Convention city wants OK for safety network

Charlotte (NC) is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to approve the city’s advanced wireless public safety network, arguing that it needs to be in place before thousands of high-profile targets like President Barack Obama arrive for the Democratic Convention.

In a filing at the commission made public Wednesday, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County contend that they meet all the interoperability requirements needed for an FCC waiver that will let public safety officials there light up their network — code named CHARMECK — before the convention starts Sept. 3. “Since the president of the United States and other key dignitaries will be in attendance, the 700 MHz public safety wireless broadband network is anticipated to be used by thousands of federal agents, state and local first responders to ensure the security of thousands of participants to this worldwide event,” the city wrote in an FCC filing.