PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERS STRESS KEY SPECTRUM NEEDS AFTER SEPT. 11

Of particular interest was proposal that Nextel outlined for public safety agencies Oct. 24, but hasn’t yet submitted formally to FCC, said Harlin McEwen, retired chief of police of Ithaca, N.Y. McEwen is chmn. of communications & technology committee of International Assn. of Chiefs of Police. To Assn. of Public Communications Officials International and representatives of police and fire chief groups, Nextel presented proposal for reducing or eliminating interference in 800 MHz band, where both it and public safety agencies operate. Interference has been issue in band, in part because of small, alternating slices of spectrum in which public safety and commercial users operate. Proposal is “shuffling of frequencies” at 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 2 GHz, McEwen said. “If FCC were to agree to this, and public safety were to support it, we would end up with all of the public safety systems that are now stacked up in 800 band” and related systems would be moved to contiguous space at bottom of 800 MHz, he said. That also would result in Nextel’s swapping some of its channel space and getting additional space, while public safety would end up with additional 10 MHz in 800 MHz band. Proposal would put total of 20 MHz adjacent to 700 MHz, so equipment-makers could make equipment that would interoperate in both bands, he said. “This is a significant proposal.” Outstanding issues appear to be funding and retuning equipment for public safety, how private wireless users in those bands would be accommodated and need for congressional action to carry out plan. Aide to FCC Comr. Abernathy, Bryan Tramont, said Commission still was awaiting formal presentation of proposal. “We welcome public sector-private partnerships to solve this problem,” he said. Abernathy is interested in exploring ways to secure more interoperability capability for public safety wireless communications, he said.

Despite extreme stresses on communications following attacks, radio communications between N.Y.C. police forces were maintained and 911 service never went down, said Ari Wax, deputy comr. Of N.Y. Police Dept. On Sept. 11, radio channels were given to responding teams and became congested with calls from trapped and responding officers, Wax said. Channels also were used to provide interagency communications among wide array of units responding from other jurisdictions, Wax said. “Unfortunately, however, it did become apparent during this situation that the protocols for interoperability have not been adequately promulgated throughout the region,” he said. “We're working closely with the New York Metropolitan Advisory Council to rectify the situation and we expect those protocols to be issued very soon.” He attributed operation of police department’s radio system Sept. 11 to redundancy, network diversity, dedicated engineering, extensive planning.

But there are elements of spectrum planning that are beyond his department’s control, Wax said. “The September 11 attacks highlighted the need for exclusive public safety communications that ensure secure quality transmission and reception,” he said. Wax said clearing 700 MHz for dedicated public safety spectrum was critically important,"but when it will ever actually be available is subject to considerable conjecture.” He said: “700 MHz spectrum isn’t available to respond to current demands and the current reality is that we are at war and that’s not about to change anytime soon.” Extent to which equipment atop Trade Center was destroyed could delay rollout of DTV in N.Y. even longer, Wax said, saying 2006 isn’t even close to realistic transition date. “The delay is real and the harm substantial.” Amid extremely congested spectrum in N.Y., agencies face severe spectrum constraints for carrying out public safety duties, he said.

While several public safety speakers raised concerns about pace at which broadcasters were exiting 700 MHz band, FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Thomas Sugrue said statutory deadline of 2006 or 85% DTV penetration was set by Congress, not Commission. Date certain is “a matter about which congressional review might be helpful,” he said. Commission also has focused on policies that would encourage broadcasters to vacate that band early, “a not uncontroversial step,” he said. “I think there’s an enhanced awareness, certainly at the FCC and in Congress and in debates in Washington, about public safety’s interest in this band,” Sugrue said. On international front, he said both Canada and Mexico were considering harmonizing their 700 MHz allotments with those in U.S. “and eventually clearing the 700 MHz band of television stations.” In some border areas in U.S., that spectrum is encumbered in Mexico and Canada in way that would limit public safety use. “I think progress is being made,” he said. “I think there is enhanced sensitivity on that front.” Several speakers also cited critical need for public safety equipment to be developed for 700 MHz band. Sugrue said that by time FCC began to issue licenses next year in 700 MHz, he hoped equipment would be available from multiple vendors.

