Always Check the Plug First
During an inspection of broadcast station KANR, agents from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau Kansas City, Missouri office observed that the station’s emergency alert system (EAS) was inoperable because the power cord was disconnected. The owner stated that the EAS equipment had become inoperable sometime between the year 2000 and the year 2006 (!). The owner stated further that he tried to hire a contract engineer to fix the EAS, but the “engineer was too busy to conduct repairs.” Further inspection revealed that the public inspection file had not been updated since 2008, the station’s tower had not been painted since 1996, and three flashing beacons on the tower were inoperative. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture in the amount of $25,000. NAL For Forfeiture DA 10-2156
Category: Enforcement CornerWe Moved Our Base Station?
In response to a complaint, an agent from the FCC’s New York, New York field office paid a visit to the County of Nassau’s radio system and discovered that it was operating an unmodulated carrier on 156.210 MHz causing harmful interference. The FCC also noted that the license authorized the operation of a base station at 1490 Franklyn Avenue, Mineola, New York, not at the Nassau University Medical Center at 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadows, New York where the station was actually found to be located. A Notice of Violation was issued and the County was given period of time to explain each violation and to take corrective action. Nassau County Notice of Violation
Public Safety Spectrum Requirements
In recent comments before a gathering of the International Chiefs of Police (IACP), U.S. Attorney General Holder stated that a national public safety broadband network is a top priority for the Justice Department, and that he would continue to “advocate for meaningful and affordable access to radio spectrum when and where you need it.” He stated further that “this is a Cabinet-level priority” and discussions include the future of the 700 MHz D-Block. U.S. Attorney General Holder Statement
Category:Request for 10 MHz Spread Pairings Denied
Earlier this year, Motorola requested a blanket waiver of the required five megahertz separation between paired 450-470 MHz band base and mobile frequencies to accommodate the deployment of low power repeaters to avoid the occurrence of intermodulation interference when multiple repeater cells are used within close proximity. In its dismissal, the FCC concluded that Motorola had not demonstrated that a blanket waiver of the five megahertz separation between paired 450-470 MHz band base and mobile frequencies is either appropriate or necessary, and that such requirements would be best addressed on a case-by-case, as warranted by individual circumstances. FCC Order DA 10-2163
Category: In the newsFCC Supports LMCC Consensus Position
Citing a Land Mobile Communications Council’s (LMCC) policy position on file at the FCC, the Commission denied petitions for reconsideration from two licensees in the 470-512 MHz band that had argued granting authorizations for 4 kHz occupied bandwidth operations did not satisfy adjacent channel TSB-88 frequency coordination interference criteria. Consistent with the LMCC policy, the FCC confirmed that since there is no spectral overlap between a 4 kHz occupied bandwidth system on frequencies 12.5 kHz offset from 25 kHz incumbents, the applications specifying 4 kHz occupied bandwidth did not require TSB-88 analyses. FCC Order on Reconsideration DA-10-2164
Category: In the newsAuction 87 Licenses Granted
Licenses recently auctioned in the lower and upper paging bands in Auction 87 were granted on November 3, including a number of applicants that had requested a waiver of FCC Rule Section 20.9 (a)(6) to operate on a non-common carrier or private internal basis. WTB Auction 87 Grants
Category: In the newsFCC To Review its Tower Structure Registration Program
To comply with its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the FCC will be conducting a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of its Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) program. The purpose of the PEA is to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the Commission’s ASR program given recent determinations of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in American Bird Conservancy v. FCC which noted that registered towers may have a significant environmental effect on migratory birds. Under the current ASR program, owners of antenna structures that are taller than 200 feet above ground level or that may interfere with the flight path of a nearby airport must register those structures with the FCC. FCC DA No. 10-2178
Category: In the newsEWA To Create Scholarship Fund
During the annual meetings, EWA’s Board of Directors determined to establish a Joseph B. Vestal Scholarship Fund to be awarded to qualified college students who will be pursuing careers within the wireless sector recognizing Mr. Vestal’s many contributions to the industry. Joe Vestal currently serves as an alternate member on the Board of Directors and as a member on EWA’s Finance Committee.
Category: EWA On Your SideBoard and Officer Elections
During the Annual Membership Meeting, two new members were elected to serve on EWA’s Board of Directors. David Patton, Partner, of the Cambridge Group, a manufacturers’ representative agency from Plano, Texas; and Terry Zaccarino, President, Communications Electronics of Virginia, Fairfax, Virginia. The EWA Board of Directors also elected its officers for 2011, namely Bill Landis, Chair of the Board, TuWay Communications, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Bob McGowan, Vice Chair of the Board, FleetTalk Partners, Rockaway, New Jersey; and Catherine Leonard, Treasurer, Comtronics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts.
Category: EWA On Your SideEnterprise Wireless 2010 Conference
EWA and USMSS members gathered for three days during the Enterprise Wireless 2010 conference in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. Always reported by attendees as the optimum industry venue to network with other business owners and decision makers, conference highlights included an impressive array of exhibitors, member meetings, an FCC presentation on the forthcoming Consolidated Licensing System, and strategic views on forthcoming telecom policy, technology trends and public safety developments. Presentations will soon be available on EWA’s web site for your review.
Category: EWA On Your SideEWA Supports PG&E Waiver Requests
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) recently filed for an extended construction period and a waiver of the rules prohibiting permanent discontinuance of operations to support its efforts to develop a wide area integrated trunked private land mobile radio system utilizing both Part 90 and Part 22 spectrum. In comments filed on November 12, EWA fully supported PG&E’s request to be granted the equivalent of the extended implementation authority that is routinely available under the rules for 800/900 MHz applicants that demonstrate a need for more than the typical one-year period to place their facilities in operation. Additionally, EWA noted that PG&E is not abandoning the use of any frequencies, but only temporarily removing them from operation so they can be repurposed as part of a more efficient network, one that will be capable of satisfying the increasingly demanding communications requirements of a major utility that services millions of customers. EWA Comments
EWA Seeks Reversal of Revised IS Standards
In a letter dated November 12 to FM Approvals, EWA questioned the justification for a proposed revision to FM Approvals Standard 3610 regarding intrinsically safe (IS) portable wireless devices. FM Approvals had previously reported that this change was necessary to harmonize domestic IS standards with the International Electrotechnical Commission 60079-11 series of standards. The revised standard would require retrofitting of current devices, would lead to a reduction in output power, and current coverage requirements might only be maintained by deploying additional base stations, towers and other infrastructure. EWA questioned the need given the fact that there is no credible evidence or meaningful demonstration that the current standard needed amendment in the first place to satisfy safety considerations. EWA Letter
Category: EWA On Your Side