Enterprise Wireless Insider® Volume 7, Issue 2

FCC Announces Broadband Adoption and Usage Summit Agenda

The Broadband Adoption and Usage Summit scheduled for February 7 will examine best practices learned from various broadband programs and academic surveys, and  how implementing these best practices “can close the broadband adoption gap among Americans”, namely low-income households, racial and ethnic minorities, seniors, rural residents and persons with disabilities.  See agenda.

FCC Seeks Comment on Sprint Nextel’s “Anti-Windfall” Request

The FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on Sprint Nextel’s request that based on its cumulative 800 MHz rebanding expenditures that it should not have to make an “anti-windfall” payment to the U.S. Treasury pursuant to the FCC’s 800 MHz rebanding orders. Also, should the Commission determine that no anti-windfall payment is required; Sprint Nextel urged the agency to simplify certain rebanding-related record-keeping and audit processes. 

Making it Easier to Upgrade to Wireless Tower Installations

On January 25, the FCC provided its interpretation of provisions contained in the Spectrum reform Act that were adopted to promote the development of transmission equipment on existing wireless towers or base stations. Specifically, the legislation provides that a state or local government “may not deny, and shall approve” any request for collocation, removal, or replacement of transmission equipment on an existing tower or base station, provided the action does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the tower or base station. In case of any confusion on the part of tower owners and state and local jurisdictions, the FCC advised what it means to “substantially change the physical dimensions” of a tower and clarified what is a wireless tower or base station. As the FCC stated in its new “Broadband Acceleration Initiative” action program, this effort will help remove barriers to broadband build-out, including streamlining the deployment of mobile broadband infrastructure, such as towers.
FCC Public Notice

Motorola Solutions Seeks TETRA Order Clarification

Where and under what circumstances TETRA radio equipment may be deployed on certain Part 90 frequencies was again addressed by Motorola Solutions in comments submitted in response to earlier comments filed in opposition by the TETRA + Critical Communications Association (TCCA). If this sounds a bit confusing, the issues are limited to the question whether TETRA technology is permitted on non-NPSPAC 800 MHz public safety pool channels, as opposed to only business and industrial pool channels; and whether newly adopted revisions to the rules governing emission limits designed to protect adjacent channel operations were intended to apply to all relevant digital technology designs or only to TETRA equipment. The FCC’s TETRA rules have proven to be less than clear and somewhat controversial. Motorola Solutions Reply Comments

Twilight Zone - Fixed or Mobile Clocks?

American Time & Signal (ATS) has chosen to confront EWA’s request for clarification regarding the FCC’s decision to permit ATS to license what are fixed location wireless clock installations as mobile stations under a private carrier license granted to ATS. Specifically, EWA asked the FCC whether the installations should be considered as having standing for channel exclusivity evaluations, to what extent these fixed installations had monitoring obligations, and whether FCC approval of ATS as a private carrier licensee is a policy that would be extended to other entities. In its response, ATS suggested that EWA’s questions were largely misplaced because they principally question the applicability of rules governing fixed stations” where “in fact, the additional locations were licensed to ATS as mobile stations and the applicability or other relevance of rules governing fixed stations thus is not apparent.” This is where The Twilight Zone's  Rod Serling needs to suddenly appear and ask whether these clock installations while operational as fixed stations are permitted to be licensed as mobile stations to ease ATS’ licensing burden, although they actually are not moving around campuses, so it isn’t exactly clear what FCC rules are supposed to be applicable in the first place. Stay tuned as EWA will be filing another set of comments despite its “misplaced” concerns. ATS Comments

FCC Responding to T-Band Congressional Inquiries

Whether responding to a Congressional inquiry regarding interference to a public safety system or concerns associated with funding needs associated with the public safety requirement that they vacate the 470-512 MHz band pursuant to the Spectrum Reform Act of February 2012, recent FCC correspondence reveals that it is the Commission’s view that licensee concerns may be best addressed in response to a forthcoming Public Notice that will solicit comment on the implementation of the forced relocation from T-Band. As one FCC letter stated, “We are happy to discuss with any affected T-Band licensees what options are available to them.”  FCC Correspondence 

800 MHz Spectrum – Interest in Surprising Areas

A substantial number of applications were filed on January 17 for 800 MHz Expansion and Guard Band spectrum in eleven NPSPAC regions that the FCC has declared rebanding-complete. Areas of heightened interest include, among others, major metropolitan locations within the states of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.  It is EWA’s understanding that a majority of these applications were prepared by Smartcomm, LLC and certified by the Business/Industrial frequency advisory committee MRFAC, on behalf of individuals and entities that purchased application preparation services seeking, what SmartComm describes on its website as spectrum “that can be used for mobile broadband technologies such as mobile data, voice, talk, text and more.”  FCC Public Notice

Through its bidding entity, Big Wave Ventures LLC, SmartComm also purchased three 700 MHz licenses at auction for over $2M.  These licenses had been returned to the FCC when the original winning bidder defaulted on payments after Auction 73 held in 2008.

Pending Narrowband Compliance Plans

Representatives from the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC), including EWA, met recently with the FCC to discuss next steps following the narrowbanding deadline, given that there are a significant number of licensees who have yet to comply with the January 1, 2013 date. Topics of interest included the need to provide frequency advisory committees a master list of call signs for which the Bureaus have granted narrowbanding extensions; the FCC Enforcement Bureau will be identifying a single point-of-contact for purposes of receiving notices of non-compliance for potential enforcement action; and the FCC Bureaus will initiate procedures that will serve to expedite the deletion of license records from the ULS for either non-existent or non-operational systems including those that are identified by frequency advisory committees during spectrum research activities. In the interim, frequency advisory committees may consider non-compliant incumbent licensees during frequency research, selection and certification processes as if they were operating 11KF03E analog systems on 12.5 kHz channel bandwidths. In other news, it was reported that a further Public Notice regarding narrowbanding policy and enforcement matters will be released and the FCC may soon be conducting an audit of those licenses that report a wideband emission designator to determine compliance with the narrowbanding mandate.