Inaugural Meeting of EWA's T-Band Users Forum        

EWA has announced that it will be convening the first formal meeting of its T-Band Users Forum the afternoon of October 11th during the Enterprise Wireless 2012 Leadership Summit at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee.  MORE  

LMCC Board to Meet with the FCC        

At the request of the LMCC Board of Directors, staff members from both the Wireless Telecommunications and Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureaus will be meeting with the LMCC Board on September 12 to discuss frequency coordination and licensing policies associated with trunked radio systems generally, and specifically the implementation of the LMCC's adopted "Adjacent Channel Contours Values" (ACCV) table.  MORE 

USMSS Names Executive Director Bill Dow to Lead National Wireless Association

USMSS Board of Directors has announced the selection of Bill Dow as their new Executive Director.  Dow, who started on September 1, 2012, is an experienced manager and leader in the wireless industry, most recently serving as President of Miner Electronics Laboratories and prior to that, Dow had a twelve year career with Motorola Solutions.  Dow has served on several wireless industry boards and is a graduate of Millikin University.  MORE 

FCC Issues 700 MHz Public Safety Reconsideration 

Based on advice received from NTIA, the FCC stated that it will now entertain requests for Special Temporary Authority (STA) from public safety entities that seek to build out 10 x 10 MHz LTE systems rather than just 5 x 5 networks.  MORE 

T-Band Repurposing Mandate - Public Safety Voices its Concerns

APCO Regulatory Counsel, Robert Gurss, in a presentation during the recent APCO conference noted that the T-Band reallocation mandate by Congress is unworkable and "not thought out well enough." Mr. Gurss noted that the spectrum reform legislation which requires public safety T-band licensees to vacate their 470-512 MHz spectrum operations within nine years significantly underestimates the value of T-Band spectrum for Public Safety users.  MORE 

Industry Struggles for Vehicular Repeater Channels 

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is now seeking comment on an application and waiver request filed back in January 2012 by the Central Ohio Joint Fire District (COJFD) to use frequency 172.225 MHz for its vehicular repeater application.  MORE 

FCC Regulatory Fees Decrease 

The FCC has lowered certain regulatory fees assessed for Public Land Mobile Radio Service license assignments. Effective September 4, 2012, the fee for "Shared Use" licenses at 30-470 MHz will decrease from $260 to $210 ($15/year for a ten-year license, plus a $60 application fee); and for Exclusive Use licenses at 470-512 and 800 and 900 MHz from $460 to $410 ($35/year for the ten-year license, plus a $60 application fee). These FCC fees are collected by EWA and forwarded to the FCC upon license application submission.  MORE 

Inevitable - On-Board Use of Wireless Devices Being Reviewed  

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is revisiting its procedures and policies regarding the use of electronic portable devices during any phase of flight. The FAA and DOT have recently issued a notice requesting comments about the problems "associated with determining if and when PEDs can be used." The intention is to "assess whether more widespread use of PED during flight is appropriate."  FAA Notice 

FirstNet Chairman Named 

On August 20, the Department of Commerce (DOC) announced the first FirstNet Board of Directors.  The twelve individuals chosen include public safety and wireless experts, with Sam Ginn, a former Chairman/CEO of Pacific Telesis, and Chairman of AirTouch, selected as Chairman of the Board.  MORE 

Steps for Mexico Border Region Post-Reconfiguration Detailed 

The FCC has released the post-reconfiguration band plan for the Mexican Border Region and the steps by which channels within systems will be re-tuned to implement that plan.  MORE 

Narrowbanding Deadline Won't Change  

FCC Warns of "Aggressive Enforcement" in Latest Advisory  

Three More Narrowband Extension Requests