Yesterday, media outlets throughout the country trumpeted stories that the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday “killed” legislation calling for a four-month delay in the transition to digital television (DTV), which is currently set to occur on Feb. 17—an event that will free valuable 700 MHz spectrum for use by public-safety users and commercial operators.
While the House did not pass the bill, it is far from dead, according to Beltway sources. The House simply failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed for quick passage. Instead, the bill likely is expected to be considered again next under normal rules that require only a simple majority for passage. Since a majority of the House voted for the first bill, passage under the normal rules is expected.
For public safety, the ideal outcome would be that the Feb. 17 transition date remain in place, allowing public-safety agencies to use the spectrum as soon as possible. But it’s clear that a legislation to implement a delay will pass, making the wording of such a law critical, because that can determine the actual impact of the legislation on first-responder networks.
Language in the current proposal provides television stations with the option to make the transition whenever they would want during the four-month period. Thus, stations wanting to save the expense of transmitting two signals—and many do, given the tough economy—may clear the spectrum on Feb. 17, as planned.
With these television stations clearing the spectrum, the public safety licensees would be allowed to use the frequencies immediately, right? Not so fast. The wording in the Senate bill passed last week indicated that public-safety users—even those with licenses already in hand—would have to wait for the FCC to approve their use of the spectrum, ensuring that no interference harm would occur to incumbent users (broadcasters) in the band.
This wording had public-safety officials concerned, as another round of FCC approvals could prevent agencies from using their licensed spectrum as quickly as they would like, even if the local TV broadcasters have vacated the frequencies.
Leaders of three key public