The 800 MHz Transition Administrator isn’t staking out a position...
The 800 MHz Transition Administrator isn’t staking out a position on whether the entire 800 MHz transition can be completed in the 36 months allowed by the FCC. Questions arose last week at the Assn. of Public Safety Communications…
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Officials annual meeting about whether the deadline can be met (CD Aug 9 p2). Brett Haan, dir. of the TA, responded to e-mailed questions this week about concerns raised at the APCO meeting. Haan said the decision whether to extend the deadline is in the hands of the Commission not the TA. “Ultimately any decision on the 36-month reconfiguration schedule is under the discretion of the FCC in their role defining the parameters of reconfiguration,” Haan said: “It is the role of the TA to take any and all action possible to meet the decisions made by the FCC.” Some officials at APCO told us that one slowdown in the transition has been that Sprint Nextel requires licensees to sign nondisclosure agreements in negotiating their frequency reconfiguration agreement (FRAs), so public safety systems can’t compare notes as they negotiate rebanding costs with vendors. Haan said the FRAs are between Sprint and licensees and not under the TA’s control. “The TA… does recognize the benefits of licensees having some level of basic details they can compare with each other,” he said: “Sharing of information between licensees enables licensees to have a better understanding of where they are and learn from their neighbors.” Haan also called on equipment vendors and consultants hired by public safety systems to keep their charges reasonable as they negotiate with public safety. “We know public safety’s plates are full!” he said. “For this reason, it is crucial that the consultants and vendors they rely on must make ensure reconfiguration costs are reasonable and prudent, and necessary for the licensee to maintain comparable facilities.” Haan said the TA has been open to advice from Sprint Nextel and public safety licensees on improving the program. “The TA has adjusted and refined the reconfiguration process and will continue to do so as opportunities for improvement continue to be identified,” he said. “The TA is well aware of the complexities of public safety systems and is continually gathering feedback from public safety leadership, licensees and other stakeholders and updating processes and procedures based on that input.”