Public Safety Spectrum Proposal Gets Mixed Reviews
An FCC filing to reallocate 30 additional MHz of spectrum for public safety was cheered by the Rural Cellular Assn. but opposed by CTIA, and largely met with silence from wireless carriers and other groups Thurs. The filing, by new company Cyren Call, proposes a Public Safety Broadband Trust to manage the additional spectrum, including leasing unused patches for commercial use.
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The trust would be established by the FCC under its authority to manage the public airwaves. Cyren Call proposes strengthening business’s role in public safety spectrum management by having the trust negotiate long-term access contracts with network operators. This would have the effect of nationalizing the network for geographic interoperability and standardizing it for interagency compatibility, the company said. Cyren Call said this would give companies incentives to build and maintain a national network, rather than using tax money for a public buildout.
“We invite the industry to participate in debate” over whether the extra 30 MHz, now slated for auction, should be pulled off the block, said Morgan O'Brien, Cyren Call chmn., and founder, and former Nextel chmn. He acknowledged that some larger wireless carriers would likely have a problem with seeing prime spectrum removed from the auction, but he said public safety under this plan doesn’t have to be an anchor weighing down carriers. “It can be an anchor tenant,” he said.
“We believe it is an innovative, provocative proposal that deserves thoughtful consideration,” said Pres. Thomas Walsh of the Rural Cellular Assn. The proposal would mean a nationwide network, with plenty of areas the spectrum could be used commercially, he said.
CTIA supports interoperability, but this proposal could have unintended consequences, said Pres. Steve Largent. It could halt development of a new public safety system, he said, because “a new debate would arrest the progress Congress has made in providing both the spectrum and funding.” Largent said taking spectrum off the block would hurt the U.S. Treasury.
An official with the Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officers said the proposal raised “some interesting ideas” but wouldn’t comment further. The group is a politically powerful public safety force, according to several industry sources, so its silence could be seen as ominous for Cyren Call.
Carriers, too, were silent on the matter. Among companies we asked, only Sprint Nextel commented, saying it was looking forward to reviewing the filing, and that it would face hurdles, particularly the congressional requirement to auction the spectrum.