Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Mitigation Best Tool to End Public Safety Interference

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 14:27:16 -0400

6/11/03 

Mitigation Best Tool to End Public Safety Interference

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet today held hearings on the spectrum needs of public safety, the Cellular
Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), in conjunction with Verizon
Wireless and Cingular Wireless, endorsed an approach to ending interference of
public safety signals in the 800 MHz band that would rely on a proactive,
effective and sensible solution focusing on mitigation. 

“Engineering studies have shown that case-by-case mitigation can eliminate the
interference problems currently facing public safety groups. This coalition
proposal is a focused, timely solution that can solve a pressing need,” said Tom
Wheeler, President and CEO of CTIA. “Nextel’s plan is too complicated, too costly
and takes too long to complete. It also gives away billions of dollars worth of
public property to a single company – that’s not a good precedent, and not good
stewardship of a valuable public resource.” 

The proposal submitted by the 800 MHz User Coalition outlines a pro-active,
targeted approach that avoids future interference and remedies existing
interference without disrupting the entire 800 MHz band. It proposes some
fundamental principles, operational procedures and technical rule modifications
aimed at remedying interference. The measures proposed by the Coalition include: 

· steps to identify and avoid potential interference before it occurs, using
advance notification and engineering analyses submitted by entities deploying new
antennas; 

· a notification mechanism for Public Safety/Critical Infrastructure Protection
licensees experiencing interference to contact potential interfering entities, and
require those entities to participate in on-site engineering analyses; 

· requiring entities creating interference to Public Safety/Critical
Infrastructure Protection licensees to take responsibility for mitigating reported
interference within 60 days of being contacted by a licensee experiencing
interference, using enhanced mitigation techniques described in the proposal; 

· building on and incorporating the Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials-International, Inc ("APCO") "Best Practices" recommendations, as well as
technical advances described recently in filings by equipment manufacturers at the
FCC; 

· technical rule modifications designed to reduce the potential for interference; 

· incumbent 800 MHz licensees providing engineering expertise and assistance to
public safety to help address interference issues; 

· more flexibility to pursue private market agreements such as frequency swaps as
a means of reducing and preventing interference; 

· a review by an independent agent, working with affected stakeholders, to
evaluate the track record of the enhanced best practices approach and develop any
necessary future mitigation activities. 

CTIA has previously argued that an alternative plan backed by Nextel
Communications would force certain cellular carriers in the A Block, including
many small and rural carriers, to install costly filters that are not covered
under the plan. In addition, the Nextel plan: 

· relies on a risky installment payment mechanism to fund the proposed
realignment, which the Commission has correctly abandoned in other contexts; 

· creates an unfair advantage for some existing licensees in the 800 MHz band; 

· asks the Commission to violate Section 309 (j) of the Communications Act by
giving Nextel spectrum for terrestrial wireless services outside of auctions; and 

· does not provide a timely solution to interference problems that need immediate
attention. 

CTIA is the international association for the wireless telecommunications
industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers.
http://www.wow-com.com 

http://www.wow-com.com/news/press/body.cfm?record_id=1275

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