[Scan-DC] Re: NTIA

[Gilbert Stamper]

Actually it's not NTIA, it's NTIS.  National Technical Information Service.
Part of the Department of Commerce.  Until the government did their massive
renaming of agencies about 15/20 years ago, it was the National Bureau of
Standards and Technology, which everyone just called the National Bureau of
Standards.  They run the WWV (time of day) station in Colorado, and the WWVH
(time of day) station in Hawaii.  NTIS does frequency assignment and
management for all federal agencies, including DOD's non-tactical radio
frequencies.  Non-tactical meaning those radios used for base operations,
.like police, fire, housekeeping, public works, etc.  NTIS also does
standards development, and mangates commercial encryption standards, which
are used by federal agencies among others.  Yes, federal agency station call
signs are not usually listed in databases, primarily because federal
agencies don't have them.  The system is considered to be "closed," meaning
that everyone who uses it, is authorized to use it, and no one is calling in
from outside like would be the case with a Ham transmitter.  Also under the
rules of operation, being a federal agency, they are not required to
identify themselves every hour like the weather radio stations, or TV/Radio
stations are.  Users on the system have call signs.  The same rules apply to
public safety operations.  The thought process is that the stations are in
continuous use, and identification is not necessary.  The same argument
could be applied to TV and Radio stations, but that is a hold-over from the
early days.  The identification rule is applied to weather radio, so the
listener will know which station is broadcasting, and thus the area of
responsibility.

 

The FCC is the master frequency coordinator for the United States.  They
"farm-out" the responsibility to various agencies;  NTIS for federal
agencies and the Association of Public safety Communications Officers,
(APCO) for Public Safety.  There are also regional frequency coordinators
appointed by the FCC to handle the commercial radios systems, like the
utility companies, and your friendly Maytag repairman.  On the commercial
side that business is less due to the introduction of PTT technology for
cell phones i.e. Nextel.

 

More than you wanted to know,

 

Gil Stamper