https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Commentary Newsletters


Rebanding promises to be a taxing proposition

Rebanding promises to be a taxing proposition

Representatives for 800 MHz licensees being rebanded as part of Wave 1 may want to make an extra effort to get their tax returns finished early this year, as they could be too distracted on April 15 to be bothered with last-minute filings to Uncle Sam
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 8th April 2005

LAS VEGAS–Representatives for 800 MHz licensees being rebanded as part of Wave 1 may want to make an extra effort to get their tax returns finished early this year, as they could be too distracted on April 15 to be bothered with last-minute filings to Uncle Sam.

That’s because the Transition Administrator (TA) team overseeing the 800 MHz rebanding effort is expected to release its much-anticipated guidelines next Friday. These guidelines are supposed to clarify the steps the first wave of licensees must take to make the complicated spectrum reconfiguration happen.

Details of the TA document have been the source of rampant speculation all week at the IWCE show in Las Vegas, but don’t be surprised if licensees who just filed their tax returns feel a sense of déjà vu. The parallels between rebanding and completing tax returns are numerous.

More important than the coincidental April 15 date, both processes are necessary evils that can stretch one’s patience. All but simplest cases can sap resources to the point that many will choose to buy software, pay consultants and retain legal representation to help get the job done in a timely and accurate manner.

Outsourcing is particularly attractive in the case of an audit, which TA representatives have indicated will be part of rebanding. Not only can outside help assist in preparation for an audit, the TA has acknowledged that it will be much easier to justify the expense of paying a contractor to do a specific rebanding task than to it will be to account for the time of an internal salaried employee. Those who have tried to claim a home office as an exemption instead of maintaining an external office space can empathize.

For those with cash-flow problems, there will be a way to get at least some of the money ultimately due to them up front, so the funds can be used to offset near-term expenses. TA officials say the procedures for requesting these planning funds will be explained in the TA document next week.

And regardless of the strategies pursued, the key to financial success in the process is documentation. Like exemptions claimed on a tax return, licensees should be prepared to provide a paper trail to back up all expenses claimed for reimbursement, said Glen Nash, acting second vice president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers (APCO).

“The three most important things a licensee should do is keep records, keep records and keep records,” Nash said.

What should be recorded? Everything related to the rebanding process, according to Nash.

This encompasses more than the cost associated with the hands-on work of retuning equipment. Make sure the “hidden” costs of the rebanding process also are noted so that they can be paid by Nextel, Nash advises. After all, this process is not supposed to cost licensees anything. And time has value, particularly for people who already have their hands full trying to maintain a radio network–a task they aren’t working on when spending their time on rebanding issues.

For example, Nash says note all participants and the length of a planning meeting to determine which rebanding tasks should be outsourced and which should be done in-house. Even if a task is outsourced, licensees should make sure the time their personnel spend coordinating activities with the contractor is noted. If personnel have to travel for a rebanding task–even if it just to unlock the door so a contractor can gain access to radios at a remote site–the time spent and related transit costs should be noted.

The key is to establish benchmark monetary values for each person’s time, Nash said. This includes an hourly “rate”–even for salaried employees–that includes the costs of benefits, so that the time spent on rebanding can be monetized and reimbursed by Nextel.

Of course, Nash is not a spokesman for the TA team, which has carefully avoided making blanket commitments that it will approve payment for anything that’s even remotely questionable. And an FCC official bristled at the notion that educational costs–for example, informing users about the rebanding process, attending 800 MHz road shows or even attending a show like IWCE–should be reimbursed.

But there was no denial, either. And unless the TA guidelines stipulate otherwise, Nash said he believes any rebanding-related costs incurred since the FCC order was approved is fair game.

“I’d claim it all,” Nash said. “The worst they can do is say, ‘No.'”

E-mail me at [email protected].

Tags: Commentary Newsletters Rebanding Rebanding Commentary

Most Recent


  • Updated: How 'sidelink' peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations
    Editor’s note: A previous version of this column was posted that included only the first portion of the article—a mistake by the editor. IWCE’s Urgent Communications regrets the error and apologizes for any inconvenience. When first responders are called to action, they need reliable communications to coordinate an effective public-safety response. Public-safety personnel understand this […]
  • NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation
    As the new Congress begins its work in earnest, we look forward to continued progress in funding the transition to IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) technology. Our nation’s 911 systems are critical to ensuring the safety and security of our communities, and nationwide implementation of NG911 will ensure these systems can leverage the most advanced communications […]
  • How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient
    It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in real-time before arriving at the emergency room. […]
  • 3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024
    The latest set of 3GPP Plenary electronic meetings (e-meetings) concluded on Dec. 19, 2022. The meetings focused on the Release 18 (R18) feature progress and schedule. It was decided to extend the R18 freeze date (specifications complete for all R18 features) by three months to March 2024 to ensure the quality of the R18 3GPP […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • FCC closes book on 800 MHz rebanding after almost 17 years
  • Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator
  • Transition Administrator notifies FCC of 800 MHz rebanding completion
  • Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces

Commentary


Updated: How ‘sidelink’ peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations

  • 1
27th February 2023

NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation

24th February 2023

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

State and local leaders can alleviate the burden on public-safety personnel by tackling three workforce trends dlvr.it/SlBH89

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

6G is shaping up to disappoint, and the industry can blame itself dlvr.it/Sl918J

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

Change is coming to the network detection and response (NDR) market dlvr.it/Sl4cts

18th March 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.