FCC: Division Evolves and Rebrands

The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced Wednesday that one of its divisions is undergoing a name change.  The Spectrum Management, Resources and Technologies Division will now be known as the Technologies, Systems and Innovation Division (or Tech Division, for short).  According to the press release, the goal of the name change was to "more clearly reflect the Division's core mission and responsibilities."

Read more here.

Rebanding: Negotiation Period for Wave 4 Extended

The FCC released a public notice today extending the Wave 4 border area NPSPAC and non-NPSPAC licensees along the Mexican border. Licensees in this region will have until July 1, 2011 to complete negotiation for rebanding. The mediation period is now extended until July 5, 2011. Ongoing international discussion with the Mexican government have affected the rebanding of these licenses, and the extension is meant to alleviate some administrative stress on licensees, to avoid unnecessary expenditures.

Read more about the extension here in the text of the notice.

FCC: Seeking Comment on ASR Procedures

The Commission released a Public Notice last Friday inviting comment on draft environmental notice requirements and interim procedures for the antenna structure registration (ASR) program.  The draft rules are meant to bring awareness and full consideration to the environmental effects of proposed communications towers.  Before adopting the procedures, which implements the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the commission must publish its draft procedures in the Federal Register for comment.

The deadline to submit comments will be April 24, 2011.

See the notice here, including the attached drafts.

D-Block: Questions Linger Despite Bipartisan Support

The push for Congress to reallocate the D-block of 700 MHz spectrum to public safety continues, and a conference held earlier this week by the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police explored some questions on the most recent bill introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.).   Also in attendance was Charles Dowd, deputy chief of the New York City Police Department and head of their immense communictions system. 

According to King, the new bill is getting great support from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the room, much like the first D-block bill did. Last year's bill had about 80 co-sponsors.  There is no guarantee the bill will pass, but strong bipartisan support is a positive sign.  Among the champions of the bill is Rep. Benny Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member and former chairman of the homeland security committee who, despite having fundamental differences with King regarding defense, supports the bill vigorously.

King also said a similar bill will be introduced into the Senate soon by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.).  This bill is side by side with one reintroduced in January by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), which is only slightly different.  Hearings are to be held today on both bills.

Other strong signs for this cause are President Obama's official declaration of support, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's commitment to working with Congress to put the allocation into legislation.  These combined efforts are already a significant stride forward, considering the issue was not even being discussed in Congress one year ago.  Today the biggest names in Washington are backing D-block allocation, calling it vital to our country's safety and progress.

H.R. 607 addresses three necessities of nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders.  Spectrum, funding, and governance are all important pieces of the puzzle.  The need for more public safety spectrum stems back from the 9/11 Commission Report, which made the recommendation to Congress eight years ago.  Passing the bill is only half the fight, since funding will be necessary to make the transition.  H.R. 607 includes verbiage providing grants programs with construction and operations-and-maintenance funding.  "Yet, we still don't have ufficient allocated spectrum or a national [interoperable] public safety wireless broadband network.  We have to make progress; we have to move forward," King said.

The biggest challenge now is ensuring the bill is comprehensive enough to suit public safety agencies across the board. "No agency gets left behind. We've said that from the start of this. If this doesn't work for the urban and rural and the big and small, then it doesn't work [at all]. We're not leaving anybody behind on this effort," said Dowd.

Read more here in Urgent Communications.

EMR: Introducing Our New Web Site!

Phase one of our new Web site is up and running!  Feel free to stop by, take a look, and utilize some of the resources available.  New features include a news feed, events calendar, updated info, and a Public Safety Resources section containing relevant information and important links.

We hope to continue the growth of our Web site by adding content weekly, and we also hope to improve our ability to use it as a medium to provide important information and tools to our clients and associates. Click here to visit emrconsults.com and begin exploring.

Technology: RuralConnect IP to Deliver Rural Broadband

RuralConnect IP, a new vehicle bringing broadband access to rural areas was recently released by Carlson Wireless, who are currently seeking FCC certification for the device.  Pending certification in May, internet service providers will be able to use the software-defined radio to send broadband over the slivers of VHF and UHF spectrum not occupied by television (white spaces).  Homes, businesses, and municipal agencies in rural and underserved areas will benefit greatly from the new device, since 20% of all WISPs are unable to serve their entire zone-customer base due to terrain, foliage, and infrastructure issues.  Database provider Spectrum Bridge and KTS Wireless, specializing in white space technology, partnered with Carlson on the development of the radio. 

