Coalition Says Local Control Critical to Future of 4.9 GHz Band
The Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI) urged the FCC to move forward to ensure “local public-safety control of the band, with local decision-making about how the 4.9 GHz band can best meet a jurisdiction’s current and future…
needs.” Giving FirstNet control of the band “would reduce ‘local control’ to merely allowing local public-safety officials to choose between quality-of-service levels offered by a national network provider, rather than having actual ownership and control of these critical networks,” CERCI said in a Tuesday filing in docket 07-100. The group provided details on state and local use of the band. Among the examples cited: the California Department of Transportation’s use for autonomous/connected vehicle communications and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s use for public safety communications in its subway and bus systems.