EWA Promoting Launch of Wireless Solutions Center
Throughout the recent Motorola Channel Partner Expo and IWCE events in Las Vegas, EWA was widely promoting the Enterprise Wireless Solutions Center® launch, forthcoming this May. The solutions center is a new on-line service from EWA, providing sales leads for participating dealer and vendor members. Business and state/local government buyers will find information about the latest wireless applications, products and services, and vendors that sell, install, and maintain them; vendors will find new dealer sales channels, and dealers will find new vendors. EWA will also provide wireless system buyers with help leading up to their procurement decision, for example, help with vendor research, RFP development, and cost/benefit analyses. MORE
Category:EWA Holds Killer Apps Super Session at IWCE
The week-long IWCE event recently held in Las Vegas was punctuated on closing day by a special two-hour “Super Session”, Killer Apps in Wireless, moderated by EWA’s Eric Hill. Technologies included wireless IP video surveillance (presented by Mobilcomm); field worker and enterprise mobility management (NetMotion Wireless); security apps over mesh networks (Firetide); new paging innovations (Prism Systems International); and radio over IP (Alcatel-Lucent).
Category:Promote Licensing Compliance
EWA has reported in the past that the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has been issuing Notice of Violations to service organizations in reference to FCC rule Section 90.427(b), which states that "no person shall program into a transmitter frequencies for which the licensee using the transmitter is not authorized." EWA recently sent out a sample Customer Radio Programming Release form to radio dealers which may be adapted for their purposes if they are unsure whether the equipment they are programming is properly licensed or not.
You may request a copy of this sample form by contacting Louise Hippolyte at louise@enterprisewireless.org.
“Is ... no longer doing so”
Lubbock Aero, Lubbock, Texas, was found liable for a forfeiture in the amount of $10,000 for operating on 123.300 MHz without an authorization which could have been the source of interference to aviation support stations. In response to an FCC letter of inquiry, Lubbock Aero admitted that it operated on frequency 123.300 MHz, but added that it “is ... no longer doing so.” Lubbock Aero added that it did not receive any complaints of interference. The FCC concluded that the use of the channel was undertaken without any previous Commission authorization, in violation of the Communications Act and Commission rules, and deserved the base forfeiture amount of $10,000 without reduction for operation of a station without Commission authority. MORE
Category: Enforcement CornerCalAmp To Lease SpaceData 900 MHz Spectrum
CalAmp, a leading provider of wireless products and services, agreed to lease 100 kHz of spectrum nationally in the 901.9-902 MHz band to allow for CalAmp’s wireless products to transmit at higher power and minimize line-of-site and noise issues that unlicensed 900 MHz spectrum creates. MORE
Category: In the newsEWA Board Member Interviewed by Mission Critical Magazine
EWA Board member Paul Anderson, Communications Manager of Delta Airlines, recently shared his strategic views with Mission Critical on his company’s efforts to combine over 50,000 wireless and radio communications devices into one communications network. “We see a hybrid of radio voice and data requirements that will be part of the overall strategic plan as we move forward,” said Anderson. Delta, which recently opened their new Operations Control Center (OCC) in Atlanta, GA, is reviewing their communications for air-to-ground operations as well as ground-to-ground with the expectation of developing a standard for their hub control centers around the world. MORE
Category: In the newsFCC Seeks Input on Public Safety 700 MHz Recommendations
The FCC is interested in receiving comments from those public safety entities that filed waiver requests seeking to deploy systems early within public safety’s 700 MHz broadband spectrum allocation. Data concerning potential future technology standards and information for a proposed Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) are specifically of interest to the Commission. MORE
Category: In the newsMotorola Requests Interpretation of Waiver of FCC Rule 90.267
Motorola has filed a Request for Declaratory ruling asking that the Commission confirm that the standard 5 MHz separation between paired channels in the 450-470 MHz band does not apply to systems authorized pursuant to the low power pools in Rule Section 90.267. Motorola argues that the public interest would be better served by promoting more effective utilization of spectrum, because it would facilitate the deployment of low power repeaters with non-standard separation to avoid the occurrence of intermodulation interference when multiple repeater cells are used within close proximity. MORE
Category: In the newsWireless Microphones Not a Good Idea at T-Band
The Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) recently urged the FCC to prohibit the manufacture and use of wireless microphones intended for unlicensed use on TV channel 14-20 spectrum. The LMCC pointed out that the issues raised in this proceeding are identical to those in the TV White Space proceeding where the FCC determined not to permit portable/personal devices on those channels because of the likelihood of interference to land mobile users operating in those bands in eleven markets. MORE
Category: In the newsPart 90 Rule Changes Adopted