The device is currently being tested with an experimental license from the FCC on rural areas belonging to the Yurok Tribe in the Klamath River region of California.  At 5,000 members, the Yuroks are the largest tribe in the state, and live on a terrain that makes standard broadband wireless technology futile.   Additionally, the Yurok culture prohibits interference with the land's viewscape, making infrastructure line-of-sight difficult. 

Areas like the Yurok lands make microwave and satellite service infeasible and impractrical, so by using the VHF and UHF spectrum, hill-and-valley coverage and foliage penetration are improved.  So far, testing has shown great success for the device under adverse conditions. 

The radio has use beyond delivering broadband services.  The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has entertained the possibility of deploying the radio for sharing data, such as photos and road closures for safety.  Other Public Safety and government applications for the radio are just on the horizon, as are upgrades to the device's capacity.  It stands at 5 MB currently, but a much fatter pipe is in Carlson's plans to combine channels.  

See the Urgent Communications article for more information.

Public Safety: We Added an Events Calendar Page!

Agencies benefit greatly from sending representatives to conferences, expos, and other networking or educational events.  There are so many different organizations out there holding such events, it may be difficult to keep track! EMR Emissions is now host to a comprehensive events calendar for your convenience.

If you are an organizer, feel free to contact us to add your event to our calendar!

Rebanding: Are You Part of 10%?

The chart below shows the current progress of the rebanding process.  The largest section (60%) represents agencies who have completed the process.  The next slice (30%) represents agencies who have a current frequency reconfiguration agreement with Sprint-Nextel, but have not yet completed rebanding.  The final 10% are agencies who have no frequency reconfiguration agreement in place.



If your agency is among the 10% that have not begun rebanding, contact EMR today to learn more about our services.

FCC: Online Survey for Emergency Callers with Disabilities

An online survey was launched today by the FCC for individuals with disabilities to improve accessability of emergency services. The survey is meant to determine the most effective and efficient strategies and tools to utilize in receiving emergency calls from individuals with disabilities.  Results will be used by the Emergency Access Advisory Committee to make recommendations on technologies and methods to implement, for example a Next Generation 9-1-1 system capable of video, text, and voice reception.  The survey is available in accessible formats such as Braille, large print, electornic and audio formats.  Contact Rosemary Kimball at 202-418-0511 or e-mail fcc504@fcc.gov for information on such formats.


The survey can be found on the FCC's website in English, American Sign Language, or Spanish.

Public Safety: Photos and Video Sent to 911 in Chicago

Chicago citizens now have the ability to send video and photos via 911 to the police department's crime prevention information center.  Having started in September, 2010, this is the first program with this capability in the country.  After review by the information center, the photos are sent to appropriate departments (either first responders or detectives investigating the incident).  More than 40 images have been received by the department, most of property damage.

Read more in the Urgent Communications article.

Interested in this service for your Public Safety agency? Contact EMR today to discuss innovative communications solutions.

FCC: Narrowbanding Deadline Reaffirmed, Enforcement Looms

FCC attorney Roberto Mussenden dismissed rumored speculation of flexibility of the Commission's narrowbanding mandate last week at IWCE.  He reiterated that the deadline remains January 1, 2013, and enforcement action shall be taken against licensees in violation.  Rumors that licensees can avoid the complying with the rule by continuing to operate their old systems, but on a secondary basis, are false. 

Under the narrowbanding mandate, LMR systems shall transfer their channels from operating on 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz by the deadline.  The Commission has also indicated that it will mandate a 6.25 narrowbanding rule in the future, but the date for that transition has not been set. 

Fines, admonishment, or other enforcement will occur against licensees who have failed to comply by the deadline.  Public Safety agencies who do not comply by the deadline will likely be the subjects of interference complaints from adjacent agencies, according to Mussenden.  He also suggests currently non-compliant agencies avoid "burning time and money" in future disputes with the FCC over narrowbanding, by completing the transition as soon as possible. 

