Earlier this week, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) filed comments in response to APCO’s opposition to EWA’s request for clarification of the Commission’s decision to exempt public safety licensees from the new license renewal certification requirements. Contrary to APCO’s characteristically emotional assertion that EWA was out of line questioning “the Commission’s judgment by challenging the FCC’s decision,” EWA explained again that it was not seeking a reconsideration of the FCC’s decision at all, but simply an explanation of the legal significance of the public safety exemption. 

To solicit a policy explanation from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), EWA offered that “[I]t may be that the FCC intends the exemption to apply only to the act of electronically answering the renewal certification questions that are to be added to the Form 601 without altering the obligation to comply with the substance of the certification requirements. Or the exemption may signify a substantive distinction between the renewal filings of public safety versus other wireless licensees. Because the Commission’s decision does not explain the meaning of the exemption,” EWA is seeking clarification of this issue so that it may be responsive to member requests for guidance. We also noted that “it is surprising that APCO itself did not request clarification in order to respond to public safety inquiries.” (WT 10-112; FCC 17-105; Report No. 3083)