Reducing Private Carrier Regulatory Obligations                

It is EWA's opinion that non-interconnected private carrier systems should not be obligated to comply with requirements that are specifically directed at telecommunication service/common carrier systems in order to comply with Customer Proprietary Network Information and, more recently, the FCC's "Accessibility Recordkeeping Compliance" rules.  MORE 

EWA Weighs T-Band Options for Industrial/Business               

With absolutely no assurances that comparable spectrum and funding from auctions may be identified in sufficient quantities to accommodate public safety's mandated relocation from T-Band, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) recently released a study predicting that it will take $5.9 billion dollars to satisfy this legislative spectrum quid pro quo. Those on Capitol Hill who still believe that public safety was or is not a substantial user of T-Band, and that the 700 MHz for 470-512 MHz spectrum exchange therefore still makes sense, are still wrong. Of course, EWA is obligated to defend the spectrum rights of the Industrial/Business and private carrier T-Band incumbent licensees that represent 40% of the total private land mobile T-Band space.  MORE 

Digital/Analog Coordination Best Practices Recommended; EWA Will Implement 

With more and more licensees converting systems from analog to digital technology, the potential for incompatibility between systems in shared spectrum environments is increasing.  This is especially the case if licensees are unfamiliar with system capabilities, install system features that are not authorized or, simply fail to consider the impact that their systems may have on other legitimate licensees. With these issues in mind, and with the FCC's support, the Land Mobile Communications Council recently submitted its recommendation on "Digital/Analog Frequency Coordination Best Practices" to the Commission.  MORE 

Sanity Prevails - TIA Issues New IS Standard          

There is now a responsible, competitive alternative to the revised "Intrinsically Safe" (IS) standards that were announced in late 2010 by FM Approvals which were almost universally opposed by the land mobile industry. The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standard, which was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) answers the concerns expressed by public safety organizations, LMCC, API, EWA and others. The TIA standard provides technical information related to the design, manufacturing, and testing of battery-powered land mobile radio equipment that are normally hand carried or worn on employees.  MORE 

Commission Updating RF Exposure Guidelines         

In a matter EWA will be watching closely, the FCC has announced in a Notice of Inquiry that it plans to update its guidelines governing human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields.  MORE  

FCC Schedules Auction of Federal Government Spectrum        

Spectrum, a lot of it, is needed to feed commercial broadband requirements, and Federal Government spectrum is on the auction block again. The FCC notified the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of its plan to auction licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1780 MHz bands by September 2014.  MORE 

Finally - 800 MHz Mexican Border Band Plan Established           

It took a while, but 800 MHz licensees located along the U.S.-Mexican border may now proceed with reconfiguring their 800 MHz systems now that the FCC has released the ground rules in a Fifth Report and Order. The new plan required an agreement to modify the international 800 MHz allocation in that region.  MORE  

VHF and UHF Auction Procedures Outlined      

FCC Leadership Changes      

Failure to Construct Leads to Fine