Three and only three ... 

Effective Monday, March 12th, there are now three and only three public safety organizations that have the coveted FCC-certified frequency advisory committee medallion. On February 22nd,  IMSA/IAFC and FCCA announced that they had joined their respective frequency coordination forces under a single organization called the Public Safety Communications Associates (PSCA).  MORE 

Do you have an opinion about this topic that you'd like to share online with your colleagues? Join the discussion in Crosby's Corner, here.

Multiplicity of Topics 

In a recent meeting with the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security and Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus, Mark E. Crosby, EWA President and Liz Sachs, EWA Regulatory Counsel, discussed a number of outstanding regulatory issues of critical interest to EWA members.  MORE 

EWA Extends Its Relationship with FCCA to PSCA 

Effective March 12, 2012, EWA is electronically submitting its public safety customer FCC license applications to the newly formed Public Safety Communications Associates (PSCA) (See article below ). Since May of 2007, under a services agreement with the Forestry Conservation Communications Association (FCCA), EWA had been sending FCCA a significant level of its public safety application volume for frequency coordination and certification.  MORE 

Public Safety Coordinator PSCA Formed 

It became official on Monday, the Public Safety Communications Associates (PSCA) is now open for public safety frequency coordination business.  PSCA is the united effort of the FCC-certified frequency advisory committees Forestry Conservation Communications Association (FCCA) and the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA)/International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).  MORE 

New Public-Private Initiative To Boost Collaboration 

Chairman Genachowski has announced a new Public-Private Initiative to drive collaboration among government and private sector entities, including non-profit organizations, on broadband-related national priorities. The initiative is meant to advance key broadband goals outlined in the National Broadband Plan, including broadband adoption, digital literacy, technology and education, cybersecurity, public safety, job creation, and broadband and healthcare. 

American Time Disagrees with EWA's Comments  

Earlier this year EWA filed comments at the FCC in response to a request for waiver submitted by American Time and Signal (ATS) that sought agency permission to license 20-40 watt base stations as mobile units under an MO6 (private carrier station class) on certain 450-470 MHz channels that manage clock systems.  MORE 

Deja Vu - State of Maine Public Notice 

The FCC has released its second Public Notice seeking comment on the State of Maine's request to use non-public safety VHF spectrum to accommodate the deployment of its state-wide communications system. The first comment cycle sought comment on the viability of using 160 MHz VHF spectrum that is available for primarily for railroad operations.  MORE   

Reducing Barriers to Innovation 

In response to Sprint Nextel's proposal to deploy CDMA technology in the 800 MHz band, the FCC's proposes to "eliminate a legacy channel spacing and bandwidth limitation" for 800 MHz ESMR licensees in the 858.5-869 MHz band holding geographic area EA licenses.  The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking states that making this change is expected to "reduce barriers to innovation and investment in new technologies and to promote greater spectrum efficiency."  MORE 

Strange Sightings 

Altaphon, a company that holds a number of low band paging licenses that it won at auction that provide geographic area coverages in several Western States, petitioned the FCC to grant a waiver to permit it to operate both mobile and base transmitters so that it may provide a range of services including conventional radiotelephone and dispatch services, public safety facilities monitoring and interoperability gateway services. What makes this matter a bit strange is that the FCC Public Notice seeking comment (DA 12-304) was released nearly five years after Altaphon's initial waiver request in 2007.  MORE 

FCC Has Zero Tolerance for Jammers 

The FCC has issued an Enforcement Advisory alerting consumers of the illegal use, sales and importing of jammers and warns that it has a "zero tolerance policy in this area and will take aggressive action against violators" and notes that penalties can exceed $1 million per violation.  MORE   

Tuition Increases Forthcoming 

Glen Iris Baptist School (Glen Iris), licensee of two broadcast stations in Birmingham, Alabama, was issued a Notice of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture for failing to file the Station's Children's Programming Report with the Commission and placing this information in their public inspection files. Per the Commissions' rules under Section 73.3526, each commercial broadcast licensee is required to "maintain a public inspection file containing specific types of information  related to station operations" such as a Children's Television Programming  quarterly report which is also required to be placed in the Station's public files.  MORE 

Narrowband Compliance - Verify All License Data! 

When it is determined that a license needs updating to comply with the FCC's narrowbanding requirement, it is a good idea to take the time to verify all license administrative and technical data to ensure the license is in complete rule compliance, not just narrowbanding compliance.  MORE  

Visit EWA at these Upcoming Events 

EDMSSA Annual Meeting

Dover, Delaware

April 11-13, 2012.  Learn more  

WMSP Annual Meeting

Phoenix, Arizona

May 2-3, 2012

SEMSS Annual Meeting 

Chattanooga, Tennessee

June 20-22, 2012