FCC WEIGHS HOW TO MITIGATE PUBLIC SAFETY INTERFERENCE AT 800 MHZ

While gaining public safety support, Nextel proposal has generated concerns of private wireless users that spectrum swap would disrupt communications for utilities, airlines, others. FCC said request was designed to look at how best to fix interference problems for public safety systems at 800 MHz “with minimum disruption to our existing license structure and assurance of sufficient spectrum for critical public safety communications.” Proposal seeks comment on PCIA petition seeking to consolidate business and industrial/land transportation pools. It also: (1) Discusses potential relocation bands, who would be reimbursed for relocating and who would pay associated cost. (2) Considers “complementary means” for reducing interference to public safety at 800 MHz, other than band reconfiguration, including receiver standards, stricter limits on out-of-band emissions and “more robust public safety signals.” That includes examination of whether FCC should adopt technical standards for portable mobile radios used by public safety to make them more interference resistant. (3) Discusses how to handle licensing and frequency coordination if 800 MHz band is restructured and incumbent 800 MHz licensees are relocated “to other suitable bands.” (4) Seeks comments on terms and conditions of licenses in 900 MHz land mobile band if it is used to relocate displaced licensees.

“Interference affecting public safety in this band is a problem and it is getting worse,” Comr. Abernathy said. “Our current processes are not sufficient to resolve the problems.” FCC’s analysis of proposals should be guided by ability to “aggressively attack” public safety interference issues and to minimize costs, she said. “I am very reluctant to force parties to move at their own expense unless there is some inherent benefit in the new assignment,” she said. Abernathy said FCC also should try to minimize disruption to other bands, “to the extent feasible… If we consolidate public safety into a contiguous band and there is a demonstrated need in the record, we should not pass up an opportunity to identify additional interoperability channels for public safety.”

Comr. Copps lauded extent that proposal asked general question of how well Commission was meeting public safety spectrum needs. “For us to do our job well, we need to get a better handle on how much spectrum public safety needs to protect our citizens,” he said, noting that FCC recently took steps at 700 MHz and 4.9 GHz to make more capacity available for public safety users. “Do we have the right amount? How far do we still have to go?”

Nextel proposal would swap 16 MHz in 700 MHz band, specialized mobile radio (SMR) spectrum at 800 MHz and 4 MHz at 900 MHz. In return, Nextel would receive another 16 MHz in upper 800 MHz band and in 2.1 GHz mobile satellite services (MSS) band. In White Paper unveiled at FCC in Nov., Nextel proposed contributing up to $500 million to compensate public safety users for costs of relocation and equipment retuning. Proposal would more than double public safety operators’ current allocation of 9.5 MHz in 800 MHz band, while Nextel wouldn’t have net gain of new spectrum (CD Nov 23 p1). Public safety users would move to contiguous block in lower 800 MHz band, which would eliminate issue of different kind of operations now being interwoven in band. Under this plan, only public safety users would be reimbursed for relocation, with others having to move at their own cost or remain in place as secondary users to public safety.

Proposal floated by NAM and MRFAC, which is its frequency coordination arm for private land mobile radio bands, would cut 800 MHz band into thirds, with public safety at low end of band, SMR and business/industrial land transportation stations in middle and cellular architecture commercial stations at top, said FCC Wireless Bureau legal adviser Michael Wilhelm. NAM plan would create buffer between public safety and digital SMR systems, he said. Part of interference problem now appears to lie in way 800 MHz band is configured because channels are interleaved between public safety, business/industrial land transportation and SMR services. Result is that interference occurs, in form of dead spots for public safety users in some areas, even though users are following terms of their licenses. NPRM doesn’t express preference for either Nextel or NAM plan, Wilhelm said.

“The underlying, bedrock problem in the 800 MHz band is everyone is following the rules as written and we still have these problems,” Wireless Bureau Chief Thomas Sugrue said. FCC has struggled with interference issue for years, including formulation of best practices guide created by working group of public safety, FCC and other officials. “The problem keeps appearing and frankly we see it getting more widespread,” Sugrue said. One issue has been that in last several years, Nextel subscribers have grown rapidly, he said. Also, although band was allocated for public safety users in 1980s, it’s just now that there has significant movement into band from these operators, who typically need time to overcome equipment availability and budget issues, he said.

Anyone that submits alternative proposal that would entail displacing licensees at 800 MHz must identify suitable spectrum to be used by displaced incumbents, Wilhelm said. For any proposal involving replacement spectrum, FCC seeks comment on which spectrum could be used, including but not limited to 2 GHz MSS spectrum covered by Nextel plan, Wilhelm said. “Solving the interference problem involves some very tough technical and policy issues,” he said.

One issue raised since Nextel unveiled proposal is equity of that carrier receiving replacement spectrum in MSS band, rather than Commission auctioning that spectrum to highest bidder. “That is one of the issues that we're going to be asking for comment on,” said Deputy Wireless Bureau Chief Kathleen Ham. “Some of that spectrum has already been identified in the 3G docket, for example, as potential spectrum to be recovered for flexible mobile use. I think we're going to ask those questions.” In Jan., Satellite Industry Assn. opposed Nextel realignment proposal, asking FCC to preserve 2 GHz MSS spectrum allocation and not reallocate any portion of band to Nextel. At 2 GHz, FCC has only licensed 56 out of 70 MHz, meaning that 14 MHz that is still unlicensed. MSS part of Nextel proposal “is clearly one of more controversial aspects” of plan, Sugrue said.