Was Narrowbanding designed to provide more spectrum to Public Safety?
No, narrowbanding is intended to ensure more efficient use of the spectrum when all licensees have transitioned to narrowband.
Narrowbanding
Will 25 kHz non-compliant systems receive interference from narrowband licensees?
Interference will most likely result from both primary co-channel and adjacent channel narrowband systems.
Does a a tower owner have any responsibility to the FCC for tower lessee occupants
No. The tower owner is not responsible.
In the case of a user who neglects to properly narrowband their equipment
Yes. FCC Rule 90.427, Precautions Against Unauthorized Operation covers this issue. EWA has drafted for use by wireless sales/service providers a Customer Radio Programming Release Form that can be used in this situation.
Are paging-only frequencies exempt from Narrowbanding?
Yes. The FCC recognizes as exempt 14 paging-only frequencies.
- Public Safety Pool – 152.0075 and 157.4500
- Business/Industrial Pool – 152.480, 157.740, 158.460, 462.750, 462.775, 462.800, 462.825, 462.850, 462.875, 462.900, 462.925 and 465.000
For more information, call your Spectrum Advisor or EWA at 1-800-484-8282.
After we convert our radio system and licenses to 12.5 kHz narrowband
No. When a licensee updates their system to comply with the narrowbanding mandate and upgrades to either a 12.5 kHz or equivalent analog or digital technology, the amended license reflects the original channel assignment, but the amount of authorized bandwidth will be reduced. There are, however, certain digital technologies that comply with the narrowband spectrum efficiency requirement permitting the continued use of 25 kHz authorized channels.
Is the FCC still accepting and granting waiver requests
The FCC is still accepting narrowband waiver requests, however, such filings must include an explanation as to why they are being filed after the deadline and a defined, expedited path toward compliance.
What happens if we failed to move to narrowband operations?
Your license is now in violation of the FCC Rules and you are subject to FCC enforcement action, which may include a monetary fine, admonishment or loss of your license.
A narrowbanding application was properly completed
The FCC agreed that each FAC will prepare a list of call signs for which narrowbanding applications have been received on or before December 31, 2012, but not filed with the FCC; these lists will be transmitted to the commission and to all other FACs by January 3, 2013. This FCC-approved process supports narrowbanding objectives and reasonably accommodates licensees that presumptively have narrowband-compliant equipment in place, even though they waited to file their license modification applications.
What licensing bands were affected by the narrowband mandate?
All public safety and business industrial land mobile radio systems operating in the VHF 150-174 MHz and UHF 421-470 MHz radio bands must now be operating at 12.5 kHz channel bandwidths or narrower, or at an equivalent throughput efficiency for which 25 kHz exclusive use channels may be retained.
The FCC removed the narrowband requirement for T-Band licensees in the 470-512 MHz band in April of 2012.
