Backup Power Supply Mandate Challenged by CTIA, USTelecom
CTIA and USTelecom separately asked the FCC to scuttle or make major changes to a rule requiring that carriers install a backup power source for central offices, cellsites and other critical facilities tied to the power grid (CD Aug 3 p2). The stipulation was based on findings in the FCC Katrina Panel’s report. The commission recently delayed by 60 days the Aug. 10 deadline (CD Aug 3 p2) for the requirement, opening the door to further agency review.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
“The rule is not rationally related to the goal of emergency preparedness because it actually hinders that aim by depriving carriers of the flexibility necessary to make intelligent and efficient plans for network resiliency as well as giving carriers the flexibility to respond to disasters in real time while remaining in compliance with the Commission’s rules,” CTIA said. Neither does FCC examine less restrictive alternatives or existing rules’ inadequacy, the group said.
USTelecom said the rule wrongly takes a “one size fits all” approach to carriers. “While the vast majority of all network remote terminals have onsite backup batteries, some remote terminals are physically too small to support a backup battery or a battery over a certain size,” USTelecom said. “In addition, remote terminals and network central offices are sometimes located in or near areas with zoning and environmental prohibitions that can operate to restrict certain backup power sources such as onsite generators.”
PCIA, NextG Networks and MetroPCS also petitioned for reconsideration of the backup power mandate. “The rule fails to take into account local concerns, and could force the abandonment of sites, thereby adversely impacting service to the public - all while failing to remedy the impact of flooding like that caused by Hurricane Katrina,” PCIA said.
NextG asked the FCC to declare that distributed antenna systems (DAS) it makes and operates are not cellsites and so not subject to agency backup power rules. “As generally understood, a cellsite involves an antenna and the associated base station containing the electronics necessary to control the signals,” NextG said. “In contrast, DAS nodes are remote antenna locations that do not have the associated base station at the node site.”
DAS nodes, often put on street lights and utility poles, provide fill-in coverage for carriers between celltowers. “The nature of DAS facilities requires the deployment of hundreds or even thousands of small antennas instead of just a few high-site antennas on towers, meaning the cost of deploying eight-hour backup power generators for DAS would be substantial if not prohibitive,” NextG said.
The American Association of Paging Carriers filed for reconsideration, saying the rule seems to cover its members, which are classified as CMRS carriers. “As the Commission well knows, paging carriers do not and inherently cannot provide E-911 service, leaving the inference that the Commission intended to altogether exclude paging carriers from the scope of the rule,” the group said.