Cisco Systems asked the FCC to defer a...

Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) Working Group 3 test of Progeny’s services against several other 911 locator services were “underwhelming” (http://bit.ly/11yaOVo). Progeny has touted the results of the CSRIC tests as proof it has the best service currently available (CD April 15 p5). But Cisco said “the only conclusion to be drawn from the tests is that much more work needs to be done to find accurate indoor location technologies.” There’s no reason for the FCC to make a decision on Progeny’s service, “as Progeny has yet to demonstrate that it can deliver reliable indoor location data,” Cisco said. Google argued in a separate filing that the “limited” field test reports Progeny has provided to the FCC do not allow the commission to find the company’s proposed E-911 locator service does not cause unacceptable interference to unlicensed users on the 902-928 MHz band. Those tests instead show Progeny’s proposed service causes “unacceptable levels of interference” for some Part 15 users, and fails to address potential interference for other Part 15 services, Google said. Part 15 users on the band include wireless Internet service providers and the E-ZPass Group toll collection interoperation company. “At a minimum, Progeny has failed so far to meet its burden of showing that its service will not cause unacceptable interference,” Google said (http://bit.ly/11vxUNy). Progeny said in a filing released Monday that it was “surprised” by Cisco’s claim that the CSRIC test results were “underwhelming.” Progeny said it has deferred to the CSRIC test process to “verify independently the capabilities of its service.” The CSRIC test results show Progeny’s service “was consistently able to reduce the area of first responder search rings by 90% (effectively a tenfold improvement) when compared to other E911 location technologies,” Progeny said. “Progeny’s technology was further able to pinpoint within 2 meters the vertical height of the calling party, potentially revolutionizing the speed of emergency response in large multi-story urban environments.” The FCC should rely on the “ample technical and policy record that exists” as it makes its decision, Progeny said (http://bit.ly/17e04Pf). Progeny said in a separate filing, also released Monday, that Bruce Olcott, a Squire Sanders attorney who represents Progeny, spoke Wednesday with Renee Gregory, an aide to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Olcott told Gregory that the FCC’s decision on Progeny’s service should rest with the Wireless Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology, particularly given the burdens that will be caused by the pending departures of Genachowski and FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (http://bit.ly/11eKDCG).