Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FCC: No room yet for states' emergency radio networks

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 19:05:44 -0400

FCC: No room yet for states' emergency radio networks

Saturday May 08, 2004
By MICHAEL GORMLEY
Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) States creating emergency radio networks hastened by
the Sept. 11 attacks have no place for the signal to go and may have to
wait five years before there's enough room on the airwaves, according to
federal officials.  For example, New York's estimated $1 billion
contract for an emergency network, announced April 30, has no place to
operate on the broadcast spectrum at this time, Federal Communications
Commission officials said. Those channels nationwide are being used by
mostly religious and ethnic television stations and they don't have to
give them up.  The broadcasters would have to make the channels
available when they are required to operate as digital television
channels, but there's no estimate for when that will be, said FCC
spokeswoman Michelle Russo. Those broadcasters could be forced from the
channels when 85 percent of their customers can receive digital signals,
but progress is lagging and an original estimate of 2006 will be missed.

``We have a mandate for them to broadcast in digital and eventually they
will,'' Russo said.
``We don't know (when) at this point.''

FCC officials said one proposal hopes to have a usable frequency
available in 2009.

The emergency radio systems would replace a patchwork of sometimes
unreliable signals.  California, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey and
Washington passed legislation to create the wireless networks in 2003,
according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.  The
importance of such communications between fire, police and other
emergency responders in disasters was underscored in the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks, said Bob Boerner of the NCSL. Tennessee, Pennsylvania
and other states began considering such systems shortly after the
attacks.

The number of states with plans to establish networks or expand existing
systems using the frequency the FCC hopes to eventually free for public
safety communications wasn't available Friday.

The New York State Office for Technology expects the emergency channels
to be usable on Dec. 31, 2006. Until then, the state plans to use other
available frequencies and add additional channels as they become
available.

``We're highly confident in the technical aspects of this proposal and
it will result in the creation of a comprehensive and effective
emergency communication network,'' OTA spokesman Rob Roddy said
Saturday.

The state has planned to have the system fully operable in five years.
Although initial research for the system began in 1996, it took on added
importance after the terrorist attacks and officials call it an
``integral piece'' of the state's homeland security efforts.

A spokesman for M/A-Com, the Tyco Electronics subsidiary awarded the
contract, did not respond to requests for comment.
``There are no channels left,'' said John McFadden, a vice president for
Motorola, which has won contracts to build 22 of 25 states' emergency
radio systems. ``They asked the broadcasters to get off the channels,
but they don't have to ... they are on the air now and they aren't going
to just want to give up the channels.''

Motorola lost New York's contract to M/A-Com. Several state Assembly
committees plan to investigate the awarding of the bid by the Pataki
administration. The committee chairmen question the cost which the
Pataki administration won't release because it could put the state at a
disadvantage in negotiating the final price the technical merits of the
proposal and M/A-Com's lobbying.

``The state took the responsibility for getting the channels,'' McFadden
said. ``They said, `Don't worry about the channels, now build the
system.' ... They need new (broadcast) spectrum and they know they need
new spectrum.''

http://wcbs880.com/njnews/NJ--EmergencyRadio-jn/resources_news_html
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