The FCC Wireless Bureau asked for comment on a compromise plan by...

the FCC last month to reject Maritel’s request to be the sole frequency coordinator for 2 channels in the AIS. Responding to concerns of the U.S. Coast Guard and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., NTIA urged the FCC instead to allocate the maritime VHF channels 87B and 88B exclusively for AIS operations. The Bureau said Maritel and NTIA were offering conflicting proposals -- Maritel sought a declaratory ruling that AIS transmitters not operate on channels 87B and 88B while NTIA wanted those channels earmarked exclusively for AIS. Maritel submitted a new proposal last week that it said could serve as a compromise, backing NTIA’s request as long as it could share the channels. Channels 87B and 88B are allocated internationally for AIS, although countries can use other channels for that service if those 2 aren’t available. The FCC directed licensees of VHF public coast service areas 1-9 to negotiate with the Coast Guard on the designation of 2 narrowband channel pairs for domestic AIS operations. At the time, the FCC said it would revisit the issue and select the channels if the negotiations didn’t result in an agreement. Maritel reached an agreement with the Coast Guard in 2002 designating maritime VHF channels 87 A/B for AIS use but ended the pact the next year. The Coast Guard had raised concerns that Maritel’s earlier request for a declaratory ruling was designed to generate revenue to compensate it for what it believed was an unauthorized taking of its spectrum. The Bureau said Maritel’s compromise plan would support NTIA’s request that those channels be reallocated for exclusive AIS use as long as Maritel’s sharing plan were adopted. Maritel said it wouldn’t seek payment from either the Coast Guard or ship station licensees as a prerequisite to letting them use spectrum licensed to it for AIS. Under that scenario: (1) NTIA would authorize use of Channel 88B by only the Coast Guard, Maritel and ship stations for AIS. (2) The Coast Guard would use the 2 channels for shore station operations to support Vessel Traffic Systems and surveillance applications for homeland security that were in line with the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. Its use of the channels would be confined to those purposes. (3) Maritel could use the 2 channels in all maritime areas for shore station operations to support non-Coast Guard AIS applications. Maritel said the proposed sharing could be done with channel loading and time slot allocation so Coast Guard and ship station use of the channels for safety and homeland security communications would have priority over other communications. Maritel also proposed that the FCC adopt rules precluding reception and use of AIS transmissions except by Maritel, the Coast Guard and ship stations.