Google Charged for Impeding Investigation
Google, Inc. received a Notice of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture for deliberately hindering the investigation regarding their possible violation of the Commission’s rules regarding the collection of Wi-Fi “pay load” data. Pay load data includes “e-mail and text-messages, passwords, Internet usage history” and other sensitive data gathered from users of Wi-Fi networks.
Google claimed that the goal of their data collection initiative was to capture data they could use to “help establish users’ locations and provide location-based services”. Although Google had originally noted that the data collected only consisted of fragmented data, they later acknowledged that “in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords.” This admission launched an official investigation by the Commission which required Google to produce critical documentation for review by the FCC, but whose delivery was deliberately delayed by Google according to the FCC. Google was held liable for a forfeiture of $25,000.
TETRA Community Forms North American Forum
A community of manufacturers and service providers has formed the North American TETRA Forum. TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) is an open standard for digital voice and data, and is supported by the TETRA and Critical Communications Association, and includes notable EWA members as Hytera and Sepura.
Category: In the newsJamie Barnett, Chief of PSHSB, Leaves
Jamie Barnett, Rear Admiral USNR (Retired), Chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), will leave his position at the end of the month to return to the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a leading science and technology policy think tank. David Furth, currently a Deputy Chief in PSHSB, will serve as Acting Bureau Chief.
Category: In the newsLMCC Pursues Strict Adherence to Narrowband Requirement
The LMCC plans to officially inform the FCC that effective February 1, 2013, its certified frequency advisory committees will not consider for purposed of identifying the availability of exclusive channels for use within trunked radio systems, any co-channel or adjacent channel incumbent systems that are not in compliance with the FCC’s narrowbanding requirements. Exceptions will include those licensees who have applications pending at the FCC that comply with the narrowbanding mandate, or those that have a filed a waiver request to extend the January 1, 2013, deadline for their purposes.
Category: In the newsLMCC Adopts “Adjacent Channel Affected Party” Table
The LMCC unanimously adopted an “Adjacent Channel Affected Party” table that may be used to determine the availability of exclusive use channels (FB8) channels used in trunked radio communication systems in the VHF/UHF bands. The values in the table are based on Adjacent Channel Coupled Power values, along with empirical data, as analyzed and consolidated by several LMCC member engineers. The table will be submitted to the FCC in the long-standing WP Docket No. 07-100, and it is anticipated that the table will be implemented by all of the FCC’s certified frequency advisory committees pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding.
Category: In the newsManaging Public Safety’s Broadband Spectrum
The FCC has invited comments on how to implement the legislative direction to effect a transfer of the now 20 MHz of public safety broadband spectrum to FirstNet, the independent agency within NTIA that is charged with designing, building, maintaining and operating the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). In particular, the FCC requested comment on whether the 22 waivers permitting “early deployment” pursuant to leases with the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) should be transferred to FirstNet, terminated, or addressed individually based on factors such as their current deployment status. Many comments were filed in response to the Public Notice with waiver recipients, vendors, and many other public safety entities and organizations supporting a process whereby the waivers would be re-affirmed. APCO was alone in suggesting that the legislation effectively strips the FCC of authority over the NPSBN in favor of FirstNet and, therefore, that the leases and early deployment waivers should be terminated pending a FirstNet decision on how to proceed.
Category: In the newsMore Vacated Sprint Spectrum
Because Sprint Nextel did not request a further extension of its obligation to vacate all interleaved 800 MHz spectrum, the remainder of this spectrum will become available for public safety applicants nationwide outside the Canadian and Mexican Border areas. A Public Notice is expected to announce a filing date before applicants will be able to request this vacated spectrum, but since this will free up channels in key urban markets, it is likely that coordinators may again have to resolve issues of mutually exclusive applicants. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Ila Dudley, Executive Vice President, Spectrum Solutions for further information.
Category: In the newsTed McNaught Elected President of CMA
EWA’s board member Ted McNaught was elected as President of the Critical Messaging Association (CMA). McNaught is the President/COO of Critical Alert Systems, a provider of critical messaging technology to over 500 hospitals across the nation. CMA Release
Category: In the news800 MHz Application Freeze Extended
Citing the need to preserve vacant channels for licensees re-tuning their systems in accordance with the reconfigured band plan adopted by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), the agency announced that any new non-rebanding related 800 MHz applications along the U.S.-Canadian border will undergo an application freeze until October 15, 2012. The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) has indicated that this includes the NPSPAC regions of Michigan, Eastern and Western Upstate NY, Ohio, Western PA, and Washington State. Public Notice
Category: In the newsNTIA Releases Phase II, III Test Plan for Spectrum Sharing
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) test plan for its UHF spectrum sharing pilot program will evaluate the ability of certain spectrum sensing devices/technology to share spectrum with LMR systems in the 410-420 MHz federal band and the 470-512 MHz non-federal band.
Category: In the newsFCC Waives Narrowbanding Obligation at T-Band
In a related action, and on the same day the FCC imposed its 470-512 MHz application freeze, the agency issued an Order waiving the January 1, 2013, deadline for private land mobile radio licensees in the T-Band to migrate to 12.5 kHz or narrower technology. In this action, the Commission reasoned that given the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 “specifically requires the eventual relocation of public safety entities from the 470-512 MHz band,” it “also raises issues about the disposition of the band generally,” which EWA interprets as a means to include industrial, business and commercial licensees within this narrowbanding waiver. The FCC reasoned that forcing “many licensees in the band to invest in narrowband systems that may subsequently have to be relocated “would be inequitable and contrary to the public interest.”
Category: In the newsFCC Freezes Certain 470-512 MHz Applications
In a Public Notice released late last week, the Wireless Telecommunications and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureaus effective immediately suspended the acceptance and processing of certain applications for 470-512 MHz (T-Band) spectrum. According to the FCC, this action was necessary to “stabilize the spectral environment while the Commission considers issues surrounding future use of the T-Band, solicits input from interested parties, and works to implement the directives” contained within the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The notice lists specific applications that will be processed and those that will not be processed. What will be difficult throughout this entire forthcoming information gathering process will be the obligatory mind reading to determine what the Act’s “directives” were regarding the T-Band other than that public safety spectrum is to reallocated and public safety licensees are obligated to leave this space for spectrum pastures elsewhere (yet to be determined) in nine years with relocation funding provided two years afterwards from an auction of the public safety occupied channels. The Act does not contain a single reference to industrial, business or commercial T-Band licensee incumbents. See Crosby’s blog
Category: In the news