EWA Files in Support of 800 MHz Guard Band Waiver Request

The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has asked for comment on a waiver request from the company providing security, maintenance, and other services at the new stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders are scheduled to begin playing in the Fall of 2020. The applicant has requested three Guard Band Channels, which are not yet available because Las Vegas is within the buffer zone beyond the Mexican Border Region which has been subject to an FCC freeze since 2013.

EWA coordinated the application. In comments supporting the request, EWA noted that FCC rules provide for waiver relief when a grant would be in the public interest or when the applicant has no reasonable alternatives. Consistent with the time urgency detailed in the Waiver Request and that  Opening Day is only months away, the Commission was advised in the request that the communications facilities at the stadium must be installed and tested well before the doors open for crowds of up to 65,000, plus the thousands of persons that are needed to support an NFL stadium on game day.  Security of this facility and of the people who work and attend events, mandates a secure, resilient, reliable communications system to serve the public interest. Having met the Commission’s waiver requirements, EWA urged the Commission to expeditiously grant the relief requested.