6 GHz Stakeholders Meet Pai, Aides

With an order on the 6 GHz band considered likely at the April FCC meeting (see 2003050058), Stan Connally, Southern Co. executive vice president-operations, told FCC Chairman Ajit Pai the utility remains concerned about harmful interference to its operations. Connally “applauded the Chairman’s appreciation of and support for the need to ensure that incumbent licensed 6 GHz operations are sufficiently protected from potential interference by unlicensed operations,” said a posting Friday in docket 18-295. Comcast representatives met Pai aide Nick Degani. “The Commission can and should authorize low power, indoor use throughout the band without the need for automated frequency coordination,” the cable company said. CTIA representatives met with Pai aide Aaron Goldberger. The group “provided further evidence of how untethered, low power indoor devices will cause harmful interference to Fixed Service operations in the band and urged the Commission to issue a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to consider licensing the upper portion of the band,” CTIA said. Verizon, Sprint, Ericsson and U.S. Cellular executives attended. Pai told three House lawmakers, including Communications Subcommittee member Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., he agrees “that the FCC must protect incumbent users” in the 6 GHz band “from harmful interference.” The Office of Engineering and Technology has “spent considerable time reviewing the substantial record that has been compiled in this proceeding and meeting with interested stakeholders,” he said in separate letters to McNerney and Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., released Friday. “The Commission’s ultimate decision will be grounded in sound engineering analysis. I remain optimistic that we will be able to develop a set of technical rules that will both safeguard incumbent users and allow for unlicensed operations.” McNerney and Griffith in February jointly supported the commission’s 6 GHz sharing proposal (see 2002120055). Bacon wrote Pai in November to urge the agency to ensure its sharing proposal didn’t cause harmful interference.