might not have a replacement.”

John Kuzin, Qualcomm regulatory counsel, acknowledged this swath is heavily used by tens of thousands of fixed links. “Qualcomm and other technology companies are working with the FCC, as well incumbent fixed users … to allow new low-power unlicensed devices while fully protecting incumbent fixed and allowing both to continue deploying services in the band,” he said.

CTIA supports unlicensed use of the lower 6 GHz band, only with rigorous protections for incumbents, said John Marinho, vice president-cybersecurity and technology. “As incumbents in the band, the energy sector and the wireless industry are aligned in seeking to ensure that any developments in the 6 GHz band protect existing services and licensees from harmful interference or disruption.”

FERC Commissioner Richard Glick said the fight over spectrum is classic: “This kind of strikes me as your classic Washington, D.C.-federal government issue where there’s a limited supply of something and the government has to figure out how to allocate it.”

FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee said the band is at risk of becoming congested. “It sounds like we’re hearing ... the energy industry, electric industry, is going to be increasing its use of the spectrum,” he said: “You have the desire of telecoms to get into that spectrum.”

UTC is “encouraged” by the dialogue at the FERC meeting and appreciates that Chris Anderson, a division chief in the FCC Public Safety Bureau, attended, a UTC spokesperson said Monday. “We are hopeful the information he received from that meeting will resonate with the FCC going forward and we look forward to continued interaction on this issue with the commission,” the spokesperson said: “There is a difference … between what might be tolerable interference-wise to the wireless industry and what might be tolerable, or not tolerable, to the electric industry.”

“The FCC’s confidence that the use of one or more spectrum access system providers at 6 GHz will create sharing opportunities for unlicensed devices while simultaneously protecting incumbent operations from interference is understandably high,” Enterprise Wireless Alliance President Mark Crosby told us Monday. “What does it mean to say that incumbent protections must be reasonable to ensure that every megahertz is used as efficiently as possible? This will be a complex balancing act that the FCC has to get right, right out of the gate.”

Nothing to Fear

Wi-Fi advocates told us incumbents have nothing to fear. The Wi-Fi industry “does not seek exclusive or even primary access to spectrum,” emailed Alex Roytblat, Wi-Fi Alliance senior director-regulatory affairs: “Instead, Wi-Fi plans to access the spectrum on non-interference basis without causing any constraints or disruptions to incumbent operations.” The alliance’s proposal for unlicensed spectrum access in 6 GHz “is based on careful analysis focused on the protection of incumbent services,” he said. Only designating the entire band for Wi-Fi will satisfy the commission’s “stated goals of maximizing wireless broadband connectivity while simultaneously ensuring that licensed incumbent services operating in the 6 GHz band continue to thrive,” he said.

“European regulators recently concluded Wi-Fi at low power and indoors can safely coexist with high-power links, including utilities,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “The U.S. Navy recently approved a database to ensure higher-power, outdoor broadband does not interfere with military radar. Utility lobbyists are good at imagining unlikely corner cases, but the public’s access to affordable and fast next-generation Wi-Fi depends on the FCC being objective about real risks and its ability to regulate around them.”

Lobbying continues at the FCC, with filings posted Monday. UTC said members met with officials from the Office of Engineering and Technology. “Potential interference from unlicensed operations represents an unreasonable risk to the performance of these microwave systems in the 6 GHz band, and the parties explained that interference must be prevented rather than fixed after the fact,” UTC said.

The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance said OET Chief Julius Knapp was at the group’s conference last week where the 6 GHz band was discussed (see 1906270052). The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition said it was at the FCC to raise 6 GHz concerns. It met with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr.