Cisco supports NCTA’s proposal to allow use of...

Cisco supports NCTA’s proposal to allow use of the unlicensed national information infrastructure band at up to 1 watt equivalent isotropic radiated power with an antenna gain of up to 6 dBi, said the company in an ex parte filing in docket 13-49 (http://bit.ly/1gfhpxw). This use is acceptable provided that any outdoor base station uses an antenna “that restricts emissions more than 30 degrees above the horizontal plane, that the device is used indoors, or that the device is used for a point-to-point link,” it said. There are ongoing efforts between Wi-Fi interests and the dedicated short-range communications community “to explore ways in which unlicensed uses and DSRC can share the U-NII-4 band without subjecting DSRC to harmful interference,” it said. The filing recounts a meeting last week with staff from the offices of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Ajit Pai and Mike O'Rielly. Globalstar reiterated its support for NCTA’s latest proposal with some minor refinements and a backstop requiring the FCC “to take immediate steps to mitigate any harmful interference to Globalstar’s MSS network and customers,” it said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/1isslGN). The filing recounts teleconferences with Wheeler staff and Julius Knapp, chief of the Office of Engineering & Technology. The FCC March 31 open meeting will include a vote on an order about spectrum that’s been the subject of conflicts between Globalstar and NCTA and their allies (CD March 3 p1) OR (WID March 3 p9).