Consistent with the recommendations of EWA, the LMCC and most others within the industry, the FCC determined that a reduction in authorized bandwidth does not require frequency coordination; agreed that state and local government entities could use I/B pool spectrum for commercial activities such as operating golf courses, but not for public safety operations; and decided against allowing Wireless Medical Telemetry Service operations on a secondary basis in portions of the 1427-1432 MHz band where non-medical users have primary status. More importantly, the FCC issued a Further Notice seeking comment on LMCC recommendations to modify and clarify Section 90.187 governing trunking in the bands below 512 MHz. MORE
Category: In the newsFCC Launches its Spectrum Dashboard
While just at the beta level, the Commission’s Spectrum Dashboard is intended to allow users to more easily review how spectrum bands are allocated and used and also allows users to identify license holders in specific areas. The initial version provides information covering frequencies between 225 MHz and 3.7 GHz – the range of spectrum potentially usable for mobile broadband. FCC Site
Category: In the newsFCC Releases its National Broadband Plan
According to the FCC, the National Broadband Plan and the associated great infrastructure challenge of the 21st century will be as meaningful to the United States as was the development of the railways in the 1860s, the electrical grid in the 1930s, and the interstate highway system of the 1950s. Plan recommendations fall into three sections, namely fostering innovation and competition in networks, devices and applications; redirecting assets that the government controls or influences in order to spur investment and inclusion; and optimizing the use of broadband to help achieve national priorities. It is anticipated that release of the Plan will now trigger perhaps dozens of rulemaking proceedings. The section of the Plan addressing spectrum issues may have the most significance for EWA members. FCC Plan site
Category: In the newsThe real work will start soon ...
It’s out. It’s released, all 376 plus pages of it, on March 17th. The Commission has satisfied its congressional obligations in the $787 billion economic stimulus package by releasing its National Broadband Plan. The objectives are far-reaching and you can tell that the Commission is proud of its work to date. Visit the FCC’s web site and you will find that they are promoting the plan with unbounded enthusiasm. Marketing is something that I’m just not quite used to from the Commission. It seems out of place to me, but maybe I’m just old fashioned and would rather they stick to developing, not selling, national telecom policy.
Specific strategic policy goals within the plan include, among other objectives, that no fewer than 100 million homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 50 Mbps. That certainly sounds fast, but I think the critical word to pay attention to is “affordable.” Reasonable people can and will disagree on what is meant by affordable. How will we know when the nation gets to 100 million homes? How close are we now and what happens to those citizens who want to be left alone and are content that they have no access to broadband?
Another goal is that the United States should lead the world in mobile innovation with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation. Does the rest of the world know that there is a competition going on? Why is this relevant? And aren’t we always the world leader in technology innovation? I like objectives that are slam dunks. Another goal is that to promote the safety of the American people, every first responder should have access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network. For sure, but will Congress fund the $12-16 billion recommended by the FCC to build this national network? And finally, to ensure that America leads in the clean energy economy, all Americans should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption. While this may be an important objective, when did the FCC become responsible for monitoring energy consumption? Goodness, is this going to be a requirement?
But back from fifty thousand feet, the real work will start soon. It is said that there will be no fewer than twenty-four rule making proceedings eventually launched by the FCC to take the plan from ambition to eventual implementation. It will take a lot of time to get there, but EWA will pay close attention to each and every proceeding. Just know that there is a voracious appetite to locate and repurpose spectrum to feed what the FCC believes to be the nation’s broadband spectrum requirements. There may well be new efforts to secure access to spectrum that once may have been considered off limits. These initiatives may include incentive auctions where licensees turn back licenses for a piece of auction revenues. Of course, this may be great only if you have spectrum that someone covets for broadband use.
Spectrum fees may be introduced as a means to encourage those who really don’t need the spectrum they have or at least not enough to pay a use fee for it, to turn that spectrum back to the Commission. The FCC needs to secure Congressional authority to impose these fees, which the Commission says would be used only on spectrum that is not licensed for exclusive flexible use – which sounds like a substantial portion of the Part 90 spectrum to me. Throw in the mix national spectrum monitoring, Spectrum Dashboards, dynamic spectrum sharing leasing arrangements to capitalize on emerging technologies, opportunistic radios and well, we’re all going to remain busy for a while.
You won’t hear me say that our traditional Part 90 issues will now have to play second fiddle to all of these broadband proceedings. They are all in the mix in this brave new world so initiatives that seemingly are broadband-focused may create fallout for EWA members, whether operators or business enterprise users. They will be important to you and therefore, to EWA as well.
Category: Message trom the President