Public safety and private radio groups plus Nextel offer ‘consensus plan’ for 800 MHz interference mitigation

Public safety and private radio membership organizations, Nextel Communications and Aeronautical Radio (a company that uses private radio) have come together to offer the FCC a plan to reduce interference in the 800 MHz band. The interference involves wireless carriers, including Nextel, and affects the reception of radio communications used by public safety agencies, businesses, industrial companies and airtime service providers.

[To view a diagram of the proposed band plan, click here.]

In filing joint reply comments in the FCC’s 800 MHz realignment proceeding (WT-0255), the various groups and Nextel offer what they call a consensus strategy for mitigating the interference in the 800 MHz band.

The plan would split the 800 MHz band into two contiguous blocks of spectrum: a non-cellularized block and a cellularized block. Public safety, B/ILT (business, industrial and land transportation entities) and traditional SMR (airtime service) licensees would remain in a 20 MHz non-cellularized block, and Nextel would relocate to a 16 MHz cellularized block. In the non-cellularized block, a 2 X 2 MHz guard band would be created at 814–816/859–861 MHz for low-power “campus”-type systems and other B/ILT licensees.

The proposal would also provide a five-year period during which public safety entities could acquire the remaining channels vacated by Nextel in the non-cellularized block. This would provide additional channel capacity for state and local public safety agencies across the nation.

The parties submitting the reply comments stated that the compromise proposal mitigates the interference problem with minimal disruption to existing services; offers additional public safety spectrum; keeps B/ILT at 800 MHz; separates incompatible technologies; offers additional B/ILT and traditional SMR spectrum if public safety does not acquire all vacated channels in the 800 MHz band; and satisfies the immediate needs of all affected parties.

Under the plan, the only required movement, other than that of Nextel, would take existing licensees out of the 806-809/851-854 MHz band and the NPSPAC licensees into that same band. Voluntary movement of current public safety licensees in the “guard band” to other portions of the non-cellularized block would also be accommodated.

The Land Mobile Communications Council, Nextel and the public safety frequency coordinators, including regional planning committees, would work together to develop a comprehensive band plan for the newly created public safety/B/ILT/SMR pool. Nextel has pledged $500 million for funding public safety relocation costs.

Nextel would return its 700 and 900 MHz spectrum to the FCC, contribute 2.5 MHz of spectrum at 800 MHz to the newly created public safety/B/ILT pool and receive, in exchange, 10 MHz of spectrum at 1910-1915/1990-1995 MHz. Nextel’s 700 MHz spectrum would be designated for public safety use, with the 900 MHz spectrum designated for B/ILT use.

The public safety organizations that signed the consensus agreement include:

• Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International

• International Association of Chiefs of Police

• International Association of Fire Chiefs

• International Municipal Signal Association

• Major Cities Chiefs Association

• Major County Sheriffs’ Association

• National Sheriffs’ Association

The private radio communications organizations and individual companies that signed the consensus agreement (under the name “Private Wireless Coalition”) include:

• Aeronautical Radio

• American Mobile Telecommunications Association

• American Petroleum Institute

• Association of American Railroads

• Forest Industries Telecommunications

• Industrial Telecommunications Association

• Personal Communications Industry Association

• Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association

Nextel Communications is also a signatory.