Session moderator Alan Tilles, a partner at Shulman, Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker, offered a positive spin on the mandate.  Since Public Safety agencies are never overflowing with funds, budgeting crises are nothing new.  Agencies should take the opportunity of this FCC mandate to secure funds to upgrade their old equipment and improve the capabilities of their operations. 

Public Safety officials should be spending their resources, time, and energy on public safety, not regulatory issues concerning communications.  By transitioning early, agencies can avoid wasting money on unnecessary legal and consulting fees that could be spent investing in the protection of their domains. 

Contact EMR Consulting today to find out how we can assist your agency in the narrowbanding process and any other telecommunications challenges.

Public Safety: Decommissioned Radios for Haiti

A nonprofit architecture and engineering organization, Haiti Engineering is calling for United States Public Safety agencies to donate any equipment that has been made obsolete, either by narrowbanding or age. The program, Radios for Haiti, kicked off at IWCE last week. The nonprofit partners with AASHTO to take in and distribute radios that are desperately needed to help rebuild Haiti's critical infrastructure after the earthquake in 2010. The organization's long term goal is to provide communications equipment to 10,000 Haitian Public Safety officers and rebuild communications in the country's 50 cities, complete with an early warning system in case of natural disasters.

Find more information on how to donate radios by contacting Haiti Engineering.

IWCE: OEC, FCC Give Progress Reports

The recently created Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) gave IWCE attendees an update on its progress in the last four years, via Director Chris Essid. An estimated 3,500 Public Safety officials have been trained and certified as communications leaders (COMLs), charged with the job of overseeing communications in the aftermath of large scale emergencies requiring multijurisdictional cooperation. The purpose of this certification is to have a uniform process across the country in the event of natural or manmade disasters.

Essid noted that this is accomplishment marks significant progress for the agency. The task of rebanding and restructuring Public Safety communications to be interoperable is a large one, seemingly with no end in sight. The purpose of Essid's address, however, was to explain that though the process is long and ongoing, milestones can be seen and measured. The idea is to just keep up the work and continue running towards an "imaginary finish line." The continued work will bring doubled and tripled numbers of COMLs in the near future.

Another point touched on the rapid development of technology, and in turn, the necessity to update the OEC's National Communications Plan. Next-generation technologies are surfacing monthly, and Public Safety personnel must be prepared to utilize new innovations. Throughout this ongoing evolution, technology must be coordinated. A streamlined plan must be in place in order for various communications disciplines to be efficiently operable. "We can't have one plan for satellite communications and another for LMR," Essid explained.

An update on the status of 800 MHz rebanding was given by Roberto Mussenden, a Federal Communications Commission attorney. Stage 1 is complete, 90% of Stage 2 licensees have frequency reconfiguration agreements completed with Sprint Nextel, and roughly 60% have completed rebanding. Six NPSPAC regions are completely finished with the transition. Stage 1 primarily consistented of non-Public Safety entities, which made the process relatively smoothe. Stage 2 is more of a challenge because of the Public Safety licensing issues it involves. Also, the critical infrastructure Public Safety systems cannot be taken off the air to complete reconfiguration. Statewide systems and other larger systems have taken more time than expected due to their size and infrastructure needs. One potentially unexpected factor in rebanding is the current interconnectivity of Public Safety communications systems (interoperability is a need, but not entirely lacking prior to P25 and rebanding). According to Mussenden, the FCC will not relax any regulations or process requirements to speed up the process. Establishing a rebanding plan with Mexico remains a challenge due to complicated negotiations.

Currently the rebanding deadline is three years passed.  Despite the foggy finishline of the rebanding process(the first ever of its kind), these milestones should ease some frustrations. Read more in the Urgent Communications article.

IWCE: New Solutions from Vertex, Catalyst, and Midland

Of the many exhibitors showcasing their products and services at IWCE 2011, Catalyst Communications Technologies, Vertex Standard, and Midland Radio Corp. have announced or demonstrated their new communications solutions for Public Safety operators.

Catalyst will demonstrate its IP|SOFT Radio, which provides communications to dispatch centers, supporting multiple voice streams to be simultaneously monitored without scanning.  The systems are compatible with existing Catalyst gateways, including those supporting legacy radio systems (EDACS, SMARTNET, P25, and commercial push-to-talk).  Essentially, the IP|SOFT Radio is a tablet PC providing remote access to an agency's LMR, commercial PTT or radio network dispatch system.

