Bluetooth SIG announced a specificationdevelopment project to define the operation of Bluetooth Low Energy in additional unlicensed mid-band spectrum, including the 6 GHz frequency band. “Expanding into the 6 GHz spectrum band will ensure the community can continue to make the enhancements necessary to pave the way for the next twenty years of Bluetooth innovation,” said Bluetooth SIG CEO Mark Powell Wednesday. The Wi-Fi Alliance “looks forward to collaborating with the Bluetooth SIG to ensure our successful co-existence in the band,” said Wi-Fi Alliance CEO Kevin Robinson.
China Tech Threat urged the FCC to be more aggressive in clamping down on companies that are a risk to U.S. security, and to expand the number of companies on the agency’s “covered list.” Apart from “the proposed complete ban on Huawei and ZTE, the FCC has devised major exemptions for Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, and Dahua Technology Company,” the group said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-232: “These exemptions are so broad that they effectively negate the security benefits proposed by the Covered List.” China Tech Threat said the list “should include hundreds, if not, thousands, of entities capable of enabling [Chinese] government intrusion.” The FCC should consider adding “products and services which use radio spectrum” including computers, streaming TVs, drones, memory chips and applications, the group said. The group examines problems posed by technology produced by China with an eye on policy. Experts affiliated with the group include Wiley’s Nazak Nikakhtar and Strand Consult’s Roslyn Layton.
Broadcom and Intel executives gave the first demonstration of the next generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 7, to all four FCC commissioners and staff, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. “Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of wireless technology, and will deliver higher capacity, lower latency, and higher reliability to consumers around the world,” the companies said. “Intel and Broadcom demonstrated links between Broadcom access points and Intel laptops, over an 80-megahertz Wi-Fi 6 channel in the 5 GHz band, a 160-megahertz Wi-Fi 6E channel in the 6 GHz band, and a 320-megahertz Wi-Fi 7 channel in the 6 GHz band,” they said: “The Wi-Fi 7 channel achieved 5 Gbps throughput, an enormous increase over already-fast Wi-Fi 6 technologies. The demonstration also showed that this performance is now a reality between different devices developed by two of the world’s leading technology companies -- confirming that the FCC’s forward-looking 6 GHz decision has already produced a thriving ecosystem.” The officials urged the FCC to do what's needed to allow automated frequency coordination in the 6 GHz band (see 2210170075).
The FAA raised concerns about an Ericsson request for a waiver allowing the company to offer a multiband radio across the 3.45 GHz and C bands, which got general support from industry (see 2208240045). FAA said the waiver could raise the out-of-band emission levels for systems operation in the C band. “The Ericsson waiver request does not [address] the impact this increase in the OOB emission levels would have on aviation systems,” said an FAA filing, posted Monday in docket 22-298: “The FAA believes that Ericsson needs to provide an analysis to the FCC showing the OOB levels and the impact these levels would have on aviation systems in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band.”
Information collection requirements in revised TV white spaces rules, approved by commissioners in January (see 2201270034), are effective Thursday, said a notice for that day’s Federal Register.
NAB responded to New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge comments in a TV white spaces (TVWS) proceeding. The groups had blasted NAB in comments on how often narrowband devices should have to check a white spaces database. NAB’s objections “stem not from any genuine technical concern but solely from the desire to ‘get Big Tech’ and undermine the use of unlicensed spectrum,” OTI and PK said (see 2208020055). “A careful examination of those comments … demonstrates they are replete with questionable claims, exaggerations, and misleading conflations of projects,” NAB said Wednesday in docket 20-36: “The comments repeatedly conflate, knowingly or not, larger broadband initiatives with TVWS technology and thus seek to ascribe to TVWS the successes associated with other technologies.” NAB cited in particular references to Microsoft’s Airband initiative: “Microsoft’s promise to expand broadband service to three million Americans cannot possibly have anything to do with the meager 213 TVWS devices operating today.” NAB "is making every effort it can to reclaim valuable TV White space spectrum,” emailed PK Policy Counsel Kathleen Burke: “This play isn't about the alleged failure of TVWS services, but rather about the potential profits broadcasters might get by subleasing the spectrum they received for free to non-broadcast commercial uses.” The “supposed innovative uses of ATSC 3.0 are almost entirely ancillary commercial opportunities such as navigation and timing services; datacasts to smart Intenet-of-Things devices and smart vehicles; and interactive sports betting for live event broadcasts” and “have nothing to do with the public interest benefits of broadcast television that prompted the FCC to grant free licenses to broadcasters in the first place,” she said. “In contrast, TV white space services actually connect underserved populations to the Internet. Since ATSC 3.0 requires an internet connection to provide the uplink for its interactive innovations, TV white space services could help ensure that all Americans not just, those already connected to the Internet, can benefit from NextGen Broadcasting.” TVWS “offers a valuable option to rural and remote communities for broadband and, increasingly, to farmers, ranchers and others for narrowband sensors that they can access freely,” responded Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “For many years there have been few if any complaints of harmful interference to TV viewers,” he said: “Despite this, at every step, NAB has sought to limit or eliminate public access to this unused spectrum. It is plain to everyone who pays attention that broadcasters are determined to control and monetize not only the free TV spectrum they use, but also the large portion of the TV band they don’t use.”
