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:D :D FCC daily digest July 9, 2004 -- FCC will allow Nextel to take over the UPPER 800 Mhz band and MOVE all existing - proposed Public Safety users to NEW Frequencies in the lower 851 - 860 Mhz band AND Nextel will get a NEW higher band as a reward. 10 new "Inter-operational" channels will be assigned. (Big deal). Who will pay what is a question. Get ready to RE-program that scanner. But will this get rid of the Nextel interference to Police and Fire 800 mhz radio systems ??? No one knows for sure. In fact it could cost tax payers MILLIONS of dollars.

If you read the fine print of the R&O, it looks like Verizon got their way. Sure Nextel is getting a whopping 10 MHz at 1.9 GHz, but they are on the hook for all costs for public safety moving to the tune of $ 2.4 Billion, Possibly up to $ 5 billion. The balance of which goes to the US Treasury.

The interesting part of this may be the re channelization of the lower spectrum. 20 KHz instead of 25 KHz. Like to see how they are going to pull that off.

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I generate Board Warnings

:D Sean, you are 100% correct. Plus it has some other minor "finepoints". The bottom line is -- (1) everyone will pay more for all sorts of wireless services that come out of this move. It will take time to plan and make the move -- and might require different equipment to get the job done. (2) It appears that IF you cause enough rumble and noise and interference -- but have enough money, legal staff and nads to ask the FCC for more room so you will not cause harm to others -- You will get a reward. Yet a "bootlegger" on the FM dail that causes IF becuse there are no low power channels open on the FM band gets slapped with a fine and loss of equipment. Its just big business. Not to mention -- we all might need to buy new scanners !!! Will Nextel pay for my new scanner ???

Sean, despite holding the title of 'the worlds smartest radio tech', is only slightly wrong for a change...

The new bandplan for 800 would be 12.5 KHz steps, with deviation limited to 20 KHz (really the emission mask more or less) rather than the 25 KHz mask now allowed between 851-854.75 MHz. The NPSPAC band gets moved down from 866-869 to the 851-854 range, 851-854 MHz licensees get moved up starting above 854. Border regions, like Region 5 where we are, are a mystery as far as how they will fit all existing licensees in and still stay within treaty limits. Currently, region 5 866-869 channels will only have 1.5 (half the current allocation) MHz moved down to 851, leaving the other 1.5 MHz right in the middle of the new Nextel band. Its not at all clear how this will be better for local public safety systems since the entire 866-869 band is used by US licensees...

So the good news is apparently no new scanners will be required since its just a shift within the band and most scanners can handle 12.5 Khz steps. What isn't clear is if scanners that only require entry of control channels or have pre-planned 'plans' in them will still work...

Spencer Smith

:D Spencer, Glad to know I might be able to keep the Pro-95 and Pro-96. But what is in the whole Nextel Plan FOR Public Safety. Its going to cost Nextel users Millions. But what about Public Safety ?? A full power HDTV in Fesno on channel 16 is causing radio users on Channel 16 in Los Angeles a lot of interference. The FCC is willing to move Fresno off to another TV channel to Protect Public safety radio users in LA. How is this Nextel Plan going to benefit anyone except Nextel. The area around Fresno has yet to move to 800 mhz. In fact the city of Fresno and Kings and Tulare Counties all are UHF. Does anyone in Public Saftey have the guts to beg for the food it needs like Nextel did??? Grab that TV channel in Fresno and use it for Public Safety. If the 800 Mhz plan doesn't benefit any user - I say yell Fire and object. Its bad enough that the FCC will allow a Business user on a Police or Fire channel. It looks like the Nextel Plan could allow that to happen as well. This plan could have a bad chilling effect on government agencies planning to move up the dail. I think its time for some new leadership at the Commission.