April 2, 2020 FCC FACT SHEET* Unlicensed Use of the 6 Ghz Band Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ET
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April 2, 2020 FCC FACT SHEET* Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ET Docket No. 18-295; GN Docket No. 17-183 Background: Unlicensed devices relying on Wi-Fi and other technical standards have become indispensable for providing low-cost wireless connectivity in countless products used by American consumers. This Report and Order would make 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in the 5.925-7.125 GHz (6 GHz) band while ensuring that incumbent licensed services are able to thrive throughout the band. The Further Notice proposes to expand how unlicensed users can access the 6 GHz band and seeks comment on the potential for using higher power levels than those adopted in the Report and Order. Expanding spectrum use by unlicensed devices will advance the Commission’s efforts to make broadband connectivity available to all Americans, especially those in rural and underserved areas. What the Report and Order Would Do: • Permit two types of unlicensed operations tailored to protect incumbent services that operate in distinct parts of the 6 GHz band: o Across the entire 1,200 megahertz of the 6 GHz band, unlicensed access points would be permitted to operate at lower power restricted to indoor use, without an automated frequency control (AFC) system. The combination of lower power and indoor operations would protect all 6 GHz band licensed services (which include point-to-point microwave links as well as broadcast auxiliary and cable television relay licenses) from harmful interference. o In the 5.925-6.425 GHz and 6.525-6.875 GHz sub-bands, unlicensed access points would be permitted to transmit both indoors and outdoors under the control of an AFC system at standard power levels that are currently permitted in the 5 GHz band. These frequencies are heavily used by licensed point-to-point microwave links. The AFC system would identify which frequencies are available to unlicensed devices without causing harmful interference to fixed point-to-point microwave receivers. Licensed fixed satellite systems using these frequencies operate in the Earth-to-space direction. The rules would protect these operations by limiting outdoor device antenna elevation angles to ensure that they do not point towards the geostationary satellite arc. • Permit client devices to operate across the 6 GHz band only under the control of either a standard power (indoors or outdoors) or low power indoor access point. What the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Would Do: • Propose to permit unlicensed devices to operate both indoors and outdoors across the entire 6 GHz band at very low power to prevent harmful interference to licensed services. • Seek comment on increasing the transmit power of indoor access points that operate without an AFC. * This document is being released as part of a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding. Any presentations or views on the subject expressed to the Commission or its staff, including by email, must be filed in ET Docket No. 18-295, which may be accessed via the Electronic Comment Filing System (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/). Before filing, participants should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules, including the general prohibition on presentations (written and oral) on matters listed on the Sunshine Agenda, which is typically released a week prior to the Commission’s meeting. See 47 CFR § 1.1200 et seq. Federal Communications Commission FCC-CIRC2004-01 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band ) ET Docket No. 18-295 ) Expanding Flexible Use in Mid-Band Spectrum ) GN Docket No. 17-183 Between 3.7 and 24 GHz ) REPORT AND ORDER AND FURTHER NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING* Adopted: [] Released: [] Comment Date: 30 days after Federal Register publication Reply Comment Date: 60 days after Federal Register publication By the Commission: TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph # I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 II. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 6 III. REPORT AND ORDER ...................................................................................................................... 17 A. Standard-Power Operations in U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 Bands ......................................................... 20 1. AFC-Based Access to Protect Fixed Microwave Services ...................................................... 23 a. The AFC System Framework and Database ..................................................................... 25 b. Operational Requirements for Access Points.................................................................... 38 c. Multi-Stakeholder Group .................................................................................................. 48 d. Designating AFC Operators .............................................................................................. 50 e. Interference Protection Analyses and Parameters ............................................................. 62 f. Other AFC System Issues ................................................................................................. 80 2. Radio Astronomy Observatories ............................................................................................. 89 3. Fixed-Satellite Services ........................................................................................................... 91 4. Additional Issues ..................................................................................................................... 95 B. Low-Power Indoor Operations Across the Entire 6 GHz Band ..................................................... 98 * This document has been circulated for tentative consideration by the Commission at its April 2020 open meeting. The issues referenced in this document and the Commission’s ultimate resolutions of those issues remain under consideration and subject to change. This document does not constitute any official action by the Commission. However, the Chairman has determined that, in the interest of promoting the public’s ability to understand the nature and scope of issues under consideration, the public interest would be served by making this document publicly available. The Commission’s ex parte rules apply and presentations are subject to “permit-but-disclose” ex parte rules. See, e.g., 47 CFR §§ 1.1206, 1.1200(a). Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules, including the general prohibition on presentations (written and oral) on matters listed on the Sunshine Agenda, which is typically released a week prior to the Commission’s meeting. See 47 CFR §§ 1.1200(a), 1.1203. Federal Communications Commission FCC-CIRC2004-01 1. Indoor Operations .................................................................................................................. 107 2. Power Spectral Density Limit ............................................................................................... 111 3. Protecting Incumbent Operations .......................................................................................... 114 a. Fixed Microwave Service ............................................................................................... 114 b. Mobile Services .............................................................................................................. 148 c. Fixed-Satellite Services .................................................................................................. 165 d. Radio Astronomy ............................................................................................................ 169 C. Equipment Issues ......................................................................................................................... 170 1. Antenna Requirements .......................................................................................................... 170 2. Maximum channel bandwidth ............................................................................................... 174 3. Transmitted power levels ...................................................................................................... 176 4. Emission Mask and Out-of-Band Emission Limits ............................................................... 182 5. Client Device Restrictions ..................................................................................................... 186 D. Other Issues .................................................................................................................................. 190 1. Making Portions of the 6 GHz Band Available for New Licensed Services ......................... 190 2. Mobile Operations and Use in Moving Vehicles .................................................................. 194 3. Microwave Links in the Gulf of Mexico ............................................................................... 202 4. Ultra-Wideband and Wideband ............................................................................................. 205 5. Synchronized Unlicensed Operation ..................................................................................... 209 6. Digital Identifying Information ............................................................................................