Nextel told the FCC the assumptions of a Motorola filing that out...

stations to public safety receivers at 800 MHz (CD May 8 p4). Nextel, private wireless groups and public safety organizations are backing an 800 MHz reconfiguration proposal that would realign incumbents at 700, 800, 900 MHz and 1.2 GHz, with Nextel pledging $850 million toward relocation. In its latest filing, Motorola said increased signal strength for public safety systems, best practices and better receiver technology could resolve some interference problems caused by commercial wireless operators. Nextel told the FCC Fri. the technical and other fixes suggested by Motorola could help “address the small amount of potential interference that will remain after realignment of the 800 MHz band” as proposed in the plan crafted by Nextel and others. “Without realignment, however, such measures are not a viable option for remedying the serious levels of CMRS-public safety interference at 800 MHz.” Nextel criticized a Motorola assumption that less than 3% of public safety systems was experiencing interference, opening the door for more interference management on a case- by-case basis. “Motorola significantly understates the extent of public safety interference experienced and reported during the past few years,” Nextel said. It also criticized what it said was an assumption by Motorola that the realignment plan by Nextel and others marked an agreement by public safety to boost on-street public safety signal strength. Increasing public safety signal strength would allow certain enhancements in receiver performance, it said. The plan doesn’t include such an agreement, Nextel told the FCC, and presuming an increase in public safety signal strength would impose “enormous costs” on public safety. “Even assuming increased public safety signal strength, the proposed receiver advances are themselves preliminary, and at best potentially solve only half the problem,” Nextel said. Motorola’s proposed receiver advances are meant to reduce intermodulation interference in public safety receivers, but wouldn’t reduce interference by commercial mobile radio service out-of-band emissions, Nextel said. Such out-of-band emissions are cited in 50% of 800 MHz interference incidents, it said. They thus can be addressed only by realignment, the carrier said. Nextel also took issue with what it called Motorola’s heavy reliance on best practices. “This reactive ‘fixed point’ approach attempts to resolve interference at specific sites rather than eliminating its causes, thereby putting at risk the lives and safety of our nation’s first responders,” Nextel said. Despite an agreed-upon best practices guide addressing public safety interference given to the FCC in 2001, interference has continued to increase, it said. Thirteen public safety agencies had interference in 2000, 46 in 2001, 74 in 2002 and 51 through April 30 of this year, Nextel said.