Midland announced new site monitoring and channel steering features available for its P25 digital products.  The site monitoring feature supports remote monitoring of base/repeater station performance via slow-speed data capability (in accordance with P25).

Yesterday, Vertex revealed a group of TDMA products that will move the company into the Digital Mobile Radio world, utilizing the ETSI standard. This will be the first DMR products from Vertex, despite the company's charter membership of the DMR Association.  The Vertex Standard DMR equipment will be shipped in the second quarter, after FCC approval.

Look out for more IWCE updates on Urgent Communications' IWCE Reporter's Notebook.

APCO: Annual International Conference in August

Philadelphia, PA has been announced as the location for the upcoming 77th APCO International Annual Conference, held August 7-10, 2011.  Four thousand public safety communications officials are expected to attend from across the globe to participate.  Changes have been announced for this year's event − an 11am to 4pm timeslot Sunday for buyers to browse the exhibit hall and professional development sessions extended to allow more discussion time.

See the Conference Web site for details.

IWCE: Device Enhancements from MotoTRBO

The International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) is being held this week in Las Vegas, NV. With over 330 exhibitors in attendance, IWCE is a unique chance for communications companies to market to their target audience directly and unveil new products and technologies. Motorola Solutions is taking advantage of the opportunity this week, announcing new enhancements to its MotoTRBO portfolio.

The company's multi-cast enabled IP system, chiefly operating on its MIP 5000 VoIP Radio Console, is geared toward entry-level and mid-level customer tiers, providing ID and alias displays, emergency alarm and call notification, and supporting text messaging, according to Director of Professional and Commercial Radio Paul Cizek. Transportation, utilities public administration, public works, and other service agencies can also expect improvements to its repeater portfolio, including a new VHF version of its MTR 3000 radio system, which means the device is now capable in all major spectrum bands (UHF, VHF and 800/900 MHz).

Upgrades will be available to MTR 2000 customers to the MTR 3000 for relatively half price. Utilizing the upgrade will allow users to have the ability to move from an analog solution to MotoTRBO digital operation.

The XPR 8400 was announced as successor to the XPR 8300 as an entry-level tier repeater. The new device is meant to simplify network maintenance, allowing for enhanced repeater diagnostics − interrogating and downloading software remotely, over an IP connection. New wireless accessories, including a Bluetooth and enhancements to Connect Plus. Connectivity options to SCADA systems will also be unveiled.

MOTOTRBO continues to adapt to the FCC's narrowbanding regulations and allow for a future 6.25 kHz mandate, creating UHF and VHF solutions for entry-level and mid-level operators.

See the original Urgent Communications article here.

D-Block: Phoenix Center Study Shows Benefits

The Phoenix Center, a think tank that includes former FCC staff and leading telecommunications academics, released the findings of their study on assigning the D-Block to Public Safety.  According to the Public Safety Alliance press release, the report shows that the allocation would produce $3.4 billion more in social benefit than putting it up for commercial auction.  This is a great tipper in the debate over the D-Block question, because it will significantly contribute to deficit reduction.  Most of the value comes from the opportunity to create an exclusive 20 MHz block of spectrum for use by Public Safety.  The analysis finds that frequencies are more valuable in the hands of Public Safety agencies than commercial radio, to a great extent.  The reduced cost of deploying a robust network makes D-Block allocation "economically rational," according to the release.

The study is a great follow-up to an extensive analysis of the possible regulation conducted by the Obama Administration, which alsoc oncluded that Congress should allocate the spectrum block to Public Safety.  The legislation, S. 28; The Public Safety Wireless and Innovation Act of 2011, has already been introduced by Senator John "Jay" Rockefeller, IV, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.  A similar proposal, H.R. 607; Broadband for First Responders, has been brought to the House by Congressman Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

See the text of the report here.

