700 MHz Public Safety Band Still In State of Flux

700 MHz Public Safety Band Still In State of Flux
Robert Gurss

September 2009
Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC

The FCC continues to struggle with how to address the 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum. Congress long ago mandated an allocation of 24 MHz of spectrum in that band for public safety, most of which has been designated for narrowband voice systems licensed to state and local governments. However, 10 MHz of that spectrum has been designated for a national public safety broadband network and assigned to a national licensee, the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST). Current FCC rules provide for the adjacent "D Block" of commercial spectrum to be auctioned, and for the winner to enter into a network sharing agreement with the PSST. The result would have been a shared, public-private network spanning 20 MHz and built to meet public safety requirements, but serving both commercial and public safety customers. ...