Pai Expected to Unveil 6 GHz Plan Wednesday; Lobbying Continues

Chairman Ajit Pai is expected to announce Wednesday he will seek a vote at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting on an order that would open 6 GHz to sharing with Wi-Fi, industry and FCC officials said in interviews. The issue has seen heavy lobbying in recent weeks. Much recent debate involved when the FCC will require automatic frequency coordination (AFC) or allow low-level use without. The agency is expected to post the draft item Thursday.

“The chairman seems determined to move ahead on this, which the FCC should since the current crisis is demonstrating just how critical it is to address all aspects of the home connectivity crunch,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “Americans are learning fast that a high-speed fixed broadband connection doesn’t do much good if your Wi-Fi doesn’t have the capacity to distribute that connectivity to multiple users for high-bandwidth uses such as video conferencing and streaming video,” Calabrese said. The commission didn’t comment Monday.

Carriers made a push to get the FCC to change course and license some of the band for 5G. That doesn’t appear to have commissioners' backing, said Tom Struble, R Street Institute tech policy manager. “They may have come too late.” Any Further NPRM “would likely take at least a year to complete and there would be no guarantee of success,” he said. The FCC appears more likely to “follow through with its original proposal, perhaps with some minor technical changes,” Struble said. He said tweaks are possible over AFC requirements and the feasibility of low-power indoor uses.

“Industry partners will want more of what they didn't get,” emailed Shane Tews, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. As consumers, it “would be a win for us to have both better Wi-Fi and more mobile spectrum,” she said.

CableLabs said studies show indoor Wi-Fi authorized at an 8 dBm/MHz radiated power spectral density isn’t an interference threat. Three-fourths of wireless traffic and more than half of internet traffic move over Wi-Fi, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. “Its importance has become even more apparent in recent weeks, with Americans now relying on Wi-Fi more than ever for remote work, learning, and health services,” CableLabs said: “Now is not the time to give Wi-Fi users ‘half a loaf.’”

Representatives of CTIA and member companies warned about the “impact that unlicensed indoor operations will have on nearby Fixed Service point-to-point receivers,” in a call with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “Unlicensed indoor operations at power levels as proposed and under consideration in this proceeding continue to raise substantial and material risks of interference absent” AFC, CTIA said. It was joined by AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.

Consider licensing part of the band, Verizon asked aides to Pai and Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks. “Seeking additional comment on licensed use for some portion of the band need not delay action on unlicensed." IRobot told OET staff the FCC should partition the band, allowing Wi-Fi while “preserving a portion” for licensed use and unlicensed ultra-wideband devices.