FCC Freezes Certain Applications in the 800 MHz NPSPAC Public Safety Band

The Federal Communications Commission initiated a proceeding seeking comment on requiring:

• applicants for licenses in the 800 MHz NPSPAC public safety band2 to employ only such digital equipment as conforms to Emission Mask H;3 and
• applications for certification of digital equipment capable of operating in the 800 MHz NPSPAC band to demonstrate compliance with Emission Mask H; and
• applicants for licenses in the 800 MHz NPSPAC public safety band to employ only such equipment as is capable of operating in the analog FM mode on mutual aid channels4 in that band; and
• applications for certification of equipment capable of operating in the 800 MHz NPSPAC public safety band to specify only equipment capable of operating in the analog FM mode on mutual aid channels in that band.

In order to maintain a stable environment during the pendency of the rulemaking, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology are instituting a “freeze” on facilities applications and equipment certifications as follows:

• Applications seeking 800 MHz NPSPAC channels where the applicant specifies digitally modulated equipment that does not conform to Emission Mask H will not be accepted; and
• Applications seeking 800 MHz NPSPAC channels where the applicant specifies equipment not capable of analog FM modulation on the NPSPAC mutual aid channels will not be accepted; and
• Applications seeking certification of equipment capable of operating on the NPSPAC public safety channels will not be accepted unless the certification applicant demonstrates that the equipment conforms to Emission Mask H when operating on the NPSPAC public safety channels; and
• Applications seeking certification of equipment capable of operating on the NPSPAC public safety channels will not be accepted unless the certification applicant demonstrates that the equipment is capable of operating with analog FM modulation on the NPSPAC mutual aid channels.