Martin Proposes Changes Leading to Creation of Homeland Security Bureau
The FCC likely will vote March 17 for an order permitting it to create a Public Safety/Homeland Security Bureau, sources said Mon. On a 2nd security-themed item in the same meeting, the FCC is likely to pass an order that could clear the way for public safety to provide video and other broadband applications, in addition to voice communications, on 700 MHz spectrum. Chmn. Martin late Fri. began to circulate both items with colleagues in preparation for the March meeting.
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Martin vowed at a post-Katrina FCC meeting in Atlanta (CD Sept 16 p3) to create the new bureau. No existing entities at the FCC would be eliminated; a new bureau consolidating public safety oversight at the FCC would be created. Martin should have little trouble selling the new bureau to fellow commissioners, we're told. Comrs. Copps and Adelstein backed its creation at the Atlanta meeting. Carriers welcome its establishment. “CTIA looks forward to working with the new bureau once the chairman has it established,” said CTIA Vp Chris Guttman-McCabe.
So far, the FCC hasn’t laid out details on the bureau, except to say it will manage public safety communications, including 911 centers and first responders; priority emergency communications; emergency alerts; and infrastructure reporting and analysis during emergencies. Martin, who testifies Wed. before House appropriators, said in Jan. he will justify the new bureau in coming visits to Capitol Hill (CD Jan 23 p1).
The FCC also will take up an NPRM proposing to allow channels big enough to carry streaming video and other more robust applications in the 24 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum set for public safety use after the DTV transition. Current 700 MHz rules divide those 24 MHz into channels of no more than 50 KHz, best suited for voice communications. The 50 KHz channels can be combined to form 150 KHz channels, but that isn’t enough bandwidth for some uses public safety has in mind, like live video feeds.
“[The FCC] may allow some channels as big as 1.2 MHz, which would allow for EVDO and that kind of thing,” a public safety source said: “But there’s a lot of technical questions to address and concerns about interoperability and standards and bandplans.” Public safety agencies want the capacity for wireless transmission of digital images to patrol cars or to stream video in the field during emergencies -- and this demands larger channels, the National Capital Region Interoperability Program said in a report last year (CD Dec 20 p3). D.C. officials have been testing public safety uses on 700 MHz under an experimental FCC license.