Arguments for 800 MHz Waiver Fall Short

July 10, 2017

In an ex parte filing late last week with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) again stated that neither the Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency (WCCCA) nor the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) submitted sufficient justification that would warrant granting WCCCA’s waiver request to use Industrial/Business (I/B) 800 MHz channels in lieu of utilizing spectrum readily available for public safety use.

EWA stated that WCCCA had failed to explain why it needed six, rather than four, additional frequencies for testing purposes and to familiarize its team with the new P25 system. EWA also repeated its recommendation that the County replace the two I/B channels with two General Category (GC) channels. Since either approach would require an FCC waiver, EWA suggested that the FCC determine which would better serve the public interest, assuming waiver relief was appropriate. EWA’s filing included a technical analysis prepared by Lockard & White responding to the WCCCA argument that the GC channels would result in an unacceptable coverage loss because of combiner issues.

About the Enterprise Wireless Alliance

EWA is an FCC-certified frequency advisory committee that provides license preparation, spectrum management and associated services to business enterprises, private carriers, public safety entities and wireless sales and service organizations. Membership within EWA is open to users of wireless communications systems, vendors, system operators and service organizations. Additional information about membership and services is available at www.enterprisewireless.org.

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