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February 9, 2011
Volume 5, Issue 3
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Administration Targets D-Block for Public Safety
On January 26, the White House announced that it supports the re-purposing of the 700 MHz D-Block for public safety to be combined with an existing public safety allocation to create a full 20 MHz broadband spectrum block. The Administration also said it would push for $10.5B to be dedicated for the public safety broadband network from incentive auctions, and for an additional $5B, possibly also from incentive auctions, dedicated to constructing the network in rural areas. MORE
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FCC Favors LTE for Public Safety Interoperability
The FCC adopted a 3rd Report & Order (R&O) and a 4th Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) addressing interoperability on the intended nationwide 700 MHz broadband network. The R&O requires that all 700 MHz public safety mobile broadband networks use the LTE standard as their air-interface to support roaming and interoperability. MORE
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FCC Picks All Nine TV White Space Database Administrators
On January 26, the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) issued an Order conditionally designating nine companies as the geo-location database administrators whose objective is to mitigate the potential for interference from unlicensed white devices to incumbent operators. Devices operating on TV white space spectrum are designed to bypass frequencies designated in the databases as being in use and licensed to broadcast and land mobile entities. MORE
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Speedy FCC Decision Favors L-Band Service Provider
In what appears to be one of the most expedited decisions ever made by the FCC, the International Bureau on January 26 granted Mobile Satellite Service licensee LightSquared a conditional waiver of the Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) "integrated service" rules in the 1.5/1.6 GHz L-Band spectrum. Just this past November, LightSquared submitted an application for modification of its existing ATC authorization, asserting that the services it plans to offer would meet the Commission's integrated service requirements for MSS/ATC L-Band systems. MORE
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FCC To Investigate Rapidly Deployable Aerial Telecommunications
The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released a Public Notice January 28 seeking comments on or before February 28 on initiatives and strategies that could be adopted to support state-of-the-art aerial telecommunications. The Commission referenced unmanned aerial vehicles, balloon-mounted or unmounted systems, and others technologies that could be deployed within an area during the initial hours following a natural disaster. MORE
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TIA Takes Lead on Intrinsically Safe Radio Issue
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has recently agreed to form a special engineering subcommittee to address ongoing concerns with FM Approval's revised certification standards for intrinsically safe radios. MORE
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EWA Attends FCC Narrowbanding Workshop
Hours prior to the DC area's first significant snow storm of 2011 on January 26, the FCC conducted a workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding. EWA staff reported the goal was to assist licensees in completing the transition to narrowband radio communications by the Commission's January 1, 2013 deadline. The two main topics were Impact on Licensees and Potential Funding Sources for public safety licensees. During the workshop, the FCC was asked what action(s) it expected to take with regard to licensees that do not meet the deadline. MORE
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CPNI Filing Requirements
There continues to be some confusion regarding the FCC's rules regarding the requirement by "telecommunication carriers" to submit by March 1st a Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) certification. EWA offers the following analysis and guidance to assist those members who question their requirement to comply with applicable FCC rules. First, it is clear that if you are providing a telecommunications service that is interconnected with the public-switch telephone network (PSTN), you are obliged to file a CPNI certification on March 1st. What is not as clear, however, are the certification requirements for telecommunication carriers (this includes private carriers and SMR systems) that ARE NOT interconnected with the PSTN. MORE
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Mark Crosby to Keynote RCA Breakfast
Mark's presentation is titled "Existing Licensees and the Push to Broadband," and he will address the drive to accommodate broadband's appetite for spectrum, how it seems to be driving policy decisions and the possible effects on incumbent licensees. The RCA Breakfast is on Thursday, March 10 at 7:30am, during IWCE 2011, at the Renaissance Hotel. It is open to all and reservations can be made by contacting RCA.
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Expired License AND the Wrong Airport
The FCC recently visited the offices of South Bay Aviation, Inc. to confirm whether they were operating on 122.95 MHz without a license at the Torrance Airport in Torrance, California. No license was found on the day of the inspection, but the following day South Bay contacted the FCC to advise that they had located the license, but it had expired. MORE
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You're Not Even Eligible for the License You Don't Have
A Scottsdale, Arizona Lexus car dealership purchased over forty radios that were programmed to operate on both Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies. What they didn't learn at the time of their purchase was that the GMRS is a "land mobile radio service available to persons for short-distance two-way communication to facilitate the activities of licensees and their immediate family members, and the party responsible for a GMRS station must obtain a license prior to transmitting on any channel authorized in the GMRS." Scottsdale Lexus advised the FCC they did not know a license was needed. MORE
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Licensee Found Liable for Contractor Omissions
Cricket Communications, Inc. (Cricket) was issued a $20,000 fine for providing inaccurate information when filing its notice of construction for its fixed point-to-point microwave radio service station WQJE535, and for operating that station along with station WQJF544 for a period of seven months prior to obtaining an FCC license. MORE
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On the Road with EWA
EWA will be attending several spring exhibitions, tradeshows, and industry meetings starting February 10. Come visit with us, share what projects you're working on, and learn where we can help with our spectrum and technology solution services. Visit EWA staff professionals at:
- GLMSS, February 10-11 in St. St. Pete Beach, Florida;
- Motorola Channel Partner Expo, March 6-8, in Las Vegas, Nevada;
- IWCE, March 9-11, in Las Vegas, Nevada
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Comlink Technologies
Bensenville, IL
http://comlinktechnologies.com
Emergency Equipment & Communications, Inc.
Yadkinville, NC
Pike Electric, LLC
Mount Airy, NC
http://www.pike.com
Questar InfoCom, Inc.
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.questarpipeline.com/qic/
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Send Us Your Comments
Members are encouraged to contact EWA with their comments and recommendations regarding the Alliance's services.
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