Convention-al Wisdom: Auxiliary Frequency Coordination Provisions for Political Confabs Announced

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commmission takes steps in anticipation of extensive auxiliary operation at upcoming conventions, inauguration. It looks like Louis Libin won’t be getting much time off in August, or next January either, for that matter. That’s because he has been designated as the single point of contact for frequency coordination operations under Section 74.24 at (deep breath, please) the Republican National Convention, and the Democratic National Convention, and the Presidential Inauguration.

Coverage of confabs like the conventions and the inauguration generally entails extensive use of frequencies licensed for the broadcast auxiliary services (BAS) under Part 74 of the FCC’s rules. Use of all those licensed devices has got to be coordinated in any event. But coordination is further complicated by the fact that the BAS rules (Section 74.24, to be exact) permit the temporary, unlicensed use of BAS frequencies by eligible broadcasters for up to 720 hours per year. That gives rise to the possibility of scads of short-term unlicensed operations vying for scarce BAS spectrum with scads of licensed operations. Hence, the importance of identifying a single authority in charge of insuring that all unlicensed, short-term operations play nicely with one another and with their licensed confrères in the high-pressure, congested-spectrum environment of these three high-profile events.