FCC Approves Six More Channels for Public Safety Repeaters
The FCC approved an order allowing public safety agencies to use vehicular repeater systems (VRS) and other mobile repeaters in six more control and telemetry channels in the VHF band. The channels are all at 173 MHz and are not…
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otherwise heavily utilized, the FCC said in an order, approved by the full commission, released Monday. “Public safety entities have increasingly turned to VRS as a cost-effective way to enhance the overall effectiveness of a public safety communication system at a fraction of the cost of achieving the same result using infrastructure improvements,” the FCC said. But technical and fiscal considerations “limit the choice of discrete frequencies that are available for VRS use in any given system.” In 2011, Pyramid Communications said in a filing at the agency that the FCC should begin a rulemaking on the use of 170-172 MHz spectrum, and possibly other bands, for VRS (see 1111230049). The FCC approved Pyramid’s petition, in part, in 2013 and sought comment on expanding the channels available for VRS, which led to the new rules. The FCC said in the new order it also would continue to look at the use of VRS in other bands. “However, given public safety’s stated preference for the use of in-band VRS, coupled with the fact that it is currently not possible to reduce the requisite spectral separation through filter technology, we do not believe that frequencies in other bands are useful options for mobile repeater use at this time,” the agency said. The FCC is requiring that the use of the channels be coordinated and asked the “coordinator community” to develop a consensus protocol. The FCC will allow the repeaters to operate at 5 watts effective radiated power.