FCC

Pending Public Safety Petitions Dismissed

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May 4, 2017–The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau issued an order today dismissing 29 pending petitions and other requests. The bureau said in the order in PS docket 14-246 that the “petitions and other requests were … listed in the Attachment to the Dismissal Public Notice, released on December 5, 2014 [TR Daily, Dec. 5, 2014]. Dismissal of these petitions and other requests furthers the Commission’s organizational and administrative goals by increasing the efficiency of its decision-making, reducing backlog, and bringing administrative finality to filings that were abandoned, that are no longer of any apparent interest to the filers, or for which no further action is required or contemplated.”

Courtesy TRDaily

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, May 4, 2017

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The Politics of Opting In (or Out) As my readers know by now, I am pro-opt-in for the FirstNet/AT&T network. I believe it makes the most sense and if the opt-in decision is augmented by other means of enhancing the network within a state then it is truly a win for Public Safety and the state.

The timing for the opt-in decision is not ideal. AT&T says it will deliver draft state plans in June with final plans being delivered in October. When the finals are delivered, the 90-day opt-in or opt-out clock starts to run. In essence, the governor of each state and territory has three options, not two. The first is to opt in by saying the state is opting in. The next of course is the governor saying the state will opt out. The third is for the governor to not say anything for 90 days, in which case a default decision will be made by law to automatically opt in. A governor may base the state’s opt-in, opt-out decision on potential political implications for him or her and make the most convenient decision.

Because of the court case and the delay it caused, the delivery of the state plans is in October, which is not an ideal time for a number of reasons political and otherwise. If the plans are delivered in early October and the state folks who have been working with AT&T and FirstNet since the draft plan was presented in June can make a quick decision and inform the governor of what they believe is the right choice, then the opt-in could happen quickly. As a result, the AT&T broadband network in that state would become available to all first responders in that state almost immediately. However, if the governor is not clear about his or her choice and waits for almost the entire 90 days to pass, that could also have implications in a few of the states and territories.

During this timeframe both New Jersey and Virginia will be in the process of electing a new governor since in both states the governor is facing term limits at the end of the year. So the election in these states will be held on November 7, 2017. That brings up the issue of politics. Will the FirstNet opt-in or opt-out decision become an issue in the election? Will existing governors opt in or opt out before their terms expires perhaps to help their legacy? Will nothing happen during this time so the 90-day opt-in, opt-out window will expire and the opt-in decision will become the state’s default choice? Continue reading →

Public Safety Entities Weigh in on 700 MHz Airborne Ops Proposals

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May 2, 2017–Public safety entities have weighed in on two proposals for coordinating 700 megahertz airborne operations for narrowband channels along the U.S.-Canada border. The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and International Bureau released a public notice in March seeking comment on the proposals (TR Daily, March 15). “One proposal would allow the two countries to share the eight channels that the U.S. designated for airborne use,” the bureaus explained in the public notice released in PS docket 13-87.  The other would require “certain terrestrial incumbents in the United States, within given distances from the border, … to relocate from Canada’s air-ground channels to avoid mutual interference,” they said.

In its comments, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council recommended that “the Commission and ISED [Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada] give serious consideration to designating up to eight air-ground 12.5 kHz channels selected from the 775-776/805-806 MHz band for day-to-day public safety air-ground use in Canada. This spectrum is already designated for public safety use in Canada. NPSTC believes its selection for day-to-day Canada air-ground operations would enable both countries to enjoy full use of its public safety air-ground spectrum with minimal ongoing border zone coordination. In the U.S., the 775-776/805-806 MHz band is designated as the B block guardband. While the B block guardband was envisioned for use by [band managers], a check of the Commission’s ULS database indicates no B block guardband licenses exist. As addressed in these comments there is minimal use of this spectrum by other licensees as well, for which some additional study may very well resolve any potential impact.” Continue reading →

Public Safety Groups Renew Concerns About 911 Testing Transparency, Definition

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April 28, 2017–The International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials, and National Sheriffs’ Association today renewed their concerns about the transparency of indoor 911 location accuracy test results and the definition of “dispatchable location.” Today’s ex parte filing in PS docket 07-114 reiterated and elaborated on a filing the groups submitted in February (TR Daily, Feb. 22).

The earlier filing observed that the FCC’s fourth report and order in the proceeding (TR Daily, Jan. 29, 2015) said the Commission would not require “details” of testing on existing 911 location technologies to be disclosed, but the groups urged carriers to release “summary” results. The groups said they are pleased that the FCC has left open the option of disclosing summary information. Continue reading →

FCC Issues Interference Notice to SNG

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April 27, 2017–Region Two of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has issued a notice of violation to Spectrum Network Group LLC in the wake of a complaint that its station in Miami caused interference to public safety communications in area. Agents in the bureau’s Miami office monitored transmissions in the wake of the complaint and observed drifting transmissions on frequencies not licensed to SNG.

“SNG personnel stated to an agent: (1) that its base station was first installed and powered up on March 20, 2017; (2) that apparently its base station transmitter was improperly set up to transmit on the mobile frequency instead of the base frequency; and (3) that an additional malfunction caused it to transmit the drifting signal on 810.25 MHz. Therefore, SNG apparently failed to operate its station WQYD321 according to the terms of its authorization,” the notice said “When SNG turned off its base station transmitter, the interfering signal ceased.” The agency is seeking additional information from SNG.

Courtesy TRDaily

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, April 27, 2017

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The Feds, States, and Locals Who Wins? This week’s Public Safety Advocate does not deal directly with Public Safety communications however, it does deal with a topic that could and probably will impact AT&T’s construction of the FirstNet broadband network and could also impact LMR systems going forward. The issue is the battle for tower and right of way siting (placement) that is currently taking place between the FCC, the states, and the local jurisdictions.

