APCO Asks FCC to Seek Comment on Paging Rules
The FCC should seek comment on rule changes to provide more technical and operational flexibility for current paging and radiotelephone frequencies, facilitating additional public safety use of those channels, APCO said in a filing at the FCC in docket 14-80. The Wireless Bureau sought comment on the paging rules in October, and reply comments were due Monday.
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“Because the current Part 22 rules were designed for different types of radio systems and services, potential public safety and other land mobile radio use of former paging frequencies can be difficult and generally requires waivers of various technical and operational rules,” APCO said. APCO said the Land Mobile Communications Council and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council sought a rulemaking on possible changes to the rules. APCO is a member of NPSTC.
Public safety agencies are sometimes forced to turn to these Part 22 channels “to meet critical communications requirements due to the lack of sufficient VHF/UHF Public Safety Pool channels in many areas,” APCO said.
Mobile Relay Associates, which provides two-way communications services, said the record demonstrates that the FCC should seek further comment. “Every commenter in this proceeding supports clarifying and/or waiving Commission rules as necessary to render the involved Part 22 spectrum as flexible with respect to use as is the adjoining Part 90 spectrum,” the company said.
The Nebraska Public Power District also endorsed various changes to the rules in its reply comments. NPSTC said in comments last month, the FCC should focus on emission bandwidth, equipment certification and buildout requirements.