2 July 2010, TRDaily
Information below is courtesy of TR Daily – Paul Kirby
NPSTC BLASTS FCC’s 700 MHz BAND PUBLIC SAFETY CAPACITY PAPER
NPSTC BLASTS FCC’s 700 MHz BAND PUBLIC SAFETY CAPACITY PAPER
The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) today blasted an FCC white paper (attached) that attempts to back up the Commission’s determination that the public safety community’s broadband needs can be met without the reallocation to first responders of the 700 megahertz band D block.
“This capacity whitepaper is aimed at justifying the Commission’s recommendation not to reallocate the D block spectrum to public safety,” NPSTC, a federation of 15 public safety organizations, said in an ex parte filing in Public Safety docket 06-229 (attached).
NPSTC endorsed recent criticism of the FCC’s capacity white paper, which was released June 15, that was leveled by wireless industry analyst Andrew Seybold. Mr. Seybold disagreed with the paper’s conclusion that the 10 MHz of spectrum already licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) “provides more than the required capacity for day to day communications,” and that having the D block wouldn’t meet public safety’s needs during “the worst emergencies.”
“In addition, NPSTC believes the Commission should provide more deference to input from actual public safety users who are on the ground and have had experience with public safety incidents than calculations from academia,” the federation said. The white paper was coauthored by outgoing FCC Chief Technologist John Peha, who is on leave as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “The City of New York submitted a whitepaper addressing why the D block should be reallocated to public safety. This paper included information from real world experiences, not just academic theories.”
NPSTC said that the New York City white paper, which was submitted in February, noted that commercial wireless networks often fail due to congestion or the breakdown of infrastructure during major emergencies. The city also cited the difficulty first responders have had in getting priority access on commercial networks, in part because they don’t have “preemptive access” but are only placed at the “top of the queue.” “Based on this real world experience, the Commission’s plan that would force public safety to roam onto commercial networks by providing inadequate dedicated public safety spectrum is ill-advised,” NPSTC contended.
The federation also took issue with the FCC white paper’s claim that NPSTC had estimated that data rates of 256 kilobits per second would be adequate to support public safety video demands.
“The reference to 256 kb/s came from NPSTC’s report on Public Safety 700 MHz Broadband Statement of Requirements (SOR),” NPSTC said. “The NPSTC SOR was developed 3 years ago to help define the minimum requirements the Commission should impose on the D block operator. The 256 kb/s value was a minimum for uplink with a minimum for downlink being 1MB/s for a single handset device. . . . It was never NPSTC’s intent to imply that 256 kb/s would be a sufficient data rate to support the video levels of quality needed by public safety in all situations.”
NPSTC added, “It is clear that the Commission’s thinking on the need for increased consumer broadband capacity has evolved over that time period. Similarly, public safety’s capacity requirements and interest in broadband applications have also increased and is expected to do so even more, now that the Commission has made provisions for jurisdictions to deploy public safety grade systems.
“Finally, NPSTC believes that establishing capacity requirements for a nationwide broadband network that will take several years to deploy and must serve public safety for many years should
not be set based on minimum requirements,” the organization added. “Doing so provides no room to grow and undercuts public safety’s goals for broadband communications from the outset.”
Robert Kenny, a spokesman for the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, defended the FCC’s capacity paper today. “We believe that public funding to harden the public safety network, coupled with new 4G technology, will enable public safety to benefit greatly from access beyond their dedicated network when they need it,” he said. He declined to comment on NPSTC’s contention that the FCC white paper used its 256 kbps estimate out of context.
In an interview last week, Mr. Peha told TRDaily that New York City, which has contended that public safety broadband video applications need data rates of 1.2 megabits per second, “made assumptions that were simply incompatible.” He said the city’s planned system “could not possibly support 1.2 mbps video” because it wouldn’t have enough cell sites. He also cited the NPSTC estimate. The FCC’s white paper complained that the city proposed a design that “minimizes cell site deployment at the expense of spectral efficiency of” the city’s proposed 20 MHz allocation.
Meanwhile, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) asked the FCC in a letter Wednesday to promptly issue a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning a D-block reauction. The FOP first endorsed a reauction in February (TRDaily, Feb. 22). The FCC has said it would adopt an NPRM and order late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter regarding a reauction.
