Appropriate Measures Must Be Taken to Effectively Prevent, Identify and Eliminate Interference to Public Safety’s Systems
Public safety agencies extensively use the 6 GHz band for mission critical systems that support operational needs such as dispatching first responders and maintaining land mobile radio communications during incidents. In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission conducted a rulemaking proceeding to allow large numbers of unlicensed devices such as Wi-Fi routers to share the spectrum in this band. APCO has advocated that such sharing should only occur if appropriate measures are in place to effectively prevent, identify and eliminate interference to public safety’s systems.
News and Announcements
Announcement
APCO and Others Urge FCC to Pause 6 GHz Unlicensed Device Approval Until Testing Evaluates the Risk of Interference
On March 1 and 2, APCO and other stakeholders met with representatives of the offices of Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel and Commissioners Carr and Starks to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pause approval of new unlicensed devices in the 6 GHz band until real-world testing is conducted to evaluate the risk of interference to public safety and critical infrastructure communications.
Announcement
APCO Joins With Other Organizations to Urge the FCC Not to Expand Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band
On February 22, APCO filed joint comments with other public safety and critical infrastructure stakeholders to respond to the FCC’s Public Notice seeking comment on further expanding unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band. As background, last year the FCC adopted rules to permit hundreds of millions of new unlicensed devices to operate in the 6 GHz band, which is heavily used by public safety agencies across the country. The joint comments reiterated that the new rules present a significant risk of harmful interference and advised the FCC against further expanding unlicensed use.
Governmental Proceedings
