Washington D.C. – FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Industry Canada Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Kelly Gillis have signed an agreement allowing public safety officials who cross the U.S.-Canada border to use their hand-held radios in either country. The agreement – a Statement of Intent between the FCC and Industry Canada – expands roaming privileges originally granted to public safety officials in a 1952 Treaty.

The Statement of Intent allows public safety officials to operate hand-held radios in the other country whereas the 1952 Treaty only contemplated the cross-border operation of radios installed in public safety vehicles.

The Statement of Intent also eliminates the need for the host country to issue permits to public safety officials crossing the border provided the radios used by such officials are licensed in their country of origin.

The Statement of Intent is available on the International Bureau website at http://transition.fcc.gov/ib/sand/agree/files/CBPSC.pdf