In panel discussion, FCC Deputy Wireless Bureau Chief Kathleen Ham outlined extent to which public safety spectrum at 700 MHz would be cleared in and around N.Y.C. once analog TV incumbents moved. “This is why band-clearing is so important,” she said, showing map of clear spectrum within 50 miles of N.Y.C. from broadcasters vacating Ch. 62, 63, 64, 67 and 68. One problem raised repeatedly by public safety officials was that in most major metro areas, where spectrum needs were most critical, band-clearing was complicated by presence of at least 4, and sometimes 5, analog incumbents. One possible scenario in some cases would be that broadcasters could flash cut to DTV allotment below Ch. 59 and relocate on analog channel, she said. She said Ch. 60-69 auction set for June 19 might provide impetus for some of voluntary band-clearing agreements between wireless industry and broadcasters to get under way. While FCC action sets stage for such agreements, Washington attorney Robert Gurss, who is counsel for APCO, said that goes only so far because statutory restrictions on how to propel it forward were so restrictive. Gurss said there was talk in industry that wireless carriers weren’t as interested in that spectrum as they once were, focusing more on spectrum above 2 GHz for 3G uses.

One possibility under discussion by some in industry is use of 700 MHz band for “"homeland security"” rather than commercial purposes, which would give additional 30 MHz to federal, state and local public safety users, he said. But Gurss said that would require congressional action and Hill willingness to forgo up to $4 billion in auction revenue. Ham said industry interest in band could be gauged in public notice that FCC planned to issue shortly on minimum bids for that spectrum. In other public safety spectrum areas, Tramont ticked off list of upcoming spectrum policy decisions at FCC, including on 4.9 GHz band that some have been pressing to be set aside for public safety. Internationally, he said proposal by India was to be debated at World Radio Conference in 2003 in Venezuela that would create harmonized worldwide band for public safety. U.S. position is being formulated on that, with one possibility being that U.S. would opt for multiband approach similar to its position on 3G, he said. Mary Greczyn

NCC Notes…

“Our radio traffic was unbelievable,” said Asst. Comr. of N.Y.C Fire Dept. Stephen Gregory, noting that on Sept. 11, 225 units were operating on frequency normally used by 90. Gregory played several recordings of radio communications dispatches that day, including one from civilian who had sought refuge in fire truck and became trapped, telling dispatcher, “"I can’t breathe much longer.” Gregory also showed film footage shot by U.K. film crew that showed him and several colleagues in moments before first tower collapsed and then panic that ensued. “Interoperability, although a serious issue, was not my primary concern at that time,” he said. “Operating within our own system was.” Nonetheless, he noted that as fire and emergency squads responded to scene from throughout N.Y. area, lack of operability across board made it hard to track who they were or what they were doing, he said. As dept. changes over from UHF to VHF, it will gain interoperability with police and EMS communications, he said, noting that several questions remain about how this will work, including equipment that will be rolled out in new band.

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Richard Scheirer, dir. of N.Y.C. Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, recounted extent to which use of wireless data communications on network of Ricochet, which had filed for Chapter 11 protection this summer, was critical way that mayor’s office kept in touch with emergency responders and others in immediate aftermath of attacks. While 800 MHz system that some rescue workers used worked well, mayor’s office was tasked with challenge of talking to wide array of agencies to find people. Wireless data system that would remain operating during emergencies is “chief need” among potential communications solutions, he said. Scheirer said there is “vacuum” concerning capability that would offer secure, “thick pipe” of wireless data for use during emergencies. While radio operations remained operable during Sept. 11 crisis, among shortcomings was lack of way to communicate among officers from different jurisdictions and federal, state and local agencies who were manning multitude of roadblocks throughout city that day. “If somebody had blown by a roadblocks,” employees wouldn’t have been able to communicate with their colleagues down road. GETS (Govt. Emergency Telephone System) cards that his employees had weren’t usable on Sept. 11 because they were in World Trade Center 7 and not available.