Federal Communications Commission DA 22-236 DA 22-236 Released: March 8, 2022 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAUS REMIND 6 GHZ LICENSEES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING ACCURATE INFORMATION IN THE UNIVERSAL LICENSING SYSTEM ET Docket No. 18-295 GN Docket No. 17-183 By this Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau remind incumbent fixed microwave operators in the 6 GHz band of the importance of maintaining accurate information in the Universal Licensing System (ULS). On April 24, 2020, the Commission adopted the 6 GHz Report and Order authorizing, among other things, standard-power unlicensed operations in parts of the 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz). Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band, Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 3852 (2020) (6 GHz Report and Order). The 6 GHz Report and Order permits unlicensed standard-power operations in the U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 bands (5.925–6.425 GHz and 6.525–6.875 GHz, respectively) through use of an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system to protect incumbent fixed microwave operations from harmful interference, 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3862, para. 22. The AFC-based system for permitting unlicensed standard power operations in the 6 GHz bands will be a centralized system consisting of three components: (1) the framework, design, and operation of AFC system; (2) the operational requirements that we establish regarding standard-power access points (e.g., geolocation capabilities, antenna-related restrictions); and (3) the interference protection parameters that protect the incumbent fixed service operations. When taken together, these components will determine the specific exclusion zones that will protect incumbent operations. See 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3862–64, para. 24, 27. and directed the Wireless Bureau to issue this public notice. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3865, para. 31. It is crucial that information provided by the ULS to the AFC systems is accurate and up-to-date to ensure that the incumbent fixed microwave links operating in the band are protected from harmful interference. The ULS is the official licensing database for microwave links in the U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 bands and contains extensive technical data for site-based licenses including transmitter and receiver locations, frequencies, bandwidths, antenna polarization, transmitter EIRP, antenna height, and the make and model of the antenna and equipment used. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3864, para. 30. The 6 GHz Report and Order requires that unlicensed 6 GHz standard power access points operating in these bands contact an AFC system, which relies on the ULS for fixed microwave link data, to obtain a list of channels available in its operating area that may be used without causing harmful interference to nearby microwave links. Id. To ensure that the most current data is used to coordinate links, the AFC systems will be required to download the ULS database daily. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3864, para. 30. The Wireless Innovation Forum, based on its recent examination of ULS data for 6 GHz band fixed microwave licenses, asserts that a number of license records contain missing, clearly erroneous, or conflicting information. Recommendations for Addressing Blank, Uncollected, Erroneous, or Conflicting Database Elements for Incumbent System in the U.S. U-NII 5 & 7 Bands for the Purpose of Automated Frequency Coordination Systems, Wireless Innovation Forum, Document WINNF-RC-1010, Sept 13, 2021 (filed Sept. 27, 2021 in ET Docket No. 18-295). According to the Wireless Innovation Forum (WINN Forum), this erroneous information includes missing or incorrect antenna data, radio model, or emission designators. Further, per WINN Forum, there are about 1200 paths where the transmitter has been removed from the ULS database but information on the receiver is still present. See Incumbent Fixed Service Data in the U.S. U-NII 5 & 7 Bands, Wireless Innovation Forum, Document WINNF-TR-1008, January 5, 2021, at 9, 14 (filed Jan. 29, 2021 in ET Docket No. 18-295). Because AFC systems will rely on the ULS database to protect microwave links, it is important that this information be accurate. Licensees should confirm that their ULS records reflect actual operations to ensure that incumbent fixed microwave licensees are protected from harmful interference from both new unlicensed 6 GHz standard power access points and new fixed microwave links that may access the band. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3865, para. 31. We remind licensees that they are obligated under the terms of their license and the Commission’s rules to keep information filed in the ULS current and complete. See 47 C.F.R. §§1.913, 1.947. Licensees have the responsibility to maintain the continued accuracy of the data in the ULS. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3865, para. 31. To the extent that a licensee determines that its actual operations differ from the Commission’s licensing records, it should modify its license(s) in accordance with the Commission’s rules See 47 C.F.R. §1.913. to ensure that its operations are properly authorized and protected from harmful interference from any other spectrum users. 6 GHz Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 3865, para. 31. Licensees should also note that major modifications to licenses require evidence of successful frequency coordination. See 47 C.F.R. §§1.947, 101.21, 101.103. We remind licensees that the protection afforded to incumbents by the AFC systems in the 6 GHz band will rely on the accuracy of the information on record in the ULS. Licensees may access the ULS online at https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp. Instructions for how to file a modification and information about filing fees are available on the Commission’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/universal-licensing-system-uls-resources/modifying-license-universal-licensing. Filing fees are mandated by statute and cannot be waived by the Commission. 47 U.S.C. § 158(a). See also Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021, Report and Order, FCC 21-49 (2021). Please contact ULS support at 877-480-3201 with questions about the system. Applicants who have questions concerning this Public Notice may contact Erin Fitzgerald of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Broadband Division, (202) 418-7326, erin.fitzgerald@fcc.gov, or Tracy Simmons of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, (717) 338-2657, tracy.simmons@fcc.gov. Action by the Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and Acting Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. -FCC- 2