Utilities, Public Safety, NYC Raise Concerns About Possible 6 GHz Interference
Critical infrastructure and public safety groups lined up against the FCC’s NPRM on unlicensed 6 GHz band use, in a Friday letter to Chairman Ajit Pai: “Given the significant risk that the proposed unlicensed operations could have on mission-critical networks…
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that are used to protect the safety of life, health and property, and provide essential services to individuals, businesses, governments and others across the nation, unlicensed operations should only be permitted in the 6 GHz band if the Commission adopts more stringent interference protections for co-channel and adjacent channel microwave systems, including proven technology to mitigate the risk of interference by prior coordination of unlicensed operations.” Proposed mitigation of automated frequency coordination “is theoretical in nature and has not been tested or proven to work,” said associations for gas, petroleum, water, railroad and power industries, plus the International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Utilities Technology Council. Others also have concerns (see 1911080052). Industry studies failed to lessen New York concerns about possible interference from unlicensed 6 GHz band use, the city wrote the FCC, posted Friday in docket 18-295: Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and New America studies didn’t fully examine all potential interference cases or adequately show negative impact interference would cause critical public safety communications. "The potential influx of low powered devices operating in this critical band [could] impact the ability to isolate interference, an already difficult task compounded by the sheer number of devices operating" in the city, New York said. “Adopt more stringent interference protections, including for co-channel and adjacent channel operations.” Proposed mitigations are “unproven, untested, and have not yet been built to mission critical standards,” the municipality said. New York said it met last week with Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm and New America, and the companies presented their proposals for unlicensed use in the band. The businesses discussed a lidar study "conducted without the City’s prior knowledge or participation" that covered fixed service links licensed for public safety operations in the city, and a multipath fading study. New York has "significant concerns with the proposals generally" and the studies and those concerns have been filed with the commission. The companies and New America didn't comment Friday or declined to comment.