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


Removing rebanding’s nondisclosure issue a positive step

Removing rebanding’s nondisclosure issue a positive step

Public-safety licensees have expressed car-buyer-like frustrations while negotiating 800 MHz rebanding deals with Sprint Nextel. The carrier's negotiators saw thousands of quotes during Phase I of rebanding and have seen hundreds more in the current phase of negotiations with public-safety entities
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 16th January 2007

What you don’t know can hurt you during a negotiation, as anyone who has tried to buy a used car can attest.

Regardless how much research the used-car buyer tries to do using Kelley Blue Book or other tools, the fact is that the car salesman always knows more about the value of the vehicle than the buyer. Perhaps most importantly, the car salesman haggles with potential customers on price every day, while the experience is a something buyers may experience only a handful of times over their lifetimes.

Advantage, salesman.

Public-safety licensees have expressed car-buyer-like frustrations while negotiating 800 MHz rebanding deals with Sprint Nextel. The carrier’s negotiators saw thousands of quotes during Phase I of rebanding and have seen hundreds more in the current phase of negotiations with public-safety entities. They have a hefty bank of experience concerning what costs generally should be for given tasks and products.

And, as I understand it, Sprint Nextel is quick to note any quote that it believes is out of line in a licensee’s proposal — as it should, because doing so protects the best interests of its shareholders and taxpayers (Remember, any leftover money from rebanding is put into the U.S. Treasury).

The problem has been that Sprint Nextel negotiators will argue that a quote is out of line, but they are not allowed to provide specific examples, because previous negotiations were subject to nondisclosure agreements (NDAs). Public-safety licensees are well aware of this, because they have not been able to share notes with peers.

When a public-safety entity employs a lawyer who has done several rebanding cases, the lawyer may be able to cite his/her knowledge base to defend a given quote. But if the lawyer lacks rebanding experience, the licensee is in the middle of a “he said, she said” decision: Believe the vendor with which the licensee must work throughout this arduous process, or believe Sprint Nextel, which has an incentive to lower the quote.

Because Sprint Nextel couldn’t detail the information supporting its position, the licensee had no way of knowing the circumstances surrounding the quotes being cited by the carrier. For instance, the licensee in question may have union, equipment accessibility or resource issues that contribute to making the quote higher than Sprint Nextel negotiators deem appropriate.

In such situations, it’s customary for both sides to dig in and stand their ground. But that’s a recipe for delay and added expense, which is the last thing anyone associated with rebanding wants to see.

That’s why this week’s FCC decision to lift NDA restrictions from rebanding negotiations is welcome news. Now, Sprint Nextel can cite specific quotes when defending its position, and a public-safety licensee can check the circumstances to determine the quotes’ applicability to the licensee’s situation.

Better yet, the licensee can compare notes with its peers, so it can ask pointed questions of its vendors and be able to better justify its position to Sprint Nextel before reaching the negotiating table. And the proposed Transition Administrator publication can serve as a guide to licensees — a rebanding Blue Book, if you will.

Removing the NDA barrier is not a silver bullet that will immediately put rebanding on the fast track. There are myriad other issues still to be addressed — but this should be a big help.

Without having to worry about NDAs, public-safety licensees can exchange information freely with each other — as well as Sprint Nextel — so they can better justify their proposals early in the process. Doing so should streamline deal-making, so public-safety systems can be relocated more quickly, in the process avoiding unnecessary costs for lawyers, negotiators and mediators that are an unfortunate byproduct of extended negotiations.

And it should make public-safety licensees more comfortable and willing to enter the process. After all, buyer’s remorse after purchasing a used car is an annoyance. Experiencing buyer’s remorse regarding a system upon which citizens’ and first responders’ lives depend — not to mention the communication director’s job, in many cases — is something everyone in this process wants to avoid, at all costs.

E-mail me at [email protected].

Tags: Commentary Newsletters Rebanding Rebanding Commentary

Most Recent


  • Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis
    Every time I read about a public safety agency being short staffed, with a burnt-out workforce, draining their overtime budget, I feel their pain. From New York to New Mexico and in communities all across the nation, police and fire departments routinely are forced to mandate longer shifts, which takes an emotional toll and raises […]
  • 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. […]

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


Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis

26th June 2023

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
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


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.