FCC Agrees 5-0 to Explore Part of 5.9 GHz Band for Wi-Fi

The FCC approved 5-0 an NPRM that proposes to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi and cellular vehicle to everything, while potentially preserving a sliver for dedicated short-range communications. All commissioners said DSRC has never lived up to its promise. None of the FCC officials mentioned a Transportation Department redline proposed edit of the draft notice, which Communications Daily first reported earlier last week. Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp said the FCC made no major changes to the draft and DOT concerns were addressed. The DOT letter wasn’t made part of the public record because it came as part of the interagency consultation process, he told us in Q&A. The Auto Alliance and Global Automakers slammed the NPRM, warning it "risks lives, slows innovation and runs counter to what the Commission has heard from safety and technical experts.” Wi-Fi is too congested, with more than 9 billion enabled devices in use, said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “Billions and billions of more devices are coming our way” with the IoT, she said. “We know that as much as 70 percent of 5G traffic will be offloaded to Wi-Fi.” Unlicensed spectrum is critical to 5G, said Commissioner Brendan Carr. “I am proud of the commission for getting ahead of this problem.” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said better Wi-Fi is important for solving the digital divide. “As we continue to invest in and increase the performance of our gigabit broadband networks, the FCC’s decision to make the 5.9 GHz band available expeditiously will ensure that the Wi-Fi capacity our customers rely on will continue to match the capabilities of our world-class broadband networks,” said Tony Werner, Comcast Cable president-technology and product, Xperience. “By making a portion of this highly-valuable band available for unlicensed use after decades of under-utilization, today’s action sets the stage for innovations like ultra-fast, high capacity, multigigabit WiFi that will power connected classrooms, smart homes and remote healthcare,” said Charter Communications.