Sennheiser representatives spoke with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology on “the importance of clean low-band UHF spectrum for wireless microphone operations and the content creation community,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 12-268. Sennheiser discussed “the current regulatory framework surrounding wireless microphone operations in light of the termination of the vacant channel proceeding and discussed the need for solutions to ensure wireless microphones have the necessary low-band UHF spectrum needed to operate in an effective manner,” the filing said: “Finding a solution for wireless microphone operations in light of the termination of the vacant channel proceeding is essential, particularly as consumption and desire for content continues to increase at an exponential rate.” The FCC terminated a 2015 NPRM last year on whether to allocate a vacant channel for use by white space devices and wireless microphones (see 2204060068).
NCTA, and CableLabs, encouraged the FCC “to act promptly” to address remaining questions on automated frequency coordination (AFC) operators in the 6 GHz band, in a call with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. “Implementing a measured and reasonable increase in low-power indoor (LPI) power limits and facilitating the introduction of AFC-controlled operations are crucial steps toward a future of next-generation Wi-Fi that meets the growing need for higher speeds and robust coverage,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. “Because Wi-Fi continues to serve as the primary onramp to the Internet for the majority of broadband connections [in] the country, adopting the … proposed LPI power limits would benefit not only American consumers and businesses, but also educational institutions, healthcare facilities, public transportation, among others.”
High-tech companies met virtually with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology to lay out a plan for a regulatory framework for the 60 GHz band. The plan proposes effective isotropic radiated power levels of 20 dBm in the lower part of the band, which is double the limit in current rules. “The Radar Representatives offer this proposal in the spirit of compromise to advance the resolution of the above-referenced proceeding and enable reasonable coexistence between a wide variety of unlicensed communications devices and radar devices, as well as other technologies, throughout the 60 GHz Band,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264. Amazon, Google, IEE Sensing, Infineon Technologies Americas, Texas Instruments and Vayyar Imaging were on the call. The FCC sought comment last summer in a Further NPRM, seeking revised rules for short-range field disturbance sensor radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2107090047).
CTA sided with Microsoft in its dispute with NAB over how often narrowband devices should have to check a database to operate in the TV white spaces (TVWS). The Open Technology Institute at New America and Public Knowledge also backed Microsoft arguments. In January, commissioners approved 4-0 an order requiring other white space devices (WSDs) to check the database at least once hourly. After NAB and Microsoft clashed as the order was before commissioners, the FCC decided to further explore the rules for narrowband IoT devices in a Further NPRM (see 2201270034). Replies were due Monday in docket 14-165. “With demand for IoT applications and services expected to skyrocket in the coming years, using white spaces more efficiently and effectively in rural areas to address opportunities in sectors such as agriculture can help to achieve this goal,” CTA said: “CTA therefore supports the Commission maintaining its current rule for narrowband WSDs which will facilitate the deployment of narrowband IoT devices in rural areas, while providing existing licensees the same level of protection from harmful interference.” NAB’s objections “stem not from any genuine technical concern but solely from the desire to ‘get Big Tech’ and undermine the use of unlicensed spectrum,” OTI and PK said. Against a dearth of evidence of harmful interference “the Commission must balance the public interest benefits of allowing narrowband WSDs to lower costs and improve productivity in less densely-populated areas for farming, ranching, remote sensing, environmental monitoring and a variety of other innovative uses,” the groups said. NAB filed a one-paragraph comment, noting only 211 devices currently use the white spaces nationwide. “The risk that narrowband WSDs will cause harmful interference to licensed wireless microphones is very low,” Microsoft said, responding to concerns raised in the initial comment round (see 2207050059). “The Commission’s conservative narrowband WSD technical rules combined with the paucity of spectrum in urban and suburban areas, will effectively limit commercial narrowband WSD use cases to those that can be successful in exurban and rural areas such as precision agriculture and remote sensing,” the company said.