“The commercial entity that purchases the D Block will need to be a partner to law enforcement, and the sooner this partnership can begin, the better for all parties involved,” the group said.
“We also support enhanced roaming - a key component of the National Broadband Plan for public safety, which will allow agencies to operate across jurisdictional boundaries during an emergency,” the FOP added. “Nationwide roaming can also reduce capacity constraints on public safety broadband operations by providing additional spectrum resources for public safety operations and may lower agencies’ costs by expanding the pool of potential 700 MHz commercial partners for public safety and creating greater economies of scale for devices compatible with public safety spectrum.”
In another development, the city of Chicago has asked the FCC to employ an expedited approval process for granting additional waivers to build out public safety broadband systems that doesn’t involve putting such requests out for comment. The city made the request as it sought a waiver last week; the filing was not posted electronically until yesterday. Other recent waiver requesters include the Louisiana Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee and the Georgia Broadband Alliance. In May, the FCC approved 21 waiver requests (TRDaily, May 12).- Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com
SUPPLEMENTAL SPENDING BILL WOULD RECLAIM $602M IN RECOVERY ACT BROADBAND FUNDING
“This capacity whitepaper is aimed at justifying the Commission’s recommendation not to reallocate the D block spectrum to public safety,” NPSTC, a federation of 15 public safety organizations, said in an ex parte filing in Public Safety docket 06-229 (attached).
NPSTC endorsed recent criticism of the FCC’s capacity white paper, which was released June 15, that was leveled by wireless industry analyst Andrew Seybold. Mr. Seybold disagreed with the paper’s conclusion that the 10 MHz of spectrum already licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) “provides more than the required capacity for day to day communications,” and that having the D block wouldn’t meet public safety’s needs during “the worst emergencies.”
“In addition, NPSTC believes the Commission should provide more deference to input from actual public safety users who are on the ground and have had experience with public safety incidents than calculations from academia,” the federation said. The white paper was coauthored by outgoing FCC Chief Technologist John Peha, who is on leave as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “The City of New York submitted a whitepaper addressing why the D block should be reallocated to public safety. This paper included information from real world experiences, not just academic theories.”
NPSTC said that the New York City white paper, which was submitted in February, noted that commercial wireless networks often fail due to congestion or the breakdown of infrastructure during major emergencies. The city also cited the difficulty first responders have had in getting priority access on commercial networks, in part because they don’t have “preemptive access” but are only placed at the “top of the queue.” “Based on this real world experience, the Commission’s plan that would force public safety to roam onto commercial networks by providing inadequate dedicated public safety spectrum is ill-advised,” NPSTC contended.
The federation also took issue with the FCC white paper’s claim that NPSTC had estimated that data rates of 256 kilobits per second would be adequate to support public safety video demands.
“The reference to 256 kb/s came from NPSTC’s report on Public Safety 700 MHz Broadband Statement of Requirements (SOR),” NPSTC said. “The NPSTC SOR was developed 3 years ago to help define the minimum requirements the Commission should impose on the D block operator. The 256 kb/s value was a minimum for uplink with a minimum for downlink being 1MB/s for a single handset device. . . . It was never NPSTC’s intent to imply that 256 kb/s would be a sufficient data rate to support the video levels of quality needed by public safety in all situations.”
NPSTC added, “It is clear that the Commission’s thinking on the need for increased consumer broadband capacity has evolved over that time period. Similarly, public safety’s capacity requirements and interest in broadband applications have also increased and is expected to do so even more, now that the Commission has made provisions for jurisdictions to deploy public safety grade systems.
“Finally, NPSTC believes that establishing capacity requirements for a nationwide broadband network that will take several years to deploy and must serve public safety for many years should
not be set based on minimum requirements,” the organization added. “Doing so provides no room to grow and undercuts public safety’s goals for broadband communications from the outset.”
Robert Kenny, a spokesman for the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, defended the FCC’s capacity paper today. “We believe that public funding to harden the public safety network, coupled with new 4G technology, will enable public safety to benefit greatly from access beyond their dedicated network when they need it,” he said. He declined to comment on NPSTC’s contention that the FCC white paper used its 256 kbps estimate out of context.
