[IP] FCC Proposes Public Safety Wireless Band
Begin forwarded message:
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 22, 2006 9:14:35 AM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] FCC Proposes Public Safety Wireless Band
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
FCC Proposes Public Safety Wireless Band
Stephen Lawson, IDG News ServiceWed Dec 20, 6:00 PM ET
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20061220/tc_pcworld/128301>
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission wants to set aside radio
frequencies for a nationwide public safety network to be built in
partnership with a private company.
The commission today proposed a national radio system for various
public safety agencies that would be based on advanced IP (Internet
Protocol) broadband technologies. Its idea is to use spectrum already
set aside for public safety and set up a public-private partnership
to implement the network.
Communication problems following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita focused attention on the
patchwork of radio systems used by different public-safety agencies
in the U.S. Not being able to communicate can hamper critical
coordination among federal and local emergency responders.
New Technology
Vendors including Cisco Systems and Motorola have developed IP-based
wireless systems designed for interoperability among many different
devices. The FCC wants to take advantage of this new type of
technology, it said in a statement. By looking into a public-private
deal, it can tap into new resources to get the network built. The
spectrum would be assigned to one national licensee that could offer
public-safety agencies voluntary access to a broadband service for a
fee.
The common network would use half of a chunk of radio spectrum 24MHz
wide that is already allocated to public safety. It is in the 700MHz
band, a highly prized set of frequencies that is good for
communicating over long distances and penetrating walls.
All five commissioners of the frequently divided commission voiced
support for the plan in statements released today. By issuing its
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the agency started a process of
seeking outside views on the idea.
"Our proposal today talks in very broad strokes and looks to
commenters to fill in many important details and specifics," wrote
Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein.
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