FCC 14-172 - Eliminates narrowbanding deadline for 700 MHz public safety licensees

In this Report and Order, we:

Eliminate the December 31, 2016 narrowbanding deadline for 700 MHz public safety
narrowband licensees to transition from 12.5 kilohertz to 6.25 kilohertz channel
bandwidth technology.


700 MHz Narrowband R&O | FCC.gov

Very interesting. That just saved a lot of agencies millions of dollars.

If I understand what little I read, this means that those agencies that were being forced to install P25 phase 2 equipment now don't have to do it. But if you need the extra capacity, you can still go to phase 2.

This will make a big dent in the sales plans of mother M. It will make many agencies feel much better in not being forced to spend gobs of money they don't have. It will also allow agencies to continue to use the radio equipment they currently are using for a longer time. A more orderly upgrade of existing radio equipment can now be planned.

Maybe we have seen some practical views finally coming out of the FCC.

Now how about another look at the UHF T band that is hanging in FCC limbo? The current situation that the public safety agencies using the T band has many not knowing which way to go. Do they try to move off the T band? If so, where do they go? Who is going to pay for the move? The FCC has done a poor job in addressing the UHF T band migration issue.

jim202 said:

If I understand what little I read, this means that those agencies that were being forced to install P25 phase 2 equipment now don't have to do it. But if you need the extra capacity, you can still go to phase 2.

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Basically yes - there are a lot of early Phase 1 systems that are not Phase 2 capable. That was a big argument for getting the Phase 2 date extended or removed. It would have forced a replacement before the Phase 1 equipment's lifespan was up.

RPCs could possibly still require it; but State block licenses wouldn't have to migrate those channels if they didn't want to.

A victory for taxpayers.

Someone finally seen reality and reason. No doubt it is absurd to force narrow 6.25 while the majority agencies are still using equipment within its lifespan for years to come. Someone seen and didn't buy the mother /\/\ sales push. It also is a good thing for scanner users also in some areas. The uhf like mentioned above is another issue the fcc needs to address. Many still utilize it and the costs would be too great unless some one came out with a grant to cover everyone to transition to something else. It's good agencies using the uhf are putting foot down on leaving it seeing the bigger picture of costs later having to buy a sales men's 700 mhz super dooper trunk system while current uhf use is working and sufficient. They tried to convince new mexico to go to a dtrs for the med channels with a boogeyman story uhf will be unusable later. NM told them no and if so they'd keep the med channels at vhf conv or if they had to Put it on 700 they'd keep it conv. /\/\ sales must have fired that one salesmen.

Maybe this is a paradigm shift at the FCC where they are realizing that the telecom cartels are getting too thirsty. Yeah right. The cartels spend more money on lobbyists in a month than many of us make in 10 years.

While I applaud this ridiculous deadline being eliminated, this is the tip of the iceberg. As far as the UHF "T-band takeback" remember this was a congressional act passed by the corporate owned congress who are just doing what their constituents (in the case the telecom cartels) are asking them to do.

I am hoping the next administration will realize we need a "radio spectrum protection act" that will put a stop to these out of control telecom cartels wanting every single MHz of spectrum from DC to daylight for their use. Yes, mobile broadband is important. But so is public safety, business land mobile, broadcast radio and TV, amateur, marine, and even part 15 for that matter.

But why isn't the FCC DEMANDING that the cartels invest in developing narrowband broadband technology rather than just giving them wide swaths of spectrum at their bequest every single time they ask for it? If they are going to demand that part 90 licensees become more "spectrally efficient" and force narrowbanding on everyone,and broadcasters "consolidate space and share carriers through virtual channels" than why shouldn't the same standard be thrust upon what are becoming some of the largest occupiers of radio spectrum in the UHF band, the cartels themselves?

It's time for an FCC that has ALL radio spectrum users' needs protected, not just those with the deepest pockets. Public safety radio isn't the only one who score to lose if this corporate bribery at the Federal level does not stop.

The T band issue is a congressional issue, not an FCC issue.

mlmummert said:

The T band issue is a congressional issue, not an FCC issue.

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Yup, we all know that. Just hoping that there can be some pressure put on Congress that only understands money. If we could only get Congress to understand that their move on the T band was for big business and not to the benefit of public safety there just might be a slight chance they will listen.

If Congress figures out what the move will cost, it just might have an effect on the stupid move they made.

I find this very interesting considering Lake County Indiana is in the process of getting a new P25 Phase II 700mhz system going from the state mandated consolidation by Jan 1 2015. Lake County is spending $21 million for the whole new system.

Obviously you forgot about Harris and others selling stuff. It's not just Motorola and Harris it's also not airbus with the Tait equipment. They ALL want to sell, it's how they stay in business.

ptolemy9200 said:

Someone finally seen reality and reason. No doubt it is absurd to force narrow 6.25 while the majority agencies are still using equipment within its lifespan for years to come. Someone seen and didn't buy the mother /\/\ sales push. It also is a good thing for scanner users also in some areas. The uhf like mentioned above is another issue the fcc needs to address. Many still utilize it and the costs would be too great unless some one came out with a grant to cover everyone to transition to something else. It's good agencies using the uhf are putting foot down on leaving it seeing the bigger picture of costs later having to buy a sales men's 700 mhz super dooper trunk system while current uhf use is working and sufficient. They tried to convince new mexico to go to a dtrs for the med channels with a boogeyman story uhf will be unusable later. NM told them no and if so they'd keep the med channels at vhf conv or if they had to Put it on 700 they'd keep it conv. /\/\ sales must have fired that one salesmen.

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Yes but the reach of mother M into the US Govt is a lot longer than any of the others.

Abb0 said:

Yes but the reach of mother M into the US Govt is a lot longer than any of the others.

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The others are possibly to keep /\/\ out of anti-trust court.