FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

June 20, 2005 Jacqueline Ponti (202) 418-0436

**Canada and U.S. Reach Agreement that will Facilitate Deployment of**

**Public Safety Services Near the U.S.-Canada Border in the**

**764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz Frequency Bands**

Washington D.C. --The United States of America and the Government of
Canada have concluded an amendment to the 1962 United States-Canada
Agreement concerning coordination and use of radio frequencies above 30
megacycles per second, to add a new Arrangement that will be
administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Industry
Canada covering use of the Frequency Bands 764-776 MHz (TV channels 63 &
64) and 794-806 MHz (TV channels 68 & 69). The new Arrangement will
facilitate the deployment of public safety systems in these bands near
the U.S.-Canada border, providing public safety licensees near the
border with much needed additional spectrum as well as interference-free
operations and interoperability. This additional spectrum will allow
public safety licensees along the border to develop robust and highly
reliable public safety systems.

This Arrangement sets forth the principles and mechanisms for spectrum
sharing by public safety licensees operating in the 764-776 MHz and
794-806 MHz bands near the U.S.-Canada border. The border area is
divided into three Sharing Zones. In these zones, the Arrangement
specifies which narrowband and wideband frequencies are primary for
United States and which are primary for Canada. Operation on primary
channels under the Arrangement is subject to limitations on the
Effective Radiated Power (ERP). In addition, the Arrangement contains
restrictions to protect the other country's TV stations. Use of the
other country's primary frequencies in the Sharing Zones is restricted
under the Arrangement to a maximum power flux density (pfd) at or beyond
the border.

The Arrangement also specifies certain frequencies for shared use along
the border. These are the Interoperability Channels and the Low Power
Channels. The Interoperability Channels provide the necessary common
operating frequencies for Public Safety stations on both sides of the
border to communicate directly with each other for instant interchange
of vital public safety information. Low Power channels are available for
mobile operations only and are on an unprotected basis.

This Arrangement is titled "Sharing Arrangement Between the Department
of Industry of Canada and the Federal Communications Commission of the
United States of America Concerning the Use of the Frequency Bands 764
MHz to 776 MHz and 794 MHz to 806 MHz By the Land Mobile Service Along
the Canada - United States Border." This Arrangement is an amendment to
the existing 1962 US.-Canadian Agreement (mentioned above) and will be
included in the technical annex to that Agreement. The full text of this
Arrangement is available at the International Bureau Reference Room
CY-A257, located on the Courtyard level of 445 12^th^ St. S.W.; from the
FCC's duplicating contractor, Qualex International at (202) 863-2893 and
on the FCC International Bureau website at:
[www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/agree](http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/agree).

The amendment was effected by an exchange of notes between the Embassy
of Canada and the Department of State, signed at Washington, D.C. on
June 15, 2005 and June 20, 2005, respectively. It entered into force on
June 20, 2005.

Contacts: Thomas Lucey, International Bureau at (202) 418-2161, Brian
Marenco, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-0838; or Tim
Maguire, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-2155.

\- FCC -