Enterprise Wireless Insider, Vol. 10, No. 1

EWA Meets with FCC on Pending Regulatory Matters

Before the end of last year, Mark Crosby and Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) Regulatory Counsel Liz Sachs met with Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staff to check on the status of a number of pending regulatory matters before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that, when addressed, will have a significant impact on the land mobile spectrum landscape.  

Proceedings discussed, among others, included the availability of interstitial channels at 800 MHz, the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) Petition to facilitate the use of newly released 800 Mhz Expansion/Guard band (EB/GB) channels for incumbent licensees, the deployment of vehicular repeater systems (VRS) at 173 MHz, the treatment of non-compliant wideband licenses in the 150-470 MHz band, the T-Band application freeze and the affect of the hearing-aid compatibility (HAC) rules on digital 800/900 MHz specialized mobile radio (SMR) operations. As required, EWA filed an Ex Parte  letter with the FCC Office of Secretary summarizing the topics discussed. EWA will of course keep its members apprised of these issues as they progress during 2016. 

EWA’s Crosby and Dudley to Speak at IWCE 2016

At the upcoming International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas this March, EWA’s Mark Crosby and Ila Dudley will be participating as guest speakers during the following educational sessions:

• Crosby – Where Will Everyone Go? T-Band Reallocation, March 23 at 11:30 a.m.;
• Dudley – Frequency Coordination and FCC Compliance, March 23 at 2:45 p.m.;
• Crosby – TETRA Today, March 24 at 9:00 a.m.; and
• Crosby – 900 MHz Private Enterprise Broadband Initiative Update, March 24 at 11:30 a.m.

Visit EWA staff in booth #2071, and learn new ways you can speed up and better control the licensing and frequency coordination process.  Conference registration is open!

Public Safety All In

Late last year, the LMCC filed a letter opposing a PCIA filing that asked the FCC “to eliminate special privileges for incumbent users in this (800 Mhz) band.”  The LMCC’s response had indicated that the public safety members had abstained from participating in the opposition. To clarify the record, on December 29, 2015, the LMCC filed a second letter explaining that the public safety member organizations had abstained only from endorsing the original LMCC letter with respect to the 900 MHz M2M Networks matter since public safety entities are not eligible for 900 MHz spectrum, but in fact fully endorsed adoption of the LMCC Petition proposing to allow incumbents a six-month window in which to file for EB/GB channels before applications would be accepted from new entrants. 

EWA understands that the Commission has drafted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in response to this Petition as well as the petition seeking expansion of conditional licensing to channels above 470 MHz and perhaps other pending matters.  

EWA Executive Committee to Review 2016 Objectives

On January 20-21, 2016, EWA’s Executive Committee will meet in New Orleans, Louisiana to review the Alliance’s 2016 objectives. Among matters discussed will be the pursuit of favorable regulatory decisions pertaining to private land mobile licensees and the development of new services that serve the business and wireless communications interests of EWA members.