Improving Public Safety Communications in the 800 MHz Band

On June 8, 2012, the United States and Mexico signed an agreement modifying the international allocation of 800 MHz spectrum in the U.S.-Mexico border region, which enables the U.S. to proceed with 800 MHz band reconfiguration along the border. By this Fifth Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau adopts a reconfigured channel plan for the 800 MHz band along the U.S.-Mexico border based on the allocation plan in the Amended Protocol. The FCC also establishes a 30-month transition period for licensees to complete rebanding in the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) Regions bordering Mexico.