Craig Sikes
Mobile Communications America
Isn’t it time to review the three-year public safety priority access to Sprint-vacated 800 MHz spectrum, followed by yet another two-year priority access period that adds CII entities to the mix? It has been more than twelve long years since this spectrum segregation policy was first adopted, and its basis, 800 MHz rebanding, is now virtually complete. If we have to appease the spectrum gods for whatever Sprint-vacated spectrum remains available, how about changing to a six-month public safety reservation period followed by another six months for CII/public safety entities? It’s 2017, the year of spectrum deregulation coupled with disciplined spectrum sharing. The days of warehousing spectrum for deployments that may never develop ought to be over. If one can’t make up their mind in a year, then they can’t make up their mind at all.