FCC opens 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi – why it was sued for this, and how the situation is developing

We are discussing the situation and the opinions of the associations that called the commission’s decision illegal.


/ CC BY / John schnobrich

More frequencies are better for users

The reason for the opening of the 6GHz band for home wireless networks was the FCC’s desire to free up the congested 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies. The new spectrum offers seven additional channels, reduces interference, and boosts Wi-Fi speeds to nearly 10 Gbps.

The FCC decision was supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The organization even developed a new protocol – Wi-Fi 6E… Apple and Facebook statedthat it will enable them to launch high-quality virtual reality projects and streaming platforms. This week Google already requested permission to test Wi-Fi at 6 GHz – the corporation plans to improve the quality of broadband connections for its IoT devices.

But there are also organizations that called the FCC’s decision extremely unfortunate and even illegal.

Who thinks this is a bad idea

Fears you said specialists from the US National Spectrum Management Organization. In their opinion, home networks operating at 6 GHz would interfere with systems that already use it. In several major American cities, it is reserved for police and fire services. It is likely that with the spread of the new standard in home networks, intelligence agencies will be forced to modify their IT infrastructure.

What we write about on Habré:

  • Plans for the global modernization of the network infrastructure in the USA – let’s figure out what’s what
  • Internet Service Provider Operations: A Compilation on Networking and the Protracted IPv6 Migration
  • Will providers continue to trade metadata: the US experience

The Utilities Technology Council (UTC), which is developing communications technology, filed to the Communications Commission in court. The head of UTC states that the FCC had no right to make the 6 GHz spectrum available to the public without proper interference prevention techniques. Thus, there is a risk of creating communication problems in areas where human lives are at stake.


/ CC BY / Stephen phillips

Another organization that filed a lawsuit against the FCC, became National Association of Broadcasters of the United States (NAB). Its representatives call the commission’s decision “illegal”, as it does not take into account the interests of television and telecommunications companies. Downloading this channel may degrade the quality of the services provided by TV operators.

The US military and the owners of weather stations also expressed their concerns about 6 GHz networks.

Commission reaction

FCC Head Ajit Pai is talkingthat there is nothing to worry about – the specialists of the technical department of the commission conducted tests and the new standard does not interfere with the operation of other systems and communication channels At the same time, IT companies manufacturing wireless equipment will have to implement mechanisms to prevent interference. But in what direction the situation will continue to develop will become clear after the first court hearings.

About the work of Internet providers in our corporate blog:

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