FCC attorney Roberto Mussenden dismissed rumored speculation of flexibility of the Commission's narrowbanding mandate last week at IWCE. He reiterated that the deadline remains January 1, 2013, and enforcement action shall be taken against licensees in violation. Rumors that licensees can avoid the complying with the rule by continuing to operate their old systems, but on a secondary basis, are false.
Under the narrowbanding mandate, LMR systems shall transfer their channels from operating on 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz by the deadline. The Commission has also indicated that it will mandate a 6.25 narrowbanding rule in the future, but the date for that transition has not been set.
Fines, admonishment, or other enforcement will occur against licensees who have failed to comply by the deadline. Public Safety agencies who do not comply by the deadline will likely be the subjects of interference complaints from adjacent agencies, according to Mussenden. He also suggests currently non-compliant agencies avoid "burning time and money" in future disputes with the FCC over narrowbanding, by completing the transition as soon as possible.
Session moderator Alan Tilles, a partner at Shulman, Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker, offered a positive spin on the mandate. Since Public Safety agencies are never overflowing with funds, budgeting crises are nothing new. Agencies should take the opportunity of this FCC mandate to secure funds to upgrade their old equipment and improve the capabilities of their operations.
Public Safety officials should be spending their resources, time, and energy on public safety, not regulatory issues concerning communications. By transitioning early, agencies can avoid wasting money on unnecessary legal and consulting fees that could be spent investing in the protection of their domains.
Contact EMR Consulting today to find out how we can assist your agency in the narrowbanding process and any other telecommunications challenges.
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