Public Safety: Mobile Fingerprint Scanners Save Atlanta Time

Atlanta, GA police officers have been among the first in the nation to utilize mobile fingerprint scanners. The devices, about the size and shape of a Blackberry, allow for a search function that finds outstanding warrants, missing persons report and protective orders. It checks the Secret Service's database for protective, probation and identity theft files, and finds electronic records on immigration violators, foreign fugitives, sex offenders, and suspected terrorists.


Thanks to a Federal grant for $1.2 million, 57 agencies statewide will be included in the program, which makes 120 devices available. Two dozen of these agencies are metro Atlanta law enforcement. The MorphoRap-IDs, as the scanners are called, pulled back 6,887 hits out of 13,589 checks so far in Atlanta.


Although some may feel the devices infringe upon their privacy, so far the Georgia Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has received no complaints. A person may refuse a finger scan, but an officer may require scans once he or she has decided to make an arrest. This often saves paperwork time, because eliminates the time it takes to go back and change paperwork if an inmate has given a false name.


Read more in the Police One article.

FCC: Region 28 Public Safety RPC Meetings March 8, 2011

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a notice Tuesday that the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced a Region 28 (Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Southern New Jersey) Regional Planning Committees (RPCs) meetings on NPSPAC. The meetings for 700 and 800 MHz will be held back to back, on March 8, 2011. See the released FCC notice here.

Narrowbanding: FDMA vs. TDMA

Agencies utilizing VHF and UHF bands are met with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) narrowbanding mandated deadline of January 1, 2013. To avoid immediate cancellation of licenses and possible fines, frequencies and equipment used must be spectrum-efficient, at one user per 12.5 kHz for voice channels or capacity of atleast 9.6 kbps per 12.5 kHz for data channels. The Commission's second-phase plan (with no formal deadline) is to further minimize VHF and UHF land mobile radio channels to 6.25 kHz or equivalent.  Many licensees are choosing solutions compliant with the 6.25 kHz plan, to avoid more upgrade expenses down the road.

Narrowbanding requires agencies to make changes and technology decisions, regarding the use of analog or digital technology, and the multiple access method. Three multiple access techniques are used in land mobile and cellular radio: frequency division multiple access (FDMA) utilizing multiple digital frequencies, time division multiple access (TDMA) which divides signals into seperate time slots, and code division multiple access (CDMA) which uses differing codes to seperate transmissions, but is irrelevant due to FCC's lack of provisioning enough spectrum for this method.

The analog vs. digital debate has been significantly swayed by the inadequacy of analog FM radios on 6.25 kHz channels, and its limitation to only FDMA systems. In order to make a comparison, the Urgent Communication's article on the matter assumes a digital system.

Project 25 Phase II, TETRA, and proprietary systems utilize TDMA method, which actually uses a combination of FDMA and TDMA. Channels are allocated, and then multiple users share the each channel at seperate time slots. FDMA systems for 6.25 kHz channels utilize NXDN and digital private mobile radio (dPMR, standardized by ETSI).

There are multiple issues to examine when agencies choose between these two system types:

• Receiver sensitivity demands a wider intermediate frequency on TDMA systems, meaning FDMA receivers generally have better sensitivity and coverage.
• Adjacent channel interference is more of a problem with narrowband receivers, which makes good frequency planning imperative.
• Battery life may be better with TDMA radios, because time slots allow the radio to be used only 50% of the time. However, for acceptable performance, both TDMA and FDMA receivers require the same amount of power per bit.
• Spectrum planning and licensing is smoothest on TDMA systems. FDMA systems must be licensed for each channel, while TDMA users simply leverage already-licensed channels using time slots. Also, adjacent-channel short spacing issues are more prevalent with FDMA systems.
• Transmitter combiners must be purchased to allow multiple radios to share an antenna. One transmitter port is required for each user on FDMA systems, while TDMA systems require one for each radio channel.
• Peer-to-peer mode is traditionally used by land mobile radio users, but TDMA systems often work through radio repeaters. A two-slot TDMA peer to peer mode is under consideration by the P25 standards committee, which will allow talk-around systems in the near future.

FDMA vendors have created organizations to support their interests, found at nxdn-forum.com and dpmr-mou.org. TDMA advocacy organizations can be found at dmrassociation.org.

If your agency is struggling to meet your narrowbanding needs on time, please contact EMR Consultants to see how we can make a difference.

Find the original article on this issue at Urgent Communications.