Enterprise Wireless Insider® Volume 8, Issue 16

Keeping the Peace: Memphis Tennessee

A complaint was filed from a university about interference from a police department on the university’s licensed frequency 155.430 MHz. University representatives were informed that the local police department was authorized to use the same channel for statewide use and that all operations appeared to be operating in compliance with FCC rules.  Assuming all licensees are monitoring the channel for communications in progress, and are identifying themselves as required in accordance with FCC rules, simply hearing another user on a shared use channel is not normally considered interference.  EWA was not asked for further assistance after providing this information.

Keeping the Peace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

A retirement home operating a conventional 450 MHz system called EWA seeking assistance regarding interference that happened only from Thursday to Friday each week. EWA identified the co-channel licensee, an automobile/truck auction company, and suggested that the two licensees cooperate to identify a mutual resolution. The auction company, with multiple antenna locations had inadvertently programmed the wrong frequency at one of their sites that was only 2 miles away from the retirement home. Recognizing the installation error, the auction company shut down operations until their system was corrected to match their FCC license. The interference ceased. Both licensees were represented by EWA members, which contributed to the swift and efficient solution.

Keeping the Peace: Orlando, Florida

A provider of conference internet services contacted us with the complaint that they were purposely being blocked from providing Wi-Fi services to their customers at large convention centers.  EWA forwarded a copy of the FCC’s recent decision in a similar circumstance, one that resulted in a $600,000 forfeiture against a large hotel chain, suggesting that a copy of the order be sent to the blocking party for their consideration. We later learned that when the internet service provider contacted the FCC, they were advised that the blocking party would need to be caught in the act for the FCC to take further action.   However, the FCC did not offer advice on how to best set up such a sting. 

There is “No Scarcity of Spectrum”

At least according to recent comments submitted by M2M Networks and Spectrum Network Group, grant of their waiver to provide commercial services that would propose to support the “Internet of Things” would not create a scarcity of spectrum for other PLMR users at 900 MHz. M2M and SNG’s waivers to use the 900 MHz B/ILT spectrum for data, machine-to-machine services remain pending at the FCC.  (WT Docket No. 14-100) 

LA County Receives T-Band Extension

The FCC granted the waiver request from County of Los Angeles to complete the construction of their Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) which will utilize fifty-seven (57) T-Band licenses, for an extended completion date of December 31, 2016. The T-Band frequencies were originally granted by waiver in 2008 to be constructed as a “standards-based, single platform, UHF voice radio system” with an extended construction date of February 3, 2014. The Commission advised the County in its October 27, 2014 letter that the granting of the December 31, 2016 extension would be consistent with the County’s goals and the FCC requirement to reallocate public safety T-Band spectrum by February of 2021, but also noted that if the County made “substantial progress in the construction of its overall system, but the system [was] not yet complete”, it could file a further extension.

700 MHz Narrowbanding Mandate Eliminated

In a long-awaited decision regarding further narrowbanding of this spectrum, the FCC elected to eliminate entirely the December 31, 2016 requirement to transition from 12.5 to 6.25 kHz bandwidth technology within the public safety 700 MHz bands. This action was in response to waiver requests and comments from the public safety community opposing the further narrowbanding mandate.  Additionally, the FCC adopted rules for the twenty-four (24) 12.5 kHz “reserve” channels.  In T-Band markets, T-Band incumbents will have “priority access” to these channels for a 5-year period starting from the date of the Public Notice announcing their availability.  In other markets, up to eight (8) channels may be dedicated for temporary deployable trunked use and the rest for General Use, including low-power vehicular repeaters.  Any and all uses of these channels will be administered by the public safety Regional Planning Committees.

Electronic Licenses v Paper Licenses – Save the Trees!

The FCC recently released for comment a proposal that would designate the electronic version of an authorization stored in ULS or the ASR Systems as the official Commission document under the Federal Records Act of 1950 and the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. The Public Notice also proposed another eminently practical, cost-effective measure, that is, the elimination to the extent acceptable to licensees and registrants, the distribution of paper copies of licenses and registrations. In comments to be filed next week, EWA will agree with these proposals noting that it is anticipated that a significant number of parties will chose to rely on electronic documents, if not immediately, then over time as the process becomes more familiar. 

Emission Designators – Do Not Take Them for Granted!

Ensuring that FCC licenses today reflect the proper emission designator has never been more important. Why are we bringing this to your attention? Because several EWA members have been recently contacted by the Enforcement Bureau concerning the disruptive effects of their radio operations on co-channel neighbors, and it was discovered that licensed emission designators were inaccurate. Why risk violation notices and/or forfeitures?

Emission designators must match radio system design and operating characteristics, and are as important as geographical coordinates, channel assignments, station classes, power levels and other critical technical data. Emission designators inform those that are interested – the FCC, frequency advisory committees and co-channel neighbors - the channel bandwidth in operation, whether the system is digital or analog, and whether voice, data, or a combination of voice and data is being transmitted.

This list of emission designators covers 99% of those that are deployed today in the Part 90 Private Land Mobile radio bands, including 800/900 MHz. Check your licenses to ensure that the emission designator is accurate. If necessary, contact EWA for clarification and assistance as changing or adding emission designators is classified as a major license modification. This is more complicated than it used to be in the past, but not impossible to get right.

Wideband Emission Designators

EWA has been advised that the FCC does not intend to take direct action against licensees, other than to deny their renewals, whose licenses still reflect a wideband non-narrowband compliant emission designator. Action may be taken if there is evidence of an interference problem or actual first-hand knowledge that the system continues to operate in wideband
mode.