Data / Federal rules / 2026-03744
Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band; Expanding Flexible Use in Mid-Band Spectrum Between 3.7 and 24 GHz
The Federal Communications Commission published this final rule in the Federal Register on February 25, 2026. It took effect on April 27, 2026.
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What the agency says
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopts rules allowing unlicensed geofenced variable power (GVP) devices to operate in the U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 portions of the 6 GHz band (5.925-7.125 GHz) at up to 11 dBm/MHz EIRP power spectral density and 24 dBm EIRP. GVP devices must use geofencing systems to prevent harmful interference to licensed microwave links and radio astronomy observatories. The geofencing systems will calculate exclusion zones where GVP devices cannot operate on specified frequencies. Each GVP access point must have a geolocation capability to determine its location and avoid operating on prohibited frequencies within the exclusion zones. Client devices must operate 6 dB below the access point's authorized power. These rules permit the GVP devices to operate at higher power than very lower power 6 GHz band unlicensed devices.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-03744
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
- Published
- February 25, 2026
- Takes effect
- April 27, 2026
- Dates
- This rule is effective April 27, 2026.
- Docket
- ET Docket No. 18-295 and GN Docket No. 17-183; FCC 26-1; FR ID 331544
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 47 CFR 0; 47 CFR 15
- Topics
- Authority delegations (Government agencies); Communications; Communications equipment; Radio; Telecommunications
- Pages
- 30
Other documents from the Federal Communications Commission
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Modernizing the Commission's National Environmental Policy Act Rules 2026-21347 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Upper C-Band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band 2026-21324 | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Petition for Reconsideration of Action in Rulemaking Proceeding; Correction 2026-21312 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Television Broadcasting Services Des Moines, Iowa 2026-21260 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Petition for Reconsideration of Action in Rulemaking Proceeding 2026-20895 | Proposed rule | Oct 13 |
| Radio Broadcasting Services; Selmer, Tennessee 2026-20464 | Final rule | Oct 6 |
| Radio Broadcasting Services; Whitehall, Michigan 2026-20463 | Final rule | Oct 6 |
| Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics Adopt 2026 Mandatory Data Collection for Incarcerated People's Communications Services 2026-20362 | Final rule | Oct 5 |
Everything from the Federal Communications Commission · Rules on authority delegations (government agencies) · Rules on communications · Rules on communications equipment · Published in February 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.