Source: https://blog.npstc.org/2016/10/03/andy-seybolds-public-safety-advocate-september-22-2016/
Timestamp: 2017-03-23 04:25:36
Document Index: 246282590

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 6302', '§ 6208', '§ 6102', '§ 6303', '§ 337', '§ 90']

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, September 22, 2016 | National Public Safety Telecommunications Council
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Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, September 22, 2016
Posted by npstc	Alabama’s RFP: It certainly appears as though the same computer that produced the RFP for the state of New Hampshire also produced the most recent RFP issued by Alabama. To give Alabama some credit, it did try to head off any preconceived ideas that it plans to opt out, but the RFP is written in such a way that if it exercises its contract rights it thinks it will be receiving the secondary revenue from use of the band 14 spectrum and that 700-MHz LMR spectrum will either be turned into more broadband spectrum or, according to the RFP, the spectrum could be leased out and fees charged for its use by the Public Safety community. (The full RFP can be downloaded here: http://www.alea.gov/Home/wfContent.aspx?ID1=plhHomePage-RequestForProposal ) The RFP Section 3.1.1 states the following about spectrum lease payments: “The Spectrum Act does not require states to return the profits from any such spectrum leases to FirstNet. Rather, the Spectrum Act explicitly authorizes states to use “revenue gained by the State from such a leasing arrangement” for the purpose of “constructing, maintaining, operating, or improving the radio access network of the State.” Id. § 6302(g)(2). The Spectrum Act does not explicitly authorize states to collect network user fees from the Public Safety users of their state PSBNs or to collect lease fees from entities seeking access to the state’s PSBN equipment or infrastructure (although it does authorize FirstNet to do so with respect to the nationwide PSBN, see id. § 6208(a)(1), (3)). However, the Spectrum Act also does not prohibit states from collecting network use or lease fees, or from reinvesting revenue generated by such fees back into the state’s PSBN. Nothing in the Spectrum Act appears to require states to remit such revenues to FirstNet.” [emphasis mine] In Section 3.1.2 700 MHz Public Safety Narrowband Spectrum, it states “Regardless of whether a state opts into FirstNet, a state, local government, or eligible nongovernmental organization (“NGO”) may also retain for their use any revenues generated from their operation of a public safety network using the 12 MHz of dedicated narrowband frequencies. Other than authorizing the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) to allow “flexible use” of the 12 MHz of 700 MHz narrowband public safety spectrum (769-775 MHz, 799-805 MHz) “subject to such technical and interference protection measures as the Commission may require,” id. § 6102, and encouraging research into interoperability between 700 MHz broadband and narrowband networks, see id. § 6303(b)(2), (5), the Spectrum Act makes no mention of these narrowband frequencies.
The Spectrum Act therefore does not restrict in any way the operations of 700 MHz public safety narrowband licensees, the manner in which they choose to collect revenue, or how they elect to use such revenue. [emphasis mine] Moreover, neither the authorizing statute for narrowband public safety services (47 U.S.C. § 337) nor the FCC’s rules for narrowband operations (47 C.F.R. § 90.521 et seq.) impose restrictions on the collection or use of revenues associated with the operation of public safety narrowband networks, other than to require that licensees may not make public safety services commercially available to the public.”
It would be interesting to find out whose attorneys came up with both sets of wording above. By release of the RFP, the states of New Hampshire and Alabama are basically saying that if they opt out what is theirs is theirs and won’t be part of the shared pot of money necessary to make FirstNet a reality nationwide. Further, both states appear to be willing to throw 700-MHz LMR interoperability, national, and regional mutual aid channels out the door for the sake of additional revenue. It is apparent, at least to me, that whomever is behind the scenes orchestrating these recent RFPs is not a friend of the Public Safety community or taking the best interests of the Public Safety community into consideration. If a few more of these RFPs hit the street, the entire premise on which FirstNet was created by the federal government, as well as the vitally important 700-MHz LMR spectrum allocations, could be in jeopardy.
After all the hard work that so many people have put into FirstNet with and without compensation because it was the right thing to do, it is, frankly, disheartening to read an RFP such as the Alabama one and see that the intention is not to provide what Public Safety wants and needs so badly but to simply make money for the contractor and the state. FirstNet cannot survive unless there is a pool of funding from the areas where there will be a demand for secondary spectrum use that can offset the lack of income in a number of other areas of the United States. If each state is to be only about each state, I frankly don’t see how this is going to work. What really intrigues me with both of these states’ RFPs is that our work in identifying where the network deficits will be show both New Hampshire and Alabama high on the list.
It seems ironic that states that would be helped the most by neighboring states that will have demand for the spectrum have been led to believe there is a golden goose within their own state. FirstNet needs the support of every state and every major metro area if it is to be successful, stand on its own feet, and also return a profit for the partner that is willing to invest billions in the build-out and operation. I don’t have any issues with a state issuing an RFI or even an RFP for building the Radio Access Network portion of FirstNet. It is really good that states want to be able to compare what the FirstNet/vendor proposal is for their state with information they have collected from vendors on their own.
One thing I fail to understand about issuing an RFP and then awarding a contract before a state even knows who the FirstNet partner is and what the State Plan will look like, is basically reducing itself to only two choices: opt in or opt out. However, when opting out, the choice of a vendor is a foregone conclusion. I think the smart move would be to issue an RFI and be prepared to make a decision based on factual numbers without committing to a specific vender until the FirstNet/vendor State Plan is delivered and reviewed. Once the selected partner is known and we see who might be hungry enough to want to earn a state’s business, there may be other, better options. It appears to me that these states believe there really is a way to obtain a no-cost contract from a vendor.
If there is no demand for the use of the secondary spectrum, and not enough first responders in a state to subscribe to the network, who then gets stuck with the construction and operations funding? I am willing to bet it is not the vendor! It is always better to keep multiple options open than to be backed into a corner, especially one of your own making! Andrew M. Seybold
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Wireless warning: How New York used smartphones in hunt for bombing suspect – Boy Genius Report Sep 20 21:45 The smartphone alert sent to New Yorkers during the hunt for bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami has thrust wireless warning systems into the spotlight. The message was sent out around 8 a.m. EDT Monday and urged anyone with information on Rahami and his whereabouts to contact police. “WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen,” it read. Rahami, wanted in connection to this weekend’s bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey, was captured after a shootout in Linden, New Jersey a few hours later. Police consultant and retired LAPD Lieutenant Raymond Foster told FoxNews.com that…
Alabama issues RFP for public-safety LTE RAN network, says it has not made opt-out decision – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Sep 20 18:25 FirstNet is charged with building a nationwide public-safety broadband network (PSBN) on 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum. Governors of states and …
New York Bombing Phone Alert Couldn’t Share Suspect’s Mug Shot – Bloomberg via Google Alerts Sep 20 18:10 The concept is great; you want to avail yourself of anything you can do, any tool that could impact public safety is a great thing, Davis said. The FCC …
Vodafone, Huawei complete NB-IoT trial – Google Noticias via Google Alerts Sep 22 17:10 Vodafone and Huawei this week completed what they claim is the first ever narrowband Internet of things (NB-IoT) connection on a live mobile network …
Appeals Court Decision Kills North Carolina Town’s Gigabit Internet – Slashdot Sep 22 03:15 MojoKid writes: In early August, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the FCC had no authority to prevent states from imposing restrictions on municipal internet. This was a result of the FCC stepping in last year in an effort to “remove barriers to broadband investment and competition.” However, the courts sided with the states, which said that the FCC’s order impeded on state rights. In the end, this ruling clearly favored firmly entrenched…
Pai Statement, FCC Sets Stage for Auction of 65 MHz of Spectrum for Mobile Broadband – Federal Communications Commission via Google Alerts Sep 22 03:10 FCC Sets Stage for Auction of 65 MHz of Spectrum for Mobile Broadband; …
AT&T : s Project AirGig Will Provide Ultra Fast Mobile Broadband Using Power Lines – 4 Traders via Google Alerts Sep 21 22:45 According to Android Police, AT&T announced initiative could be the very future of company`s network infrastructure – both wireless and wired.
United States Satellite Broadband Communication in Public Safety Market Analysis, Growth and … – EnergyIndustry.Net via Google Alerts Sep 21 10:30 Top Key players of Satellite Broadband Communication in Public Safety Market: GILAT SATELLITE NETWORKS Harris CapRock Communications
Rivada Networks Announces Appointment of Karen Freitag as Executive Vice President of Sales – Yahoo Finance via Google Alerts Sep 20 18:25 Karen joins Rivada at an exciting time for the company, which is a bidder for the FirstNet contract to build out the nationwide public safety broadband …
Burgeoning Demand For High-End Public Safety Networks To Drive Deployment Of LTE Networks – Empowered News via Google Alerts Sep 20 10:40 MarketResearchReports.biz has announced the addition of a new report to its repository, titled The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: …
Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Sept.28 – WBIW.com via Google Alerts Sep 16 05:20 … on their television or radio at the designated time, the issue may be reported online at https://www.fcc.gov/general/public-safety-support-center.
Local agencies join national push for reclassifying 911 dispatchers – Dubuque Telegraph Herald via Google Alerts Sep 16 02:30 Jeff Cohen, chief counsel for the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, said the U.S. Office of Management and Budget …
FCC Chair’s update on 5G wireless, robocalls, business data services & more – Network World Fusion Sep 15 13:00 The following statement was made by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the United States Senate during a hearing on “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission” on Sept. 15. Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our work at the Federal Communications Commission. Â Since we last met six months ago, the Commission has continued to make strong progress on our policy agenda.Â While I am pleased with this progress, our work is far from done.Â With each passing day, communications technology grows more…
Posted in Broadband, FCC, FirstNet News, Public Safety News, Spectrum Management, Technology	Oct·03