The FCC should start a notice of inquiry by the end...
The FCC should start a notice of inquiry by the end of the year to address the use of small, easily deployable aerial modules to get communications back online in affected areas 12-18 hours after disaster strikes, Public Safety Bureau…
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staff said in a report released Thursday (http://xrl.us/bmd64h). The NOI should examine such issues as interference to terrestrial systems, spectrum coordination, cost-effectiveness of aerial systems and operational procedures, the report said. Staff also suggested an FCC workshop on deployable aerial communications architecture (DACA) solutions by year’s end. The commission should also coordinate with other interested agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration and examine “which issues have international ramifications, working with the State Department and other appropriate federal agencies, and determine appropriate next steps,” the report said. Several iterations already exist, including small, unmanned aerial vehicles that rely on battery power and hover about 500 feet above the ground; repeaters that dangle from weather-balloons; suitcase-sized repeaters attached to airborne aircraft and high-altitude long distance unmanned vehicles, the report said. “The DACA vision for disasters involves an aerial capability that is deployable within the first 12-18 hours after a catastrophic event to temporarily restore critical communications, including broadband, for a period of 72-96 hours,” the report said. “This capability would be useful in situations where the power grid may be inoperable for 5-7 days, depleting back-up power supplies and resulting in an almost complete failure of landline, cellular, land mobile radio, broadcast, and cable transmissions, as well as Wi-Fi and Internet services.”