Slicing Up the Airwaves

Reps. Billy Long (R-MO) and Susan Brooks (R-IN) are siding with the wireless industry and asking Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to reserve a portion of the 6 GHz airwaves for auctioning off spectrum for licensed use. The two House Commerce Committee members emphasized the importance of 5G-friendly mid-band spectrum and said the FCC should “consider the feasibility of licensing a portion of the 6 GHz band in a timely manner.” The lobbying battle here is between wireless heavyweights and a mix of cable and tech giants, given that the latter would strongly prefer the FCC save the whole 6 GHz band for unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi. Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) pushed this view in a recent letter. The utilities that occupy these airwaves, meanwhile, worry about potential disruption from opening the band at all.