Enterprise Wireless Insider® Volume 7, Issue 8

Cell Phone Jammers Feel the Pain of Six Figure Fines

The FCC demonstrated how seriously it takes cell phone jamming by hitting Taylor Oilfield Manufacturing and The Supply Room with fines of $126,000 and $144,000 respectively for operating jammers in their facilities. Anonymous calls to the local FCC field offices (maybe by employees?) tipped the FCC off about the illegal devices. With very limited exceptions, the use of such devices is illegal in the United States and may disrupt critical public safety communications.

Crosby Receives CSMAC Reappointment

EWA President Mark Crosby was reappointed as a member of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) for a one-year term by Rebecca M. Blank, Deputy Secretary of Commerce. CSMAC advises the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information on major spectrum policy issues. The reappointment became effective on April 22.

 

800 MHz Application Freeze Extended In Border Areas

The FCC has extended the freeze on 800 MHz license applications until October 15, 2013, in the four Canadian-U.S. border-area NPSPAC regions. The freeze only applies to applications affecting frequency or coverage in the designated areas. Special Temporary Authorization may be granted to those affected if a good cause is shown.

FCC Displeased with Mutually Exclusive Applications

In the first of two recent FCC Orders regarding applications seeking access to Sprint Nextel vacated 800 MHz spectrum, it is clear that the FCC does not intend to devote any staff resources towards resolving instances of mutually exclusivity. In the first Order, the FCC dismissed all applications and pleadings filed by the Cities of Aventura and Doral, Florida.  The FCC clarified in this Order that applications filed with frequency advisory committees on the same day must be resolved in the intra-coordinator process that is embodied within a Memorandum of Understanding executed by the seven participating advisory committees and that it would not award licenses to the “coordinator with the fastest computer capable of ‘batch filing’ multiple applications as soon as an application window opens.”

In its second Order involving the Township of West Orange, New Jersey, the City of New York, and New Jersey Transit, the FCC used unusually harsh language in modifying West Orange’s application. The FCC stated that “PCIA filed the West Orange application with the Commission, despite being in continuing negotiations with the other parties to remove the mutual exclusivity with their frequency proposals, thus lending credence to IMSA’s accusation of bad faith on PCIA’s part.”

Before this matter gets too far out of hand, the seven frequency advisory committees will be meeting on April 25 to identify revised processes to maximize application results for those entities seeking Sprint Nextel vacated spectrum.

Trunking and Exclusive Use Channel Rules Finalized

EWA is pleased to report that the FCC finally adopted rule amendments that clarify how and under what circumstances applications for centralized and hybrid trunking systems may secure shared and exclusive use channels assignments in the 150-512 MHz bands. The rules are considerably less complicated from a technical standpoint than were originally proposed by the LMCC.  And in a matter that was debated among frequency advisory committees for several years, the FCC mandated that “the service contour for proposed centralized trunked stations shall not be overlapped by an incumbent licensee’s interference contour.” EWA supports this provision and is pleased to see this requirement cast in stone in the rules which will put an end to further discussions on the merits of this practice.

The trunking rules were adopted along with others associated with mobile only systems and system identification procedures within digital systems. The FCC resolved the latter for those systems that have the benefit of exclusive use channels, but not for digital systems in shared spectrum environments. The industry may need to revisit station ID rules for digital systems that are operated on shared channels.  Fifth Report & Order
 

T-Band Waiver Granted to Somerset County

Because the requested system modifications would not expand the previously authorized coverage area and would actually result in a net reduction in the number of sites deployed, the FCC adopted an Order granting a waiver of the T-Band licensing freeze to Somerset County, New Jersey. These applications were filed well before the application freeze was initiated, and EWA was the only organization that filed comments supporting the County.