Craig Sikes
Mobile Communications America
One would hope that folks who genuinely care about the future of the 4.9 GHz band are not so naïve to believe the rhetoric proffered by the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA), an organization created and backed by those who want to ensure that the 4.9 GHz band falls within FirstNet’s (AT&T’s) spectrum sphere. So, PSSA has announced that it is holding a “Status Briefing” during which PSSA will share its “ongoing efforts to secure 4.9 GHz for public safety.” Right away you should be suspect as the FCC has stated on multiple occasions that the band is and will remain public safety centric. Who are the hidden forces out there that are advocating against this FCC policy anyway? The PSSA doesn’t have an answer because there aren’t any, other than those who don’t share their 4.9 GHz vision. What’s accurate is that PSSA, FirstNet, and AT&T want to manage the band - period. And if you are a public safety incumbent, know that if they secure exclusive access to the band, they will eventually come knocking to transfer your system to the AT&T network. Does that outcome qualify as securing the 4.9 GHz band for public safety?
The ”Status Briefing” announcement also claims that PSSA”s leaders have been advocating for and representing the needs of public safety in the fight to preserve critical spectrum. May I ask against whom has PSSA been fighting to protect the 4.9 GHz spectrum as a public safety allocation? The answer is simple. Again, anybody who doesn’t support having FirstNet and AT&T take over 4.9 GHz.
And then the punchline. PSSA states that its goal is to “create a consistent, nationwide framework for the 4.9 GHz Band that protects incumbents and fosters efficient use of this important mid-band spectrum with a specific emphasis on preserving the integrity and priority of public safety communications within the band.” Let me translate. A “nationwide framework” equals incorporating 4.9 GHz within AT&T’s spectrum inventory, case closed. The “we need to protect public safety” is a ruse, one that works only if one has a cynical belief that folks are uninformed.