WASHINGTON-The founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), blasted proponents of the Balanced Approach Plan to solve public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band.
“It is unfortunate that there are those who are converting this public-safety issue into a corporate battle based on bottom lines. When the emergency bell rings, a fully operable and reliable communications system is more valuable than anything listed on a company balance sheet. Therefore, the federal government’s sole priority in this spectrum management issue should be to fulfill its obligations to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States by equipping our nation’s protectors with the resources they need to safeguard this country,” said Weldon.
Weldon said he was responding to a press conference held on March 17 by his colleague Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.), for the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and the United Telecom Council. Fossella was the force behind a letter sent recently signed by 23 members of the House Commerce Committee supporting the Balanced Approach Plan.
Apparently, that is not the only correspondence the Federal Communications Commission has had with Congress on this issue. Weldon’s office released a Feb. 13 letter signed by 42 members of the House.
“Our nation’s first responders need clear and reliable communications in order to perform their jobs effectively. Dangerous interference, which this year hit a new high, is due to the intermingling of public safety and wireless carriers in the 800 MHz spectrum. An effective plan must address the root cause of interference by realigning this jumbled spectrum, instead of relying on reactive mitigation tactics that leave some jurisdictions with older, more vulnerable systems,” reads the letter. “The final ruling by the FCC should include sufficient funds available, not merely promised, for multiple retunes, equipment upgrades or replacement, manpower, parts and other required items. It is also important for the commission to account for the unique types of state-international border and multi-jurisdiction areas. We favor any plan that calls for industry to contribute to the costs of the transition.”
While Weldon and his colleagues said they did not favor any specific plan, the FCC has been struggling to find the best solution and reportedly the staff’s recommendation more closely tracks with the Consensus Plan developed by some public-safety advocacy groups, private-wireless entities and Nextel Communications Inc. The staff recommendation would require Nextel to pay more than the $850 million it said it would pay as part of the Consensus Plan. This recommendation was delivered to the commissioners earlier this month. Last week, FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy said she was “on the fence” whether to go with the plan.
The final rules to solve the 800 MHz interference problem is on a fast track since there is a desire for it to be considered for the April 15 meeting agenda but Abernathy seemed to doubt that a majority could be reached by then.
The Consensus Plan would shuffle the 800 MHz band to eliminate the current situation where public safety, private wireless, Nextel and cellular carriers are intermingled. Nextel has said that it would pay $850 million for the necessary retuning of public-safety and private-wireless radios. Nextel said it would deposit $100 million in an escrow account and secure irrevocable lines of credit for the remaining $750 million. In exchange for giving up spectrum in the 700, 800 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.
On the other side is the Balanced Approach Plan supported by CTIA and UTC. The Balanced Approach Plan calls for timely resolution of current interference at the expense of the interferor, coupled with technical rules, notification and coordination procedures to prevent new interference.
