Senator Schatz, Colleagues Call for More Oversight on Unlicensed Spectrum

As the Federal Communications Commission begins a process to examine the effects of new technologies like LTE Unlicensed, Sens Brian Schatz (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler calling for more oversight on the potential interference LTE-U could have on Wi-Fi.

The Sens wrote," 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 sure that these new technologies operate fairly and do not impede the availability of the unlicensed spectrum necessary for robust Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies or otherwise degrade operations. 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 consumers 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 Technology to ensure that constructive dialogue between technical experts continues in an open and neutral forum and to promote continued work on effective spectrum sharing mechanisms. We encourage you to act on this request expeditiously, given reports that some wireless companies plan to begin deploying LTE-U technologies in the near future."