Moving WiFi Forward in the 6 GHz Band

On January 3, the Wi-Fi Alliance ("WifiForward") introduced Wi-Fi 6E, a new term to identify Wi-Fi 6 products that can operate in the 6 GHz band. Here is WifiForward's statement announcing the introduction:

“Today, unlicensed spectrum stands out as one of the FCC’s most successful policy experiments ever. By allowing permissionless innovation in a band of spectrum, we’ve seen billions of dollars of economic value created, millions of people and devices connected and terabytes of critical data sent via technology like Wi-Fi. Today’s announcement by Wi-Fi Alliance shows that industry is ready to unleash even more innovation in the 6 GHz band, as soon as the FCC can make it available for technologies like Wi-Fi.”

After issuance of the WifiForward statement, FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly tweeted:

Must conclude @FCC proceeding ASAP, including parameters to protect incumbents, getting multiple unlicensed layers (LPI, VLP, & AFC-needing) into innovators' hands. Unlicensed in 6 GHz will be transformative!

I agree with Commissioner O'Rielly. It's important for the FCC to move forward with the 6 GHz proceeding with dispatch.