Ericsson Officials Optimistic About Hill Lobbying on 6 GHz Auction Legislative Proposal
Ericsson officials are optimistic about the eventual success of their lobbying Congress on the vendor's proposal for legislation that would require the FCC clear and auction the upper part of the 6 GHz band for exclusive-use licenses, while allocating the lower portion for unlicensed. Other participants in the debate believe such a bill has little chance of passing (see 1910090051). Such legislation would diverge from the direction of the FCC's current 6 GHz NPRM, which looks at opening 1,200 MHz of spectrum in the band for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use (see 1810230038). Ericsson’s proposed legislation appears to mirror proposals to the FCC by other wireless industry stakeholders (see 1902190005), though the company is pursuing legislation alone.
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Ericsson has increasingly focused on its 6 GHz proposal amid uncertainties about the FCC's consideration of a C-band spectrum auction, said Vice President-Government Affairs and Public Policy Jared Carlson in an interview Wednesday. The proposed "split" 6 GHz plan the company's proposing "represents a pretty good balance to serve consumer demand for both Wi-Fi and unlicensed 5G technologies that are coming down the pike, as well as licensed spectrum" for the wireless industry’s 5G rollout, he said. “Mid-band spectrum is critical for the success of 5G and there’s currently very little” of it “that has been allocated or auctioned.”
Capitol Hill offices Ericsson met with seemed interested in the company's 6 GHz licensing proposal but haven't committed to "sign on to legislation or to draft" a bill, Senior Director-Spectrum Policy Mark Racek told us. Those offices planned to meet with other lawmakers' offices with the understanding that Ericsson will return to the Hill. "I don't think there was [already a] level of awareness" about the potential financial benefit of holding an auction of the upper 6 GHz band, he said. It's "an opportunity to use" proceeds from an auction "to be able to relocate and make whole the incumbents within the band and also add revenue" to the Treasury Department.
New America Open Technology Institute's Wireless Future Project Director Michael Calabrese repeated his stated opposition to Ericsson’s 6 GHz proposal in a Thursday tweet. The FCC, Ericsson and CTIA, which also backs bifurcated use of the band, know such a proposal “is technically & politically infeasible.” More than 30,000 6 GHz band incumbents “would need to move onto” the 7.125-8.4 GHz band, which currently has DOD and other federal incumbents, Calabrese said. He said such a move “would cripple” next-generation Wi-Fi 6, “which is [the wireless industry’s] goal & would harm consumers.”