Yet MORE Interoperability? For more than thirty years the Public Safety community has been suffering from a lack of contiguous spectrum and many instances of interoperability problems at major incidents. Finally, after 9/11, Katerina, and Sandy, people began to hear and understand the issues and in 2012 after a great effort by the Public Safety community, FirstNet was born. In the meantime, Public Safety systems were being upgraded to P25 digital, and more systems were being combined into regional and even statewide systems. During this same period, less expensive digital systems were being sold into smaller departments that could not afford P25, and many departments have stayed with analog for voice services. FirstNet is about to award a contract to a partner to start construction of the nationwide broadband network, and the FCC has ordered that all voice interoperability channels on VHF, UHF, and 800-MHz will be analog since that is the lowest common denominator for all of the various systems in operation.

Then along comes Potomac Spectrum (http://potomacspectrum.com/) with plans to build out a nationwide TETRA-based Public Safety network that, in reality, would become a shared network with utilities and other types of users. Further, it is promising to be disruptive and make use of a German-based PTT over broadband technology from a company known as TASSTA in order to tie together LTE, existing LMR, and its TETRA network. Just what the United States does not need at this point in time; another company or consortium that wants to come in and be disruptive to the Public Safety community using TETRA, an old voice and slow-speed data technology that is being replaced in the UK, and a push-to-talk broadband system that does not appear to be even remotely compatible with the 3GPP Mission Critical PTT system. Does Potomac Spectrum really expect Public Safety departments will toss out their analog, P25, and LMR radios and replace them all with TETRA equipment?

Many departments are already having to fight with their elected officials simply to keep their existing Land Mobile Radio systems up and running because many elected officials are convinced that FirstNet will negate the need for these voice-only systems. Talk about poor timing! So to recap, FirstNet is about to announce the winning partner to build out the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, the FCC has decided that analog FM is the lowest common denominator for the interoperability channels, and the State of New Hampshire and/or Rivada Networks wants to repurpose the 700-MHz Land Mobile Radio spectrum for broadband in that one state, creating more interoperability issues. pdvWireless, in addition to bidding on the FirstNet RFP, is building out a “near mission critical” PTT network that might become a broadband network if the FCC agrees and meanwhile is signing up most of the customers the new entrant is after (sans Public Safety).

Now Potomac Spectrum and its partners intend to build what appears to be a nationwide TETRA backbone to every other network in existence including LTE nationwide systems using a bunch of balloons and making the spectrum available to not only Public Safety but others as well (and all this on less than 1 MHz of spectrum?). I think I covered it all but that is today. Perhaps someone else will announce a 100% satellite-based Public Safety system tomorrow that will work indoors as well as in city canyons! I guess I don’t understand what is going on. Local, state, and federal governments do not have money to throw at the latest and greatest promised technology du jour. They have fought hard with their city councils, boards of supervisors, and state and federal legislative organizations to get where they are.

Congress, in creating FirstNet, did not begin to set aside enough money to pay for FirstNet, the eleven metro areas that have to move off the shared TV channels (T-Band) in only a few years have no funding to move their systems, and FirstNet will only be built because a team of companies believes it can recoup its investment over the course of the 25-year contract. Is it possible this new entrant thinks its offering will be so compelling the Tetra network will actually be built and the Public Safety community will flock to it? If I have learned one thing in the past forty-plus years in this business it is that Public Safety professionals are cautious and move slowly; they have to be shown the advantage.

There is, I believe, no expectation by FirstNet or the winning vendor that when FirstNet is launched it will be subscribed to by each and every department in the United States or every member of every law, fire, and EMS team in every location. Instead, many departments will take a wait and see attitude and FirstNet and the partner will have to prove themselves. Over time, as the FirstNet network improves, more departments and personnel will become members. I think Potomac Spectrum and its partners are not reading the tea leaves correctly and are about to embark on a network that will never be built nationwide and will never come anywhere near to breaking even. But what the hell, it’s only money!

The Spectrum Auction: The FCC has once again started up the reverse portion of the 600-MHz spectrum auction. This is the part of the auction where the TV stations say how much they expect to be paid for their spectrum. In the last round the TV stations asked for more than $88 billion from the auctions and then in the forward rounds the network operators and others (63 total bidders) bid on the spectrum but were only willing to come up with about $23 billion. That left a gap of $65 billion between the two auctions. So the FCC is into round 2 and perhaps two things will happen: 1) TV broadcasters will be more realistic than they were in the first round 2) Forward round bidders will up their bids I honestly believe those bidding in the forward round, including the carriers, know the value of the spectrum to be cleared better than the broadcasters who did not pay a penny for the spectrum. The broadcasters believe they can ask what they want and the carriers will reach into their deep pockets because they really need the spectrum to help meet the demand of their customers who want to stream video whenever and wherever.

