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What’s happening?
The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) is an agency of
the federal government which licenses all radio
transmitters in the U.S. The FCC is asking most
public safety users who have radio systems that
use frequencies in the 800 Megahertz (MHz) band
to change their frequencies over the next 3 years.
The FCC has ordered these frequency changes via
a Report and Order (R&O) that was issued
6 August 2004 and will be published in the Federal
Register. Note that radio systems that operate
on other bands are not affected.
Do
my radio people know about this already?
Yes,
as holders of the licenses for the radio systems
that your law enforcement, fire, ambulance, and
rescue services use, your personnel that manage
and maintain your systems are already aware of
this required frequency change, and are beginning
to plan for it now. They will be keeping you informed
of their progress on this frequency change, and
may require assistance from yourself and other
political leaders to ensure that the stringent
deadlines are met.
What’s
the urgency?
The FCC has only allowed 36 months
for over a thousand public safety radio
systems to change frequencies in the U.S. Public
safety agencies will have to work very fast with
the personnel and management responsible for their
radio systems in order to meet this timeline. Some
systems must begin changing frequencies (reconfiguring)
almost immediately and will be subject to having
completed the reconfiguration in 20 months; all
will have to have started within 30 months, and
all will have to be completed in 36 months. This
frequency change is unprecedented in the history
of radio communications and many problems must
be resolved along the way.
Can
this be put off?
No, there is no appeal or recourse
if your public safety radio system uses
the 800 MHz frequencies that are being changed.
Not every system must be changed, but it is estimated
that over 50% of those currently licensed at 800
MHz must do this. This mandate of the FCC, which
is within their authority to require, is the result
of 3 years of study and input from the radio industry.
Several other solutions were looked at, but the
FCC has decided that changing frequencies is the
best method to solve the problem permanently. If
an agency does not comply with the FCC order, then
they may be subject to fines or having their radio
licenses revoked. In addition, at the end of the
3 years, they will find many of their neighboring
agencies will be on new frequencies, making interoperability
impossible unless the agency concerned has also
changed its frequencies in accordance with the
FCC R&O.
Why
this is happening?
Many vital public safety
systems on the 800 MHz band have been receiving
interference for many years from certain cellular
telephone systems, including the Nextel system.
The reason for this is that the cellular systems
are very close in frequency to the public safety
frequencies. Your particular system may or may
not have experienced interference so far, but the
FCC has decided to implement these frequency changes
in order to prevent any further problems which
may hinder public safety communications.
Who
is going to pay for these changes?
Nextel is
going to pay for all reasonable costs for the
frequency changes, including necessary help from
consultants and attorneys, for equipment modifications
or replacement, and the labor required to implement
the frequency changes and test the system. Nextel
has been required to post a $2.5 billion letter
of credit to guarantee that the work will be paid
for, but they are also required to pay more than
that if the total bill goes above this. Public
safety agencies will prepare the necessary "reconfiguration" cost
estimates. The agencies may employ outside help
from their system vendors or consultants or both
in preparing such cost estimates. The agencies
will present those cost estimates to Nextel, and
negotiate with Nextel culminating in an agreement
from Nextel to pay the necessary costs. The TA
(Transistion Administrator) and possibly the FCC
may arbitrate differences in cost agreements if
necessary. Once approved by Nextel, agencies will
be paid in advance of the work being done, to avoid
cash flow problems to their governments. However,
agencies should not incur major cost liabilities
until they have a signed agreement from Nextel.
In general, Nextel will pay agencies to change
frequencies and ensure the system is equivalent
to your current system performance (“comparable
facilities”), but not to purchase new equipment
if the existing equipment can be reconfigured.
There is an appeal process established in case
the agency and Nextel cannot agree on the costs.
Some agencies may wish to use the funds Nextel
will provide and add some funds of their own to
accomplish systems upgrades beyond the frequency
changes in order to improve system functionality
or coverage.
Will
my public safety communications be ‘off
the air’ at all?
The overriding concern of
all parties, including your own radio personnel,
the FCC, Nextel, and your radio systems vendor
M/A-COM, is that vital public safety communications
never be off the air. This will not be an easy
task to accomplish, and will require setting up
some sort of temporary facilities which will vary
from system to system. Your communications personnel
will be very carefully planning this with your
public safety officers to ensure that this goal
is met, and that after the frequency changes are
completed, your systems continue to provide the
necessary functions but without the previous interference
from Nextel or other cellular telephone companies.
It is important that these temporary facilities
be built into the estimate of costs.
What
can I do?
Your radio systems personnel will
be under considerable time pressure to plan the
frequency change, and to ensure that there is no
interruption to vital communications during the
change. They will have to work with the FCC, other
neighboring public safety agencies, Nextel, and
your radio vendor, M/A-COM, to ensure a coordinated
move. Although Nextel is paying for the costs of
the system, most governments will require review
and approval of the negotiations and the contract
for Nextel to pay the costs. As a leader in your
government, you can assist your radio personnel
by ensuring that the review and approval of their
work receives high priority attention and review
cycles are minimized as much as possible. Remember,
your personnel are complying with a federal mandate,
and there is no recourse for being late.
Where
can I get more information?
Your radio personnel
will have considerable information and background
on this issue. Your radio systems are provided
by M/A-COM, one of the leading manufacturers of
public safety radio systems. We have established
a Web site at www.macom-wireless.com/800rebanding/
on this subject. You can also find information
at the FCC Web site: http://wireless.fcc.gov/publicsafety/800MHz/bandinterference.html.
For further information contact: Administrator@800rebanding.macom.com |
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