On September 6, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Universal Licensing System (ULS) will now accept applications for temporary fixed stations operating in the 6 GHz band. The update was necessary to ensure these systems can be protected from interference from new unlicensed devices. As a result of a 2020 rule change, the FCC is authorizing Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) systems to facilitate access to the 6 GHz band for “standard power” unlicensed devices. To determine the available frequencies for standard power devices to use, the AFC systems will rely on data collected from ULS regarding the location of fixed microwave links. The Bureau’s announcement states that ULS is now capable of accepting information on temporary fixed stations and instructs licensees to register these stations prior to transmission. Instructions for licensees to register their temporary fixed stations and provide relevant operational details are included in the Bureau’s announcement.
