BRIAN SCHATZ HAWAII l.anttrd ~totes iScnatc The I lonorable Tom Wheeler Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street S. W. Washington. DC 20554 Dear Chairman Whee ler: July 30, 2015 HART BUILDING SUITf SH-7:11 WASHINGTON. DC 205HH 105 (2021 n4 -asa.1 300 ALA MOANA BOULEVARD ROOM 7-212 HONOLULU. HI 96850 (!!OBI 523-2061 We are writing today in regards to the Commission's Public Notice to examine the effect new technologies, namely LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U), could have on existing operations in spectrum bands for unlicensed devices. It is critical that this examination be open and thorough to make sme that these new technologies operate fai1·ly and do not impede the avai !ability of the uni icensed spectrum necessary for robust Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies or otherwise degrade operations. Constm1ers and the largef wireless ecosystem have come to rely greatl y on Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies. In the 20 years since the FCC unlocked spectrum for unlicensed technologies. consumer use of iimovative communications technologies like Wi-Fi and use of the Lnternet has skyrocketed. Today, nearly half of a// Internet traffic worldwide travels over Wi-Fi connections and Wi-Fi use is expected to continue to grow over the coming years. And the proliferation oflnternet of Things technologies that rely on unlicensed spectrum will further increase unlicensed spectrum utilization. Several factors have made tmlicensed spectrum an incredibly beneficial resource to consumers and businesses. For instance, one of the important attributes of unlicensed spectrum in the U.S. has been that it is a regulated with a very light touch. This very open environment has enabled innovation: however, it has also required cooperation among competing technologies and serious work by industry led standards groups to minimize harmful interference. And, as unlicensed spectrum usage increases, the need for all stakeholders to proactively work together to address interference issues will only grow. At this juncture, stakeholders have indicated that there is an absence of consensus as to the likely real-world effect on millions of Wi-Fi devices by carrier-scale deployment of these LTE technologies. We are concerned that without proper coordination and management, LTE-U may harm Wi-Fi operations. Thus, we support continued FCC oversight and leadership in this area in order to protect consw11ers from potential harm. It remains critical for industry to work together, including through their traditional standards­ development bodies, to resolve concerns over interference. In the meantime, we recommend that the FCC initiate a process that allows industry to develop an effective sharing solution-as has been developed with other technologies in the past- to avoid any unnecessary consumer dislocation. This could include a series of meetings led by the FCC's Office of Engineering and 789 Technology to ensure that constructive dialogue between technical experts continues in an open and neutral forum and to promote continued work on effective spectrnm sharing mechanisms. We encourage you to act on this request expeditiously, given reports that some wireless companies plan to begin deploying L TE-U technologies in the near future. Thank you for your continued eff01ts to preserve the vitality of the Nation·s unlicensed bands. Respectfully, United States SenatoT ~.,, a., .. ~i.-11~1-.1~~--~ Maria Cantwell United States Senator Richard Blumenthal United States Senator ~y%·~ United States Senator Claire McCaskill United States Senator cc: The Honorable Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission The Honorable Jessica Rosenworcel. Commissioner, Federal Communications Conunission The Honorable Ajit Pai , Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission The Honorable Michael O'Rielly, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Tom Udall United States Senate 531 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Udall: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29, 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("STA") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence ofLTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution of this matter. Sincerel Y'lf4t ~eler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Brian Schatz United States Senate 722 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Schatz: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29,2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("STA") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence of LTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution of this matter. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Claire McCaskill United States Senate 730 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator McCaskill: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29, 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("ST A") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence ofLTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution of this matter. " Sincere#~ C- ~heeler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Edward J. Markey United States Senate 255 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Markey: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29, 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("STA") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence of LTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution of this matter. Sincerely, ~ ~ ~ l/Q;" L--- ~eeler y FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF TH E CHAI R MAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Maria Cantwell United States Senate 511 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Cantwell: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29,2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("ST A") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence ofLTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution of this matter. Sincerely,~t£ ~~eeler FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN March 1,2016 The Honorable Richard Blumenthal United States Senate 706 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Blumenthal: Given your ongoing interest in LTE-U, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the status of our efforts to encourage an industry-driven process to enable fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies in the unlicensed bands. As you are aware, the Commission has been actively studying this issue, closely monitoring industry developments, and meeting with stakeholders to encourage common ground solutions to concerns about perceived spectrum sharing problems. On January 29, 2016, the Office of Engineering and Technology granted Special Temporary Authority ("STA") to Qualcomm to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests ofLTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City, O.K. and Raleigh, N.C. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently submitted a letter expressing appreciation for Qualcomm's continued engagement in coexistence work and voiced no objection to the grant of an STA for equipment testing at Verizon facilities. The Wi-Fi Alliance and LTE-U advocates have made significant progress towards developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence ofLTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. We are hopeful that they can resolve the remaining issues and finalize the test plan soon. While Qualcomm and Verizon have agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U, significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment. Experimental LTE-U device operation at any other location would require a new STA. Also, LTE-U devices will require equipment authorization by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the United States and applicants for certification will be required to submit sample devices for testing. I believe that with the dedicated efforts of our staff and the cooperation of industry stakeholders, we have already made significant progress and we will continue to move toward a favorable resolution ofthis matter. ~;;:~,~ Tom Wheeler