Less Than Thirteen Months Remain- Narrowbanding
There are now less than thirteen months remaining for licensees to comply with the FCC’s narrowbanding mandate. If you have any questions regarding this obligation, please contact EWA for the answers to any and all questions you may have about your obligations and how you may best comply with this FCC mandate. Contact us today at 1-800-482-8282, at CustomerService@EnterpriseWireless.org, review EWA's "Does Narrowbanding Apply to You" or visit EWA’s Narrowbanding FAQs.
Category: Enforcement Corner
Meet Construction Deadlines
The City of McPherson, Kansas was denied a request for extension of their construction deadline as the request was filed after the twelve-month grace period normally allowed by the Commission. McPherson should have either notified the Commission within 15 days of its construction deadline that they were in operation, or request an extension. McPherson did neither, and their late filed extension request resulted in the automatic cancellation of their license. FCC Letter
Category: Enforcement CornerAlways Respond to FCC Inquiries
A Notice of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture was issued to Net One, LLC and Farrahtel International, LLC for $25,000 for disregarding an official order of the Commission. The FCC sent a Letter of Inquiry to Net One requesting certain documents and information for an investigation into possible violations of Commission’s rules on billing practices and prepaid calling card services on July 15, 2011 with an August 4 due date. Net One failed to respond to the LOI by the due date or even to subsequent e-mails from the Commission. As a result, Net One was held liable for the fine because “such apparent disregard for the Commission’s authority and investigatory process appears egregious, intentional, and continuous.”
Category: Enforcement CornerFCC Chief of Staff to Depart
Ed Lazarus, Chairman Genachowski’s Chief of Staff, has announced that he will be leaving the FCC, raising the question of whether Chairman Genachowski has started to plan his departure as well. The stand-off between Sen. Grassley (R-IA) and the FCC regarding the release of documentation regarding FCC communications involving LightSquared and the installation of two new Commissioners make it unlikely that the Chairman will take any action in the near future.
Category: In the newsTower Registration Processes Amended
New public notification and reporting requirements for purposes of assessing the environmental impacts of the construction of wireless towers, including impacts on migratory birds have been released in a Report and Order. The FCC’s decision included the following provisions:
- A pre-application notification process so that members of the public will have a meaningful opportunity to comment on the environmental effects of proposed antenna structures that require registration with the Commission.
- Environmental notice will also be required if an ASR applicant changes the lighting of an existing tower to a less preferred lighting style.
- EAs for those registered towers that require EAs will also be filed and considered prior to the ASR application.
- An interim procedural requirement that an EA be filed for all proposed registered towers over 450 feet in height. Staff will review the EA to determine whether the tower will have a significant environmental impact. This is an interim measure pending the FCC’s completion of its ongoing environmental analysis of the ASR program.
800 MHz Rebanding True-Up Date Postponed to 2012
On December 9, the FCC once again accepted the Transition Administrator’s recommendation and has postponed the 800 MHz rebanding financial reconciliation “true-up” date from December 31, 2011, to July 2, 2012. Since the Mexican Band Plan is not yet established and rebanding has not yet begun in that area, it is a safe assumption that there will be more six-month extensions of the reconciliation date to come. Order
Category: In the newsLMCC Files Reply Comments in Data Burst Interference Inquiry
LMCC responded in regard to the Icom Petition that suggested that 250 millisecond data bursts to control channels in trunked systems should not be considered harmful interference. In an earlier filing, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) agreed that data bursts should not be considered harmful interference, but suggested that further testing was necessary within the public safety bands. The LMCC noted that it was unaware of any technical basis for distinguishing between I/B and public safety systems in this respect, and recommended that testing be conducted for both industrial/business and public safety trunked applications.
TIA Concurs with EWA on TETRA Licensing
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) filed an ex parte letter with the FCC concurring with EWA “that the need for further clarification does exist in this docket.” Specifically, TIA noted that “all relevant Part 90 frequency coordination requirements, including the narrowband exemption, apply to TETRA; and TETRA uses will only be allowed in excepted (exclusive use) Part 90 systems.” TIA also urged the Commission to “facilitate an inclusive dialogue amongst TETRA stakeholders to resolve any questions and differences that would include the Commission.” As previously reported, Harris Corporation filed comments last month in support of EWA’s efforts urging the FCC to clarify the coordination requirements for TETRA.
Category: In the newsAdvanced Medical Technologies Order
EWA thought about it for a moment, but has opted not to request reconsideration of the November 30 FCC Report and Order allowing secondary, non-interfering use of the 413-419 MHz, 426-432 MHz, 438-444 MHz and 451-457 MHz bands for “new wideband, medical implant devices that employ neuromuscular microstimulation techniques to restore sensation, mobility, and other functions to paralyzed limbs and organs.” It is unknown what will happen should these devices not perform as predicted, potentially as a result of interference from land mobile devices sharing the 451-457 MHz band. We know the Order made it clear in writing that these implanted medical devices must operate on a secondary, non-interfering basis, and must accept any interference they experience, but that’s easy to write, but not quite so easy to address in the real world.