Public-safety groups sound off on 800 MHz issue
The Association of Public-Safety Officials, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and International Association of Chiefs of Police this week sent a joint letter to President Bush in support of the Consensus Plan, which would solve interference issued in the 800 MHz band through re-banding. The groups said the FCC’s open proceeding on the issue has been stalled “primarily by corporate special interests for competitive reasons,” and that the Consensus Plan would proactively “reduce and eliminate” interference and provide additional capacity at no cost to government or the public-safety community. The competing Balanced Approach Plan would rely primarily on technology solutions to remedy the interference problems that plague the band and avoid re-banding.