This battle is heating up. On the one hand you have commercial network operators that are anxious to deploy small cell and other technologies as they move toward providing more bandwidth and capacity for their customers. On the other end of things you have the citizens and network customers who are divided into two groups: those who want and need more broadband capacity and speed and those who believe they need the coverage but not in their backyard where they might be subject to unproven health hazards. Fortunately, this last group is small in number, but during local permit hearings they are usually the only ones who show up and they are very vocal.

It used to be that the FCC and local jurisdictions were in the middle of these two groups. However, the FCC passed laws that limited what local entities could do when reviewing a permit request for a wireless site. Over the years, the FCC precluded locals from turning down applications based on perceived health dangers and put into effect a “shot clock” that gives the local jurisdiction a timeframe for reviewing and issuing or turning down a permit. The locals have also re-written their ordnances to give them the ability to regulate the types and number of towers and other sites that will be approved. This was followed by a new law that was included in the law that created FirstNet that towers can be expanded out or up a certain amount to accommodate additional antenna systems without requiring a completely new set of environmental and permitting work on the part of the tower owner. Continue reading →

API Asks FCC to Adopt 4.9 GHz Band Item

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April 24, 2017–Members of the American Petroleum Institute say the FCC should adopt a 4.9 gigahertz band further notice of proposed rulemaking. An ex parte filing posted today in WP dockets 07-100 and 15-32 reporting on a meeting with API members and representatives of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau expressed support for the further notice. A 4.9 GHz band further notice was circulated last November during the tenure of former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler (TR Daily, Nov. 10, 2016). But it was pulled from circulation along with a number of other items after FCC Chairman Ajit Pai took over the agency (TR Daily, Jan. 30). But a revised version is expected to be circulated.

Courtesy TRDaily

FCC Seeks Input on Broadband Health Care Initiative

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April 24, 2017–The FCC is seeking input for the ongoing efforts of its Connect2Health initiative, asking, in a 25-page public notice, for comment on ways in which the FCC can further the seven objectives of the initiative, as well as on the source of authority for FCC action in these areas. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced last month that the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force, which was established by former Chairman Tom Wheeler in 2014, would continue its work during his chairmanship, and that Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn would continue to lead the effort (TR Daily, March 16).

The objectives outlined in today’s public notice are “promoting effective policy and regulatory solutions that encourage broadband adoption and promote health IT”;  “identifying regulatory barriers (and incentives) to the deployment of radio frequency (RF)-enabled advanced health care technologies and devices”; “strengthening the nation’s telehealth infrastructure through the FCC’s Rural Health Care  Program and other initiatives”; “raising consumer awareness about the value proposition of broadband in the health care  sector and its potential for addressing health care disparities”; “enabling the development of broadband-enabled health technologies that are designed to be fully accessible to people with disabilities”; “highlighting effective telehealth projects, broadband-enabled health technologies, and mHealth applications across the country and abroad—to identify lessons learned, best practices, and regulatory challenges”; and  “engaging a diverse array of traditional and non-traditional stakeholders to identify emerging  issues and opportunities in the broadband health space.” Continue reading →

Pai, Clyburn, O’Rielly Urge BDAC to Keep Varying Factors in Mind

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April 21, 2017–FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the members of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee today during its first meeting that he hopes its members will “help identify solutions” for easing broadband providers’ access to utility poles “that preserve public safety and advance the interests of pole owners and (would-be) users.” FCC Commissioners Mignon L. Clyburn and Mike O’Rielly, meanwhile, emphasized other issues and factors they want the BDAC membership to keep in mind.

During remarks at the meeting, which was held at the FCC’s Washington headquarters, Chairman Pai, who invited applications for BDAC members earlier this year and announced the membership a few weeks ago (TR Daily, April 6), also highlighted the importance of “speeding up broadband deployment on Federal lands. Right now, it takes about twice as long to site infrastructure on Federal lands as it does on privately held land. Shortening that timeline could help prove the business case for deployment in areas where it might not otherwise exist. Here, BDAC recommendations could have a major impact on closing the digital divide, especially for rural and Tribal residents who live on or near Federal lands,” according to his prepared remarks. Continue reading →

911 Officials Complain AT&T Failed on Outage Notifications

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April 21, 2017–Public safety 911 officials complained in recent conversations with representatives of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau about what they said were inadequate notifications after a March 8 nationwide AT&T, Inc., 911 outage that impacted wireless customers.Last month, the Public Safety Bureau issued a public notice seeking comments on the bureau’s investigation of two AT&T 911 outages that month (TR Daily, March 23).  The bureau’s investigation involves the widely reported outage of AT&T Mobility’s voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) 911 service on March 8, and what appears to be a lesser VoLTE 911 service outage on March 11.

In an ex parte filing in PS docket 17-68 reporting on a phone conversation with bureau staff, National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) Executive Director Evelyn Bailey said, “In this particular outage, many PSAPs were notified even though they were not actually affected. For instance, PSAPs in Iowa were notified of the outage, but not one of them was affected (that fact was not clear at the time). The result was a flurry of unnecessary activity as people leapt into action to try to get information and determine how to respond. Iowa’s 911 administrator observed that if he had issued a public notice about the outage, and then had to retract it upon learning that his state had not been affected, it would have diminished the credibility of the program and the public’s confidence in the 911 system. It is very important that PSAPs – and state 911 administrators – be able to rely on the accuracy of the outage notification. The affected entity should target its notifications to those PSAPs that are actually affected by the outage. Scattershot notifications cause unnecessary alarm and waste of resources when there is no actual outage.” Continue reading →