Jul 16, 2004 12:00 PM

ICOM America recently filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to reallocate unused spectrum at 150 MHz for public-safety applications. The company said the unused spectrum currently is allocated to the paging industry, which is becoming obsolete due to advances in personal wireless communications.

As evidence, ICOM pointed to two 150 MHz auctions conducted by the FCC, during which 1700 licenses failed to be purchased, even though they could have been had for as little as $350 each, according to the company.

“Clearly there is not enough demand in the paging industry, and this bandwidth will remain vacant,” ICOM Vice President Chris Lougee said in a statement. “Meanwhile, as the population spreads and increases in outlying areas, there is not enough bandwidth allocated for public safety, which presents a risk to the population and frustration to those charged with protecting people.”

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