diff --git a/include/net/mac80211.h b/include/net/mac80211.h
index 3771625b7a9d..40fbd15e6c8c 100644
--- a/include/net/mac80211.h
+++ b/include/net/mac80211.h
@@ -6269,8 +6269,6 @@ struct sk_buff *ieee80211_tx_dequeue(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
  * @hw: pointer as obtained from ieee80211_alloc_hw()
  * @ac: AC number to return packets from.
  *
- * Should only be called between calls to ieee80211_txq_schedule_start()
- * and ieee80211_txq_schedule_end().
  * Returns the next txq if successful, %NULL if no queue is eligible. If a txq
  * is returned, it should be returned with ieee80211_return_txq() after the
  * driver has finished scheduling it.
@@ -6278,51 +6276,41 @@ struct sk_buff *ieee80211_tx_dequeue(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 struct ieee80211_txq *ieee80211_next_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac);
 
 /**
- * ieee80211_return_txq - return a TXQ previously acquired by ieee80211_next_txq()
- *
- * @hw: pointer as obtained from ieee80211_alloc_hw()
- * @txq: pointer obtained from station or virtual interface
- *
- * Should only be called between calls to ieee80211_txq_schedule_start()
- * and ieee80211_txq_schedule_end().
- */
-void ieee80211_return_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_txq *txq);
-
-/**
- * ieee80211_txq_schedule_start - acquire locks for safe scheduling of an AC
+ * ieee80211_txq_schedule_start - start new scheduling round for TXQs
  *
  * @hw: pointer as obtained from ieee80211_alloc_hw()
  * @ac: AC number to acquire locks for
  *
- * Acquire locks needed to schedule TXQs from the given AC. Should be called
- * before ieee80211_next_txq() or ieee80211_return_txq().
+ * Should be called before ieee80211_next_txq() or ieee80211_return_txq().
  */
-void ieee80211_txq_schedule_start(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
-	__acquires(txq_lock);
+void ieee80211_txq_schedule_start(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac);
+
+/* (deprecated) */
+static inline void ieee80211_txq_schedule_end(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
+{
+}
 
 /**
- * ieee80211_txq_schedule_end - release locks for safe scheduling of an AC
+ * ieee80211_schedule_txq - schedule a TXQ for transmission
  *
  * @hw: pointer as obtained from ieee80211_alloc_hw()
- * @ac: AC number to acquire locks for
+ * @txq: pointer obtained from station or virtual interface
  *
- * Release locks previously acquired by ieee80211_txq_schedule_end().
+ * Schedules a TXQ for transmission if it is not already scheduled.
  */
-void ieee80211_txq_schedule_end(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
-	__releases(txq_lock);
+void ieee80211_schedule_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
 
 /**
- * ieee80211_schedule_txq - schedule a TXQ for transmission
+ * ieee80211_return_txq - return a TXQ previously acquired by ieee80211_next_txq()
  *
  * @hw: pointer as obtained from ieee80211_alloc_hw()
  * @txq: pointer obtained from station or virtual interface
- *
- * Schedules a TXQ for transmission if it is not already scheduled. Takes a
- * lock, which means it must *not* be called between
- * ieee80211_txq_schedule_start() and ieee80211_txq_schedule_end()
  */
-void ieee80211_schedule_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
-	__acquires(txq_lock) __releases(txq_lock);
+static inline void
+ieee80211_return_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
+{
+	ieee80211_schedule_txq(hw, txq);
+}
 
 /**
  * ieee80211_txq_may_transmit - check whether TXQ is allowed to transmit
diff --git a/net/mac80211/tx.c b/net/mac80211/tx.c
index ca23abbf5c0b..51cc37802439 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/tx.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/tx.c
@@ -3653,16 +3653,17 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_tx_dequeue);
 struct ieee80211_txq *ieee80211_next_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
 {
 	struct ieee80211_local *local = hw_to_local(hw);
+	struct ieee80211_txq *ret = NULL;
 	struct txq_info *txqi = NULL;
 
-	lockdep_assert_held(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
+	spin_lock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 
  begin:
 	txqi = list_first_entry_or_null(&local->active_txqs[ac],
 					struct txq_info,
 					schedule_order);
 	if (!txqi)
-		return NULL;
+		goto out;
 
 	if (txqi->txq.sta) {
 		struct sta_info *sta = container_of(txqi->txq.sta,
@@ -3679,21 +3680,25 @@ struct ieee80211_txq *ieee80211_next_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
 
 
 	if (txqi->schedule_round == local->schedule_round[ac])
-		return NULL;
+		goto out;
 
 	list_del_init(&txqi->schedule_order);
 	txqi->schedule_round = local->schedule_round[ac];
-	return &txqi->txq;
+	ret = &txqi->txq;
+
+out:
+	spin_unlock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
+	return ret;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_next_txq);
 
-void ieee80211_return_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
-			  struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
+void ieee80211_schedule_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
+			    struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
 {
 	struct ieee80211_local *local = hw_to_local(hw);
 	struct txq_info *txqi = to_txq_info(txq);
 
-	lockdep_assert_held(&local->active_txq_lock[txq->ac]);
+	spin_lock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[txq->ac]);
 
 	if (list_empty(&txqi->schedule_order) &&
 	    (!skb_queue_empty(&txqi->frags) || txqi->tin.backlog_packets)) {
@@ -3713,17 +3718,7 @@ void ieee80211_return_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 			list_add_tail(&txqi->schedule_order,
 				      &local->active_txqs[txq->ac]);
 	}
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_return_txq);
 
-void ieee80211_schedule_txq(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
-			    struct ieee80211_txq *txq)
-	__acquires(txq_lock) __releases(txq_lock)
-{
-	struct ieee80211_local *local = hw_to_local(hw);
-
-	spin_lock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[txq->ac]);
-	ieee80211_return_txq(hw, txq);
 	spin_unlock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[txq->ac]);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_schedule_txq);
@@ -3736,7 +3731,7 @@ bool ieee80211_txq_may_transmit(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 	struct sta_info *sta;
 	u8 ac = txq->ac;
 
-	lockdep_assert_held(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
+	spin_lock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 
 	if (!txqi->txq.sta)
 		goto out;
@@ -3766,34 +3761,27 @@ bool ieee80211_txq_may_transmit(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 
 	sta->airtime[ac].deficit += sta->airtime_weight;
 	list_move_tail(&txqi->schedule_order, &local->active_txqs[ac]);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 
 	return false;
 out:
 	if (!list_empty(&txqi->schedule_order))
 		list_del_init(&txqi->schedule_order);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 
 	return true;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_txq_may_transmit);
 
 void ieee80211_txq_schedule_start(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
-	__acquires(txq_lock)
 {
 	struct ieee80211_local *local = hw_to_local(hw);
 
 	spin_lock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 	local->schedule_round[ac]++;
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_txq_schedule_start);
-
-void ieee80211_txq_schedule_end(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, u8 ac)
-	__releases(txq_lock)
-{
-	struct ieee80211_local *local = hw_to_local(hw);
-
 	spin_unlock_bh(&local->active_txq_lock[ac]);
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_txq_schedule_end);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_txq_schedule_start);
 
 void __ieee80211_subif_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb,
 				  struct net_device *dev,
