NCTA Urges Restricted Axon Wi-Fi Sharing

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2024 – A trade association for major cable Internet Service Providers has offered some conditions for permitting Wi-Fi sharing with proposed law enforcement wireless devices.

NCTA – The Internet & Television Association has proposed conditions after making a series of appeals to the Federal Communications Commission to prevent Axon Enterprise from receiving waivers to operate law enforcement wireless devices in popular Wi-Fi bands.

In a July 19 filing, NCTA reaffirmed opposition to Axon’s efforts because of the potential to disrupt popular wireless channels, but the group said that clearly enforced restrictions could at least limit the harm to consumer Wi-Fi use.

“The FCC should… make clear that its decision to grant Axon’s waiver was based on an assessment that Axon’s devices would be used only by law enforcement authorities, for true emergencies only, for periods of time limited to those emergencies,” said Vice President and Associate General Counsel Traci Biswese.

NCTA also said that the FCC should impose other restrictions on any Axon waivers, such as a one year limitation.

“These steps would not prevent significant disruption to consumer use of the U-NII-3 band in areas where Axon’s devices are used. They are necessary, however, to limit the harm to consumers’ use of the U-NII-3 band,” NCTA said.

NCTA’s membership includes Comcast, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications. All three rely heaving on Wi-Fi bands to keep wireless and wireless customers connected to their data networks.

To accommodate concerns of oversaturation, Axon originally proposed that it would use handheld controllers to signal to users to not use the more congested Wi-Fi middle bands. They would be directed to use less congested outer channels.

The waivers would cover three analog, battery-powered wireless devices: a drone, a robot, and a stick-mounted camera. Axon, creator of the Taser electroshock weapon, is based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

NCTA and other Wi-Fi organizations have consistently stated that Axon has not provided sufficient technical evidence that this strategy will not disrupt other users.

In a filing with the FCC on July 17, Wi-Fi Forward found that if operating in the proposed channels, Axon’s devices would render the channel "unusable" for Wi-Fi in that area. WiFi Forward's membership includes Best Buy, Amazon, Comcast, and Google.

NCTA also pointed out that Axon wanted to operate in the U-NII-3 band specifically because of its pro-sharing capability. NCTA said that an FCC waiver would encourage other parties to dominate bands designed for sharing rather than develop their own pro-sharing mechanisms.

Axon has the support of the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), a law enforcement association of the largest sheriff’s offices representing counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more and serving more than 130 million Americans.

Seven House members – six Republicans and one Democrat ­– support Axon's wavier request.