Lockard & White selected by Pacific Gas & Electric for Microwave System Interference Risk Assessment

Published on
Mar 31, 2024
Written by
Lockard and White
Read time
2 min.
Category
News

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Lockard & White (L&W), a leading provider of network telecommunications engineering services to critical infrastructure providers, has been selected by Pacific Gas & Electric(PG&E) to evaluate their microwave system and determine which of their links are most vulnerable to 6 GHz Wi-Fi interference.

This interference risk stems from highly controversial FCC rule changes that enable the operation of automatically frequency-controlled (AFC) outdoor and unlicensed indoor Wi-Fi devices that operate in the 6 GHz band. For decades, this part of the wireless spectrum had been reserved for licensed-only operation by electric and gas utilities, public safety, oil & gas pipelines, water pipeline, common carriers and other vital private and public entities.

Real-world testing of unlicensed Wi-Fi 6E devices has confirmed them to be a source of harmful interference to licensed microwave systems operating in the 6 GHz band. Lockard & White, in partnership with PG&E, has enhanced its risk assessment methodology to include market adoption forecasts for Wi-Fi 6E and 7 devices to better quantify the increasing interference risk to each path over time.

About Lockard & White

Lockard & White, a certified woman-owned business, is a professional engineering firm providing the highest quality telecommunications systems services in all phases of telecommunications, including planning, design, engineering, implementation, project management, training, licensing, and system management. Lockard & White provides innovative telecommunications solutions by leveraging the collective experience and intellectual resources of the world’s best engineers, planners, and project managers.

About Pacific Gas & Electric

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, incorporated in California in 1905, is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, The company provides natural gas and electric service to approximately 16 million people throughout a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California. There are approximately 23,000 employees who carry out Pacific Gas and Electric Company's primary business—the transmission and delivery of energy.