Wi-Fi Advocates: FCC Should Reject NAB 6 GHz Petition
Wi-Fi advocates urged the FCC to reject an NAB petition for reconsideration of an order expanding the parts of the 6 GHz band where new very-low-power devices are permitted to operate without coordination (see 2504070062). The FCC declined to set aside 55 MHz as a “safe haven” for electronic newsgathering operations, as NAB requested (see 2410290052). Commissioners approved the order 5-0 in December.
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“The Petition merely recycles arguments that the Commission has appropriately rejected,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. The 6 GHz band “has played an essential role in expanding high-performance connectivity and relieving network congestion,” the alliance said.
Tech companies called the order “the latest in a series of groundbreaking actions the Commission has taken to enhance Americans’ connectivity by making available additional spectrum that can be used for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed applications.” NAB’s request for a safe haven “is procedurally deficient because the Commission has already repeatedly considered and rejected this proposal,” the companies added. “Both the Commission and our companies have thoroughly refuted each argument that NAB recycles in its Petition.” Apple, Broadcom and Meta Platforms signed the filing.