https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • 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
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • 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
  • 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
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • 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

Policy


Major city police chiefs say ‘no’–for now–t o 700 MHz network

Major city police chiefs say ‘no’–for now–t o 700 MHz network

Police chiefs from 35 major cities support a resolution that calls for a postponement of the re-auction of the 700 MHz D Block until a consensus is reached within the public-safety sector
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 11th November 2008

SAN DIEGO—Police chiefs from 35 major cities support a resolution that calls for a postponement of the re-auction of the 700 MHz D Block until a consensus is reached within the public-safety sector on how to best utilize the spectrum that was allocated by the FCC for first responder communications after Congress forced broadcasters out of the band. The resolution was passed on Saturday during the Major Cities Chiefs Conference held here, said Charles Dowd, deputy chief of the New York City Police Department and commanding officer of its communications division.

Half of the public-safety spectrum is to be paired with the 10 MHz of D Block spectrum to provide the spectral foundation for a nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders. The network is to be built to public-safety standards and operated by commercial carriers; public safety would be given priority access on at least half of the network. However, the D Block auction held in the first quarter of this year failed to attract a single qualifying bid because commercial operators were unable to see a business case for a network hardened to meet public safety’s requirements.

Dowd, who commented yesterday during an educational session held at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference here, also confirmed that several major cities sent a joint letter to the FCC recently informing the commission that they would not use the proposed network should it ever be built. Dowd identified the cities as New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and San Jose, Calif. In addition, Cook County, Ill.—where Chicago is located—and the state of New York joined the letter, Dowd said.

According to Dowd, many within the public-safety sector are questioning whether the proposed network is the best use for the airwaves. “There is so much disagreement as to what should happen with this spectrum that the auction shouldn’t be held until public-safety consensus is reached,” he said.

A major sticking point is the FCC’s decision to relax the coverage and reliability requirements for the network in the hopes of enticing commercial operators to participate in the re-auction. “We don’t think this network, given the new rules, is public-safety grade, and we have no intention to use it,” Dowd said, adding that NYC would prefer to be granted a license for the public-safety spectrum and build its own broadband network.

Dowd also worries about subscriber costs for the proposed nationwide network.

“They’re talking about $48.50 per month for each user. That would come to $20 million to $25 million each year just for the [New York] police department,” Dowd said.

Harlin McEwen, who chairs the IACP’s communications and technology committee and who led yesterday’s educational session, said the organization is strongly opposed to the stance taken by New York and the other major cities to abandon the proposed nationwide network in favor of building their own. “If we were to follow what New York City is advocating, smaller agencies would be ignored and abandoned,” he said.

McEwen, who also is the chairman of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST)—the designated licensee for the 10 MHz of public-safety airwaves that would be used for the network—said the proposed nationwide network is the best way to achieve interoperable communications and that New York City’s approach represents old thinking.

“We’ve been trying to do that [patching together disparate systems] for 30 years and it hasn’t worked,” McEwen said. “That’s why the FCC has proposed a new model, and we [the IACP] support that.”

McEwen said the idea of New York building its own network is unrealistic. “The bottom line is that New York City has no money,” McEwen said. “Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg recently pulled the plug on a recruitment class of 1000 officers because the city has no money to pay them.”

Tags: content Policy

Most Recent


  • Major city police chiefs say ‘no’–for now–t o 700 MHz network
    Newscan: On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine
    Web Roundup Items from other news organizations On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine Recording between dispatcher, firefighters gives new insight into human-smuggling tragedy Updated digital forensics database speeds criminal investigations Frontier Communications facing questions after rural Arizona 911 outage 911 center software can interpret any language used in text message CISA: Switch […]
  • Militarized drone swarms coming
    The effectiveness of drones in combat has been proven with deadly effect in the war in Ukraine, where single, unmanned aerial vehicles have been used for observing the enemy or deploying weapons against them. The effectiveness of multiple drones working together in combat, however, has yet to be seen, due to the technology’s current limits, […]
  • Take American City & County’s budgeting survey
    With the recently passed infrastructure-related legislation by the federal government, local administrators across the United States are poised to make historic investments into their communities. Given the generational precedence of this action, we’re curious about the state of local budgets—what expense lines are increasing the fastest year-over-year? In what area has federal funding been the […]
  • Final cases made about Airwave, ESN, before CMA issues provisional decision on Motorola Solutions
    Key players in the United Kingdom (UK) plans to deliver public-safety communications via the Airwave TETRA system or the much-delayed LTE-based Emergency Services Network (ESN) offered very different opinions on what should be done as UK competition watchdog prepares to make it provisional decision on the roles played by Motorola Solutions in both networks. Yesterday, […]

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

  • New Orleans-area 911 center inks multiyear APEX deal with Carbyne to replace call-handling system
  • Major city police chiefs say ‘no’–for now–t o 700 MHz network
    Newscan: Feds recover millions from pipeline ransom hackers, hint at U.S. Internet tactic
  • Cyber is the new Cold War, and AI is the arms race
  • Private wireless networks in the US start going public

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Sesame Solar leverages mobile solar, hydrogen to power efforts beyond the grid dlvr.it/ST8m3K

1st July 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine dlvr.it/ST7fnC

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

China-backed APT pwns building-automation systems with ProxyLogon dlvr.it/ST6q7m

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Samsung fills its 2G hole in new challenge to Ericsson and Nokia dlvr.it/ST6hBK

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Militarized drone swarms coming dlvr.it/ST6dNz

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Take American City & County’s budgeting survey dlvr.it/ST6Yxb

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Final cases made about Airwave, ESN, before CMA issues provisional decision on Motorola Solutions dlvr.it/ST4Q6X

29th June 2022
UrgentComm

Polaris Wireless: Manlio Allegra talks 911 Z-axis tech, future IoT opportunities dlvr.it/ST1384

28th June 2022

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
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 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.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X