FCC Releases Draft Receiver Performance NOI, Wireless Alert FNPRM
A draft notice of inquiry on receiver performance notes that looking at receivers now is important, as spectrum becomes increasingly congested. A draft Further NPRM on wireless emergency alerts proposes a mechanism for providers to file reports on the effectiveness of the alerts. The FCC released both Thursday, three weeks before the commission’s April 21 meeting (see 2203300072).
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The FCC seeks to “develop an up-to-date record on the role of receivers in spectrum management and, where necessary and appropriate, how the Commission might best promote improvements in receiver immunity performance that would serve the public interest,” the draft says: It hopes to “lay the foundation for future Commission actions that can promote improvements in receiver performance, where and as appropriate, that will aid in making spectrum management more effective.”
The proposed NOI says the FCC recognizes that “a variety of approaches may be appropriate, whether through industry-led voluntary measures, Commission policy and guidance, or rule requirements where other approaches would be insufficient.” The draft notes the FCC issued a previous NOI on the topic in 2003. The proceeding was terminated four years later when the commission decided “with the passage of time, the record had become outdated and that, to the extent that receiver interference immunity performance specifications are desirable, they could be addressed in proceedings that are frequency band or service specific.”
The draft cites bands where receiver performance was a big consideration, including 800 and 900 MHz, the DTV transition, the citizens broadband radio service band, 3.5 GHz and the C band. In other recent proceedings, “the receiver interference immunity performance associated with incumbent services operating in spectral proximity to new users or services has been a major consideration,” the draft says: “In these cases, the ability of incumbent service receivers to reject signals outside their intended band has been directly relevant to the timing and scope of the introduction of new services.”
“We inquire about the role of receivers as part of our broader exploration of policy tools that can harness new technologies and promote expanded and efficient spectrum use,” the draft says: “We seek to develop a record on receiver performance across the RF spectrum, and on how we might consider options that can promote more efficient spectrum use, where and as appropriate, that can best serve the public interest.”
The draft FNPRM on WEAs asks for comment on how participating wireless providers should measure performance to allow for performance reports. It seeks comment on when and how the reports should be provided and whether they should “include information collected at the consumer’s device, including information about the actual time and location of alert receipt, and whether consumer devices should automatically report this information to participating wireless providers.
The draft also proposes questions on ways to make the alerts more reliable and faster, based on findings from last year’s nationwide test (see 2108260046). The draft notes providers voluntarily elected to participate in the program, and in 10 years 619 emergency management agencies across the U.S. issued 61,764 alerts.
As the FCC “marks WEA’s tenth anniversary, the Commission seeks to build upon WEA’s demonstrated record of success by improving … effectiveness,” the notice says: “Notwithstanding WEA’s many successes, there is room for growth. WEAs are not always received by people for whom they are intended. WEAs may be delivered too slowly to be effective in certain important use cases, and WEAs may be delivered outside of the targeted area, resulting in consumers receiving a message that is not relevant to that geographic area.”