FCC Approves WCS Waiver for Public Safety Communications
The FCC Wireless Bureau approved a waiver giving SiriusXM additional time to deploy satellite-based emergency communications for public safety agencies, in combination with AT&T. The order covers spectrum in the C and D blocks of the 2.3 GHz wireless communications…
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!
service band, which the commission addressed in a 2017 order (see 1701180088). “Working with Sirius XM, AT&T has put forth a plan for the beneficial use of the C and D Blocks -- assigning the C and D Block licenses to Sirius XM so that Sirius XM could lease the bandwidth at no cost to one or more public safety agencies,” said an order in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. The service “would permit public safety agencies access to satellite communications services, using Sirius XM satellites, by pre-staging satellite receivers designed for WCS reception within the service area of each license to be deployed, as needed,” the order said. The bureau said AT&T tried developing a network for utilities in the spectrum: “Despite preliminary successes, according to AT&T, the service is no longer viable because of alternative spectrum available to utilities for smart grid operation.”