800 MHz Interstitial Coordination Complicated but Same for All Applicants, Says EWA

June 24, 2015 (Herndon, VA) –The Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA), a leading advocate for business enterprises that rely on wireless communications systems, has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) via an Ex Parte filing that applicants for licenses in the 800 MHz interstitial channels should be free to select any frequency advisory committee (FAC) to do the coordination. The new, full power, interstitial 12.5 kHz “offset” channels in the 809-817/854-862 MHz band (800 MHz Mid-Band), which the FCC proposes to make available, will be subject to certain protections designed to safeguard 800 MHz incumbents from interference.

“In the future, when the industry receives a green light from the FCC to proceed, conducting frequency coordination for the 319 Mid-Band 800 MHz interstitial channels will require awareness of both embedded and proposed system technologies, as well as sophisticated adjacent channel analyses in order to mitigate the potential for system degradations to both incumbents and applicants proposing to utilize the interstitial channels,” said EWA President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Crosby. “The processes are the same whether the applicant is a business enterprise, critical infrastructure or public safety entity. There isn’t any special, secret knowledge that a public safety coordinator would be privy to over a B/ILT coordinator in this spectrum space. Everyone will be using the same analyses that will indicate whether interstitial channels are available or not. EWA has been successfully coordinating Sprint-vacated spectrum for years on behalf of public safety applicants, and is equipped to successfully coordinate interstitial channels on behalf of public safety entities as well,” he continued.

EWA filed its comments in response to Ex Parte comments from the Public Safety Communications Council (PSCC), which had opposed the idea that Business/Industrial Land Transportation (B/ILT) FACs, such as EWA, would be competent to coordinate 800 MHz Mid-Band applications submitted on behalf of public safety entities.