However, the most important spectrum for the carriers is in the higher reaches, above 3.5 GHz. That spectrum is better suited for very small area cells that fit the coming model of 5G. The 600-MHz spectrum on the other hand will not be available for up to five years after a successful bid, and it is best suited for much wider area coverage or the main backbone of a 4G/5G network. It will be interesting to follow the second attempt at this auction to find out who blinks first, the broadcasters or the network operators. Andrew Seybold

NewsChannel 7 Investigates | 15 years after 9/11, FirstNet public safety broadband remains offline – WSAW via Google Alerts Sep 16 00:20 The idea excites Marathon County Lt. Mark Wagers, who is constantly competing for broadband space as he works on his squad’s mobile network.

Senate Prepares to Modernize 911 Services – MeriTalk via Google Alerts Sep 15 14:30 911 emergency networks are dangerously out of date, according to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. He said that Public Safety Answering Points …

FCC Is Asked to Clarify Live and Immediate EAS Rules – Radio World via Google Alerts Sep 14 11:10 He asked that the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau interpret the terms immediate and live, consistent with historical use, and …

Don’t be too quick to judge New Hampshire harshly for signing deal with Rivada – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Sep 13 22:30 Last week, New Hampshire signed an agreement with Rivada Networks to build the RAN in its state, if it decides to opt out of FirstNet. …

Job Detail for Director of Communications Center & 911 Services – Job Climber via Google Alerts Sep 16 01:25 Director of Communications Center & 9-1-1 Services The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is seeking an …

FCC Commissioners Face Criticism At Senate Commerce Committee Oversight Hearing – All Access Music Group via Google Alerts Sep 15 18:10 Commissioner AJIT PAI stressed his support for the move of television to ATSC 3.0 and discussed public safety (911 issues) and freeing up spectrum …

FCC Chair’s update on 5G wireless, robocalls, business data services & more – Network World Fusion Sep 15 13:00 The following statement was made by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the United States Senate during a hearing on “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission” on Sept. 15. Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our work at the Federal Communications Commission.   Since we last met six months ago, the Commission has continued to make strong progress on our policy agenda.   While I am pleased with this progress, our work is far from done.   With each passing day, communications technology grows more…

ISPs Ask Senators to Probe FCC Privacy Plan – Broadcasting & Cable via Google Alerts Sep 14 19:30 Telling Congress they expect the FCC to vote on a new broadband privacy …

Statement of Assistant Secretary Strickling on GAO Report – NTIA – Department of Commerce via Google Alerts Sep 14 10:01 National Telecommunications and Information Administration 1401 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20230. commerce.gov | Privacy Policy …

Quarterly Program Status Report – NTIA – Department of Commerce via Google Alerts Sep 13 20:10 improve broadband access to public safety agencies; and stimulate demand for broadband.1. In 2009 and 2010, NTIA invested approximately.

FCC Commissioner Pai Gigabit Opportunity Zones Proposal Would Target Rural Areas – Telecompetitor via Google Alerts Sep 13 20:10 The program would cover some of the costs of deploying mobile broadband in high-cost rural areas and would be funded at least in part through …

NATIONWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORK – hol.es via Google Alerts Sep 13 18:00 Public’safety’communications’research’ Public’safety’lte’ …

Narrowband Wireless Solution Integrates Cloud and Connectivity for IIoT – IoT Evolution World via Google Alerts Sep 13 15:00 Cambium Networks, a global provider of wireless networking solutions, has launched its cnReach narrowband radio for reliable and secure …

Netflix asks FCC to help kill off broadband data caps – TechSpot via Google Alerts Sep 13 13:55 In a letter from Netflix to the FCC, the company also says that data caps do …

American Tower, Crown Castle Get Buy Ratings Despite REIT Sell-Off – Investor’s Business Daily via Google Alerts Sep 13 13:35 … U.S. government, meanwhile, is expected to soon award a contract for FirstNet, a nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.

Tech companies want ICANN transition to happen as planned – Network World Fusion Sep 13 13:00 The U.S. government’s plan to end its oversight of the internet’s domain name system should move forward as promised, despite last-minute efforts by some Republican lawmakers to derail the process, a coalition of tech companies and trade groups said. The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) should end its supervision of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on Oct. 1 as planned, said a letter signed by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Amazon and more than 20 other companies and trade groups. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ACA: FCC Should Rethink Unlimited Data Requirement – Broadcasting & Cable via Google Alerts Sep 13 11:35 … its requirement of an unlimited data usage offering for the top two performance tiers as a quid pro quo for getting broadband buildout subsidies. Verizon told the FCC that there was no evidence that such an offering was reasonably …