N.Y.C. Objects to NPSTC Recommendations for Future Use of 4.9 GHz Band
The National Public Safety Telecommunication Council’s recommendations on the future use of the 4.9 GHz band by public safety is raising concerns, especially in New York City. In October, the FCC Public Safety Bureau sought comment on an Oct. 24 NPSTC report (http://bit.ly/19V2zbp). Reply comments were due at the commission Friday.
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New York City said it uses the 4.9 GHz spectrum “for its intended purpose, in accordance with existing FCC Rules,” as does the N.Y.C. Transit Authority (NYCTA) and other public safety agencies there. Among those uses are streaming video, 4.9 GHz hotspots and for backhaul, the city said. It said the proposed rules would undermine local control. “The Commission established Regional Planning Committees (RPCs) to allow local control and flexibility,” the city said (http://bit.ly/1dhJ64B). “Establishing nationwide rules that do not address local needs is counterproductive and undermines the RPCs. New York City recognizes that each region is unique and that each RPC is best qualified to efficiently manage the spectrum under its control in the best interest of the region.” The NPSTC plan would also mean less efficient use of the spectrum, the city said. “Denying public safety entities within one region access to parts of the band that they currently use simply because another region uses that portion of the band for another application is both operationally and spectrally inefficient."
The NYCTA objected. The NPSTC plan would limit channel aggregation for critical infrastructure industries, including transit agencies, to two 5 MHz channels on a co-primary basis with any traditional public safety entity, said the transit agency in a separate filing. “NYCTA recommends that governmental transit authorities engaged in critical public safety communications continue to be eligible to operate on the entire 4.9 GHz band,” the agency said (http://bit.ly/1bKG3mk). “NYCTA also urges the FCC to reject the recommendation that all licensees be required to re-license their 4.9 GHz operations and be subject to coordination, and instead affirm that licensees currently properly documented in the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) will be allowed to continue operations unaltered.”
The Utilities Telecom Council said it was pleased NPSTC would allow the critical infrastructure industry to use the spectrum on a co-primary basis. UTC sought aggregation of channels wider than 10 MHz “particularly in rural areas” for fixed use of the spectrum (http://bit.ly/1k8DMWu). The Enterprise Wireless Alliance objected to NPSTC’s recommendation that all coordination be handled by public safety frequency advisory committees (FACs). Non-public safety FACs “already exchange information regularly with public safety coordinators when handling applications for Sprint-vacated spectrum and adhere to the specialized procedures for processing such requests,” EWA said (http://bit.ly/1eiGhW5).