McDowell Encourages Public Safety to Use Commercial Systems More
FCC Comr. McDowell said he hopes public safety will make greater use of commercial technologies and networks. He was kicking off a 3G Americas symposium Wed. that included several demonstrations of ways that applications provided by wireless carriers help police, firefighters and other first responders. Public safety agencies have relied mainly on equipment and systems designed specifically for their use.
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“I'd like to encourage the public safety community and the wireless community to continue to talk about partnerships,” McDowell said. “While commercial wireless technologies may not be appropriate for every type of public safety communications, public safety agencies find it useful to employ commercial systems or to partner with commercial entities.” Partnerships will be even more important after the upcoming 700 MHz auction, which will put 700 MHz licenses in carriers’ hands, McDowell said: “Public safety and commercial entities will be neighbors.”
McDowell said he would oppose any changes in FCC rules limiting companies’ flexibility to use the 700 MHz spectrum as they roll out advanced services. “In developing these rules the Commission took a flexible, market-based approach,” he said: “I want to make sure that any changes that we make now do not water down the current plan.” He said the market, not the Commission, “should pick the winners.”
McDowell said if the FCC does its job the name “3G Americas” will no longer be relevant: “At the FCC we are working on spurring the development and rollout of 4G and 5G technologies as we speak. You may want to buy stationery that says XG.”
McDowell told reporters afterward that he wanted to encourage “more dialogue and more flexibility, more creativity” in partnerships between public safety and commercial operators. He made clear he wasn’t weighing in on proposals by Cyren Call or any other group to devote part of the 700 MHz spectrum to a national wireless network for public safety.