In an interview last week, Mr. Peha told TRDaily that New York City, which has contended that public safety broadband video applications need data rates of 1.2 megabits per second, “made assumptions that were simply incompatible.” He said the city’s planned system “could not possibly support 1.2 mbps video” because it wouldn’t have enough cell sites. He also cited the NPSTC estimate. The FCC’s white paper complained that the city proposed a design that “minimizes cell site deployment at the expense of spectral efficiency of” the city’s proposed 20 MHz allocation.
Meanwhile, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) asked the FCC in a letter Wednesday to promptly issue a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning a D-block reauction. The FOP first endorsed a reauction in February (TRDaily, Feb. 22). The FCC has said it would adopt an NPRM and order late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter regarding a reauction.
“The commercial entity that purchases the D Block will need to be a partner to law enforcement, and the sooner this partnership can begin, the better for all parties involved,” the group said.
“We also support enhanced roaming - a key component of the National Broadband Plan for public safety, which will allow agencies to operate across jurisdictional boundaries during an emergency,” the FOP added. “Nationwide roaming can also reduce capacity constraints on public safety broadband operations by providing additional spectrum resources for public safety operations and may lower agencies’ costs by expanding the pool of potential 700 MHz commercial partners for public safety and creating greater economies of scale for devices compatible with public safety spectrum.”
In another development, the city of Chicago has asked the FCC to employ an expedited approval process for granting additional waivers to build out public safety broadband systems that doesn’t involve putting such requests out for comment. The city made the request as it sought a waiver last week; the filing was not posted electronically until yesterday. Other recent waiver requesters include the Louisiana Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee and the Georgia Broadband Alliance. In May, the FCC approved 21 waiver requests (TRDaily, May 12).- Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com
SUPPLEMENTAL SPENDING BILL WOULD RECLAIM $602M IN RECOVERY ACT BROADBAND FUNDING
The House yesterday approved a measure that would reclaim $602 million in broadband grant and loan funding authorized last year, as part of $11.7 billion in rescissions of previously authorized funding to offset fiscal year 2010 supplemental appropriations.
Specifically, the FY 2010 supplemental appropriations bill (HR 4899), as amended by the House yesterday on a 239-182 vote, would rescind $302 million in funding for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and $300 million in funding for the Broadband Initiatives Program overseen by the Rural Utilities Services. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last year appropriated $4.7 billion for BTOP grants and $2.5 billion for BIP grants and loans, directing that the funds be awarded to applicants by Sept. 30 of this year.
The FY 2010 supplement appropriations bill now heads back to the Senate, which is on recess until July 12.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today that the department and its RUS unit are “focused on reviewing the applications before us and working with funding we have” and would “continue to work toward the goal,” although he added that “we obviously will work within whatever funding authority” Congress sets.
Responding to a reporter’s question during a conference call regarding nearly $310 million in BIP funding awards announced today (see separate story) and whether he regretted not awarding the total BIP appropriation more quickly, so that it would not be available for rescission, Secretary Vilsack said, “This has been a great exercise for us” in terms of identifying the broadband needs of rural communities, and the department has learned things that can now be transferred to RUS’s ongoing telecom and broadband grant and loan programs.
“I think we have done this in a very timely way,” the secretary said, adding, “I don’t have any regrets in terms of how we’ve done this.” He said, “At the end of the day, regardless of the total dollars invested, we’re going to continue to focus on this and . . . press forward.”
A spokeswoman for NTIA said that the agency is “aware that Congress is grappling” with budget issues but that the agency is focusing on administering BTOP and investing the broadband stimulus funding appropriated by the Recovery Act.
After the broadband stimulus project awards announced today, NTIA has roughly $3 billion left to award from last year’s Recovery Act BTOP appropriation and RUS has about $1.5 billion left to award from the BIP appropriation. Because the BIP funding can be used for both grants and loans - while BTOP awards are all grants - and only the cost of making a loan, rather than the entire
principal amount of the loan, has to be counted as spending, that $1.5 billion is expected to be leveraged to offer a total of $2 billion in loans and grants, Secretary Vilsack said.
Also among the changes approved by the House yesterday is an additional Department of Homeland Security appropriation of $14 million “to remain available until September 30, 2011, for costs of designing, building, and deploying tactical communications for support of enforcement activities on the Southwest Border of the United States.”
