Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Nextel downplays viability of 2.1 GHz spectrum idea

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 13:38:17 -0400

Nextel downplays viability of 2.1 GHz spectrum idea
By HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER
April 23 13:06:00, 2004

WASHINGTON—Nextel Communications Inc. Thursday said it would take too
long and would not survive a legal challenge
for the Federal Communications Commission to seriously consider giving
it spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band instead of the
1.9 GHz band as part of a plan to solve public-safety interference in
the 800 MHz band.

“The FCC lacks a sufficient record regarding the valuation of the 2.1
GHz spectrum, the cost of clearing incumbents and
deploying a commercial mobile radio services network from this spectrum,
and the risk of interference from operations in
this band,” said Robert Foosaner, Nextel senior vice president and chief
regulatory officer. “There is consequently a
significant risk that the commission’s 800 MHz realignment plan would be
overturned on appeal if it assigned the 2.1 GHz
spectrum as replacement spectrum for Nextel. This would only frustrate
the FCC’s goal of expeditiously remedying
CMRS/public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band.”

The FCC began considering giving Nextel spectrum in the 2.1 GHz
band—something Nextel had originally proposed—after
an outcry ensued when it became known that the FCC was planning on
adopting significant portions of the Consensus
Plan.

“The record contains no discussion of the technical, legal, economic and
policy issues surrounding substituting 2.1 GHz
channels (2020-2025/2170-2175 MHz) for 1.9 GHz spectrum as part of the
spectrum swap necessary to implement 800
MHz realignment,” said Nextel. “Further delay would benefit only those
who seek to derail for their own economic
interests the FCC’s only solution to the public-safety interference
problem.”

Also Thursday, the public-safety members of the Consensus Plan
coalition—the Association of Public-safety
Communications Officials, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the
International Association of Chiefs of Police and the
International Association of Fire Chiefs—urged the FCC to adopt rules to
solve the interference problem.

“We urge the FCC to reject 11th-hour efforts to derail adoption of the
key elements of the Consensus Plan. We cannot
afford for this critical public-safety issue to be dragged any further
into a slugfest between giant competitors. Regulatory
paralysis is not an option. Unless the commission takes action now, the
interference problem will continue without a
comprehensive solution in sight, and sooner or later, a first responder
will be injured or killed because they failed to
receive a critical radio message or were unable to call for help in a
dangerous situation. Reliance on ‘best practices’ and
after-the-fact interference mitigation is simply inadequate to protect
our first responders,” said the organizations.

The FCC staff recommendation reportedly closely tracks with the
Consensus Plan developed by some public-safety
advocacy groups, private-wireless entities and Nextel. The staff
recommendation would require Nextel to pay perhaps
billions more than the $850 million it said it would pay as part of the
rebanding agreement. Nextel would pay all of the
relocation costs plus the difference between that amount and
“fair-market value” of 10 megahertz of spectrum it seeks
in the 1.9 GHz band. This recommendation was delivered to the
commissioners March 9. The FCC had hoped to vote on
the rules at its April 15 meeting, but it was pulled from the agenda at
the last minute.

The Consensus Plan would shuffle the 800 MHz band to eliminate the
current situation where public safety, private
wireless, Nextel, other SMRs and cellular carriers are intermingled. In
exchange for giving up spectrum in the 700 MHz,
800 MHz and 900 MHz bands and for paying to retune public safety and
private wireless, Nextel has asked for 10
megahertz in the 1.9 GHz band. The staff proposal reportedly does not
require Nextel to relinquish its 700 MHz and 900
MHz spectrum.

On the other side is the Balanced Approach Plan supported by the
Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association
and the United Telecom Council. The Balanced Approach Plan calls for
timely resolution of interference at the expense of
the interferer, coupled with technical rules, notification and
coordination procedures to prevent new interference.

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=17828

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