700 MHz Spectrum Proposal Rocks Public Safety

Telecom Policy Report, May 1, 2006

The Katrina experience is among the arguing points by Cyren Call, which says "a bold new approach" for a nationwide, seamless, next-generation network would involve establishment of a Public Safety Broadband Trust (PSBT) to hold licenses at 747 MHz-762 MHz and 777 MHz-792 MHz. According to Cyren Call, the proposal includes the following specific points:

* FCC rules would place public-safety needs first but also require secondary commercial usage.

* The FCC would continue to exercise its authority to manage spectrum by establishing the PSBT as the licensee and to structure its innovative dual frequency use arrangements.

* PSBT would negotiate terms for long-term access to the spectrum with private sector entities that agree to build and maintain the network for public safety in exchange for rights to share the network and sell excess capacity for commercial purposes.

* PSBT would set rules and technical standards to ensure backward compatibility to existing public safety systems, maximum interoperability, reliability and redundancy.

* The terrestrial, wireless IP network would consist of about 37,000 cellsites serving 99 percent of the U.S. population and would also embrace a satellite-based element to ensure continuous operations if ground-based equipment is knocked out.

* Public-safety agencies would have access to sufficient nationwide capacity to meet their current and future needs and private companies would have the incentive to compete to offer a variety of interoperable hardware choices at the best prices.

* Self-sustaining financing would give private companies incentives to build and maintain a national network and provide the best services to public safety at the best prices.

O'Brien acknowledged the proposal's hurdles may be convincing Congress to rewrite its plan for the 700 MHz auction particularly in view of the budget deficit motives - and to persuade public-safety officials that they trust a commercial entity to develop a network that meets first responders' needs for network reliability. O'Brien said he and other Cyren Call officials plan speaking tours to drum up support.

Some observers and analysts privately described the proposal as a near impossibility to swing on Capitol Hill; Cyren Call reportedly is currently listed as a lobby group in Congress, and O'Brien has claimed simply making money isn't his motive.

Taking The Best Shot

"This spectrum represents America's best opportunity to foster state-of- the-art public safety communications," said O'Brien, a self-described long-time champion of improved mobile communications solutions for the public safety community. "If this spectrum is auctioned to the private sector, the nation forever loses its best shot at fixing this issue once and for all. Unless public safety has the preferred position, there is no way public safety could - or should - agree to share a network, so that is an absolutely essential element of our proposed design. "We are not proposing that the spectrum be lost to commercial operations. It's going to continue to have a major contribution on the commercial side."