FCC Looking At 700 MHz Band Plan

[n4voxgill]

The following is a news release from the FCC today. It concerns realgining the 700 band plan. They say they have tentatively decided not to touch the portion set aside for voice, but this is Washington and they can foul up anything.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
March 17, 2006 Chelsea Fallon: (202) 418-7991

FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSALS FOR MODIFYING
700 MHz PUBLIC SAFETY SPECTRUM TO
ACCOMMODATE BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an Eighth Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Notice) that seeks comment on whether certain channels within the 24 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band allocated for public safety use should be modified to accommodate broadband communications. The 700 MHz public safety spectrum is currently being used by television broadcasters during the digital television (DTV) transition but will become available for use by public safety agencies by February 18, 2009, when the DTV transition is completed.

Under a band plan adopted by the FCC in 1998, the 700 MHz public safety spectrum (764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz) is divided in half between narrowband channels, which allow voice and low-speed data services, and wideband channels, which allow high-speed data and slow scan video services (see attached diagrams). Within the 12 MHz of paired wideband spectrum, 4.8 MHz is currently designated for general use and 1.8 MHz for interoperability, and the remaining 5.4 MHz is held in reserve for future public safety needs. General use spectrum licenses are subject to a regional planning process similar to that used in the 800 MHz public safety band. Under the current rules, the individual channels within the general use and interoperability wideband segments have a bandwidth of 50 kHz, and licensees can aggregate three 50 kHz channels up to 150 kHz.

In the December 2005 Intelligence Reform Act Report to Congress on public safety spectrum needs, the FCC recognized that it should expeditiously examine whether the 700 MHz public safety band plan could be modified to accommodate broadband communications. Today’s Notice seeks comment on three specific proposals to modify the 700 MHz band plan submitted by the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council; Motorola, Inc.; and Lucent Technologies, Inc. All three plans propose combining the general use, interoperability, and reserve wideband segments in order to permit broadband communications. The proposals also support the creation of guard bands to protect narrowband voice operations. Today’s Notice also invites additional proposals and seeks comment on the FCC’s tentative conclusion not to alter the narrowband portions of the 700 MHz public safety band.

In the Seventh Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in this proceeding, the FCC sought comment on a variety of technical and operational rules for the 700 MHz public safety spectrum, including a proposal by the Public Safety National Coordination Committee to adopt a wideband data interoperability standard, commonly known as “SAM” (Scalable Adaptive Modulation), and to require that all wideband radios be capable of supporting the SAM standard. Today’s Notice asks commenters to provide additional input and update the record regarding wideband interoperability and the SAM standard in light of proposals to accommodate broadband communications.

Action by the Commission on March 17, 2006, by Eighth Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 06-34). Chairman Martin and Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, and Tate. Separate statement issued by Chairman Martin.

For additional information, contact John Evanoff, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0848, or John.Evanoff@fcc.gov; or Tim Maguire, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-2155 or Tim.Maguire@fcc.gov.

WT Docket No. 96-86.

– FCC –

News and other information about the Federal Communications Commission
is available at www.fcc.gov.

 

[RoninJoliet]

Its already being used here in my area of ISP District 5 Joliet by a small town that has joined the IL-Starcom21 system by Motorola. They must have a license cause you can read the freqys on the Starcom list and they have been transmitting on them.........

 

[n4voxgill]

each state was allocated 50 channels, some can be used and some can't because of tv interference. The state of Missouri has the only regionall plan that has been approved for assignment other than the 50 channels and the first city application was filed a couple of week ago.

The FCC hopes to not move any of the voice channels around, but they could still do it and cause the starcom to have to readjust their frequencies. When the FCC said they were going to open this new look at 700, the national public safety groups through NPSTC asked the FCC to not mess with the voice channel band plan.

 

[RoninJoliet]

Thanks for the info, i wish they would move back to the designated 800 as my RS models decode the 700 fine but in conventional mode only.....

 

[kb2vxa]

"...i wish they would move back to the designated 800 as my RS models decode the 700 fine but in conventional mode only."
HE HE HE HA HA HA HO HO HO!

Broadband wireless is a powerful lobby chomping at the bit trying to get it's grubby little hands on every bit of spectrum they possibly can, much of it as yet unavailable. Hams USE much of that spectrum under fire, you don't so if OUR concerns are treated so lightly I guess that leaves you somewhere "out there". Talk about low man on the totem pole, you're not even ON the totem pole.

Pardon my jocularity but consider just who has the political and financial clout and you'll see just who gets the lion's share and who get the scraps. Then there are the vultures, oddly enough they're at the top of the food chain. Oh, if you think public service has clout, just ask your local VFD about tin cans and string.

 

[michaelsbus]

Interesting how the notice doesn't mention upper or lower 700MHz band... They are actually two separate issues on the FCC website. Public safety is only part of the upper 700 band with the remainder being chopped up for auction. The lower 700 band is where the old TV stations from the upper band are moving to temporarily until the DTV operations get online. After that, the band will be chopped up for auction - if public safety wants in, they will be treated like any other SMR: no guarantees.

The upper 700 band has two blocks reserved for public safety, which they pretty much can't mess with (unless there's another Nextel-type snafu...) Adjacent to those blocks are what they're calling "guard bands." Those guard bands are going up for auction, and primary regulation will be entrusted to guard band managers to keep it under control. If it winds up being the broadband folks, they better do it right - NO ONE will tolerate a 700MHz Rebanding Project.

Also, to RoninJoliet: try using a custom trunk table (base freq/step/offset) for the new system. If the scanner can recieve them, then it should be able to follow trunk...