NPSTC Files
on FCC Deliberations on 700 MHz Band Affecting
Public Safety
(Littleton,
Colorado, May 23, 2007) -The National
Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC)
filed comments with the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC's) in response to its Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) addressing
the structure and rules of the commercial and
public safety segments in the 700 MHz band.
How the Commission
resolves these issues will determine whether
public safety agencies can gain improved
communications and advanced telecommunications
services.
NPSTC's filing addresses two central
elements:
·
The Commission's intention
to implement its Ninth Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking proposal to establish a national public
safety licensee to manage a 700 MHz public safety
broadband segment and its relationship to the
Frontline Wireless proposal to designate a 10
megahertz "E Block" in the commercial segment.
Frontline proposes that the E Block licensee would
construct and operate a nationwide, interoperable
broadband network to be shared with the national
public safety licensee.
·
The Commission's proposal
to eliminate the wideband channels in the public
safety segment, allowing only broadband operations
while restructuring the public safety narrowband
voice channels and guard band channels.
There is a real
opportunity to alleviate the current congested and
strained environment and to make meaningful
improvements to emergency response and
preparedness. Yet in
many respects the proposals reflected in the FCC's
FNPRM do not recognize the realities of public
safety communications. If left
unchanged, the proposals will not only result in
no improvements but deny access to the 700 MHz
band for many agencies.
NPSTC urges the
adoption of a National Public Safety License and
an E Block, but the proposals to deploy and
maintain a public private network will only be
viable if all agencies have access and the network
represents public safety standards. NPSTC
urges the Commission to make these precepts
emphatic in its rules prior to any auction of the
700 MHz band. NPSTC's comments and recommendations
are premised on ensuring that all agencies can use
the 700 MHz band.
NPSTC is a
volunteer council of state and local public safety
organizations that serves as the collective voice
of public safety communications representing the
leaders and policymakers for the broader
nationwide public safety communications community.
Achieving that collective voice occurs through
informed discussion and debate and the development
of consensus positions reflecting the input of
NPSTC's members.