The supplemental appropriations bill would also provide $13 million “for the ongoing acquisition and installation of a modern digital radio system because of known security threats.” This provision was included in earlier versions of the bill.
The White House yesterday evening threatened to veto the supplemental spending bill when it comes to the president’s desk if it still contains $800 million in rescissions from education reform programs currently in the bill. The policy statement contained no mention of the rescissions in the broadband stimulus programs.
The Media Access Project today issued a statement opposing the redirection of “nearly a tenth of the total of $7.2 billion” in broadband stimulus funding to “offset the deficit in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” MAP Senior Vice President and Director-policy Andrew Jay Schwartzman said, “War spending must not take precedence over connecting underserved households, schools, health care facilities, and libraries to high-speed Internet service in a time of continued economic difficulty and social inequality.” - Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com
Other media articles relative to public safety broadband
http://www.publicsafetyreport.com/newsArticle.cfm?news_id=5817
http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2010/?Page=23
Specifically, the FY 2010 supplemental appropriations bill (HR 4899), as amended by the House yesterday on a 239-182 vote, would rescind $302 million in funding for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and $300 million in funding for the Broadband Initiatives Program overseen by the Rural Utilities Services. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last year appropriated $4.7 billion for BTOP grants and $2.5 billion for BIP grants and loans, directing that the funds be awarded to applicants by Sept. 30 of this year.
The FY 2010 supplement appropriations bill now heads back to the Senate, which is on recess until July 12.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today that the department and its RUS unit are “focused on reviewing the applications before us and working with funding we have” and would “continue to work toward the goal,” although he added that “we obviously will work within whatever funding authority” Congress sets.
Responding to a reporter’s question during a conference call regarding nearly $310 million in BIP funding awards announced today (see separate story) and whether he regretted not awarding the total BIP appropriation more quickly, so that it would not be available for rescission, Secretary Vilsack said, “This has been a great exercise for us” in terms of identifying the broadband needs of rural communities, and the department has learned things that can now be transferred to RUS’s ongoing telecom and broadband grant and loan programs.
“I think we have done this in a very timely way,” the secretary said, adding, “I don’t have any regrets in terms of how we’ve done this.” He said, “At the end of the day, regardless of the total dollars invested, we’re going to continue to focus on this and . . . press forward.”
A spokeswoman for NTIA said that the agency is “aware that Congress is grappling” with budget issues but that the agency is focusing on administering BTOP and investing the broadband stimulus funding appropriated by the Recovery Act.
After the broadband stimulus project awards announced today, NTIA has roughly $3 billion left to award from last year’s Recovery Act BTOP appropriation and RUS has about $1.5 billion left to award from the BIP appropriation. Because the BIP funding can be used for both grants and loans - while BTOP awards are all grants - and only the cost of making a loan, rather than the entire
principal amount of the loan, has to be counted as spending, that $1.5 billion is expected to be leveraged to offer a total of $2 billion in loans and grants, Secretary Vilsack said.
Also among the changes approved by the House yesterday is an additional Department of Homeland Security appropriation of $14 million “to remain available until September 30, 2011, for costs of designing, building, and deploying tactical communications for support of enforcement activities on the Southwest Border of the United States.”
The supplemental appropriations bill would also provide $13 million “for the ongoing acquisition and installation of a modern digital radio system because of known security threats.” This provision was included in earlier versions of the bill.
The White House yesterday evening threatened to veto the supplemental spending bill when it comes to the president’s desk if it still contains $800 million in rescissions from education reform programs currently in the bill. The policy statement contained no mention of the rescissions in the broadband stimulus programs.
The Media Access Project today issued a statement opposing the redirection of “nearly a tenth of the total of $7.2 billion” in broadband stimulus funding to “offset the deficit in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” MAP Senior Vice President and Director-policy Andrew Jay Schwartzman said, “War spending must not take precedence over connecting underserved households, schools, health care facilities, and libraries to high-speed Internet service in a time of continued economic difficulty and social inequality.” - Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com
Other media articles relative to public safety broadband
http://www.publicsafetyreport.com/newsArticle.cfm?news_id=5817
http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2010/?Page=23
Here are links to the white paper and the NPSTC response.
posted by RCC Consultants @ 3:57 PM
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