December 9, 2016–The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau released a public notice today announcing the completion of 800 megahertz band reconfiguration in 21 additional NPSPAC regions.  Rebanding completion had previously been announced in 19 NPSPAC regions and American Samoa.

“The Bureaus alert relevant stakeholders that, only as to the NPSPAC regions listed in Attachment A, we hereby: (1) begin full implementation of the interference abatement rules in Sections 22.970(a) and 90.672(a) of the Commission’s rules; and (2) announce that any remaining channels in the interleaved segment of the band vacated by Sprint Nextel Corporation (Sprint) are available for licensing to public safety entities and, later, to critical infrastructure entities,” the public notice said. “As explained below, however, we do not make unoccupied channels in the Expansion Band and Guard Band available for licensing at this time, but will announce the availability of those channels via a separate Public Notice.”

The expansion and guard band channels are the subject of a pending rulemaking proceeding.

Pre-coordination by frequency coordinators of the newly released channels can begin Jan. 19, 2017, and coordinators may begin filing applications on Feb. 23, 2017.

“From February 23, 2017, to February 22, 2020, the interleaved channels made available by this Public Notice will be available exclusively for licensing to public safety eligible entities. From February 23, 2020, to February 22, 2022, the channels made available by the records released by this Public Notice will be available exclusively for licensing to public safety eligible entities and critical infrastructure industry eligible entities,” the bureaus observed. —Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily