[TrunkCom] Defense raises small hope for 138MHz-144MHz public safety sharing

[The Polish Dude]

The Polish Dude has sent you this article from  Mobile Radio=
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Comments:
Tried to sent, yesterday, but something happened to this story.
Maybve we will be seeing more Wisconson type of Trunked systems=
 going up.

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Defense raises small hope for 138MHz-144MHz public safety=
 sharing

 Don Bishop, editorial director

Mobile Radio Technology magazine, www.mrtmag.com, Online=
 Exclusive, Feb 5, 2002, 12:00 a.m. ET

The U.S Department of Defense submitted a report to Congress=
 today that identifies a limited possibility of sharing the=
 department=92s frequencies in the 138MHz=96144MHz band.

The frequencies would be shared with state and local governments=
 for use by public safety agencies, which the department calls=
 =93first responders.=94 A Department of Defense Joint Spectrum=
 Center engineering study identified ways sharing would be=
 possible without interfering with Department of Defense=
 operations.

It isn=92t certain whether the public safety community will view=
 the report as evidence of substantial progress toward frequency=
 sharing. Members of the Spectrum 138-144 MHz Subcommittee of the=
 <a href=3D"http://www.npstc.org" target=3D"_new">National=
 Public Safety Telecommunications Council</a> who met=
 during the APCO National Conference in Salt Lake City last=
 August explained that the military tends to view sharing in=
 terms of short periods of time, whereas public safety agencies=
 want to share frequencies indefinitely in locations where their=
 operations would not interfere with military radio systems.

The subcommittee=92s chairman, Vincent Stile, noted that the=
 Department of Defense report is classified and, as such, is not=
 yet available to the general public. He described the=
 department=92s announcement as =93encouraging.=94

Stile said that the subcommittee gave its interpretation of=
 sharing to the National Telecommunications and Information=
 Administration, which assigns frequencies to federal users,=
 including the military.

=93I feel the Department of Defense does know what is meant from=
 our side. These are extremely difficult times for all involved=
 in spectrum management, and each needs to respect each other's=
 position. But sharing is possible with good engineering and=
 safeguards. The [Spectrum 138-144 MHz Subcommittee] is ready to=
 work with the Department of Defense as soon as possible,=94 Stile=
 said.


Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Spectrum and C3 Policy=
 Steven Price said, "We believe it is possible to share portions=
 of the 138MHz=96144 MHz band with public safety users on a=
 limited, coordinated basis.  The Department of Defense is=
 willing to work with National Telecommunications and Information=
 Administration, state and local governments and first responders=
 on a case-by-case basis to explore sharing the band for the=
 common good."

A prepared statement from the Department of Defense said that,=
 although the 138=96144 MHz band continues to be critical to its=
 operations, the department has found it helpful in emergencies=
 to share communications systems with other first responders. A=
 small number of channels may be shared on a regional basis when=
 it is to the mutual benefit of the department and public safety=
 officials.

=93Department of Defense operations that would be affected if this=
 band were interrupted through heavy use of too many channels=
 would include air-surface-air, air traffic control and ground=
 support functions at military airfields, tactical communications=
 for close air support, land mobile radios for sustaining=
 installation infrastructure support and land mobile radios and=
 specialized equipment for training and test range support. Other=
 systems that would be affected include fire and security alarms,=
 and hydrology and utility controls,=94 the statement reads.

The Department of Defense statement explained that the National=
 Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2000 reclaimed 3MHz of=
 spectrum in the 138-144 MHz band for reallocation for mixed=
 federal government and non-federal government uses. The largest=
 federal user would be the Department of Defense. The=
 reallocation is subject to to requirements of the Balanced=
 Budget Act of 1997.

The Department of Defense takes the position that Congress=
 understood that the recovery of 3 MHz of spectrum =93was and is=
 crucial to fulfilling DoD's spectrum requirements.=94=
 Nevertheless, in the conference report, the Department of=
 Defense was asked to provide a technical report assessing the=
 feasibility of sharing the 138MHz-144MHz band with public safety=
 users.

In the fiscal 2001 authorization, Congress directed the=
 Department of Defense, in cooperation with the Justice=
 Department and the NTIA, to provide for an engineering study=
 with regard to spectrum sharing in the 138MHz-144MHz band. The=
 assistant secretary of Defense for Command Control Communication=
 and Intelligence (C3I) has submitted this report to the Senate=
 Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services=
 Committee.

=93Under direction of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command,=
 Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) John Stenbit, the=
 Department of Defense Joint Spectrum Center conducted an=
 engineering study regarding sharing in the 138MHz-144 MHz band.=
 The resultant classified study showed that the areas of=
 operation associated with the Department of Defense frequency=
 usage in the 138MHz-144 MHz band encompasses nearly the entire=
 continental United States. Large distance separations would be=
 required to prevent co-channel and adjacent-channel interference=
 between Department of Defense equipment and potential state and=
 local public safety systems, particularly in the case of=
 Department of Defense air-ground-air radios,=94 the statement=
 issued by the department reads.


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