NPSTC's Work on the UHF T-band Issue

Public Safety and Industrial/Business users in the top 11 market areas in the United States rely on the UHF T-band spectrum (470-512 MHz) for their communications needs, as well as regional interoperability.  In accordance with the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, they will be required to relocate from the T-band within two years of the FCC's auctioning of that spectrum, beginning February 2021.

This move will not only require a great deal of funding dedicated to relocating agencies, but also a comparable chunk of spectrum, which has yet to be provided.  The FCC is authorized to use proceeds from the T-band spectrum auctions for the relocation, however there is no guarantee as of yet that funds from the auction will cover the entire cost of relocation.

The latest MissionCritical Communications magazine shows that up to 98% of T-band agencies are lacking spectrum, funding, or both for the move, which makes the FCC's authorization to use proceeds from the auction for relocation of these agencies paramount.  These agencies have invested heavily in their T-band systems, and the challenge of migrating to a different band will be major.  The 11 affected areas are centralized in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington/Baltimore, Boston, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Pittsburgh. Within these 11 areas, there are nearly a thousand licensees that will be affected by this legislation.

Currently, UHF T-band applications are subject to a freeze at the FCC, meant to stabilize the spectrum environment in preparation for relocation.  The freeze restricts applications that would expand the geographic footprint or use of the spectrum.  The FCC has the authority to impose, waive, or modify the freeze, however it cannot waive any part of the legislation which mandates the relocation of this spectrum.  Public Safety would be greatly compromised without their T-band resources, therefore if no viable replacement spectrum can be found, steps will need to be taken to change the law. 

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) has taken steps to assist with this move, by establishing a NPSTC T-band working group of volunteers to conduct studies on the issue, assess and document the impact of the legislation, review the cost and viability of alternative options, and make recommendations to NPSTC's governing board.  The group is currently conducting a high-level assessment of the range of costs involved and spectrum consequences facing the 11 metropolitan areas. 

Recent actions of the working group have included an online questionnaire, analysis of information from the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS), a cost analysis model, and an analysis of possible alternative bands per market.  EMR President Sandra Black and Vice President Jenny Adkins are members of this working group, and welcome any suggestions or comments regarding this issue.

Want to know more?  We recommend reading MissionCritical's latest cover story, The T-Band Maze, for more detailed information.

Have thoughts on this issue?  We would love to hear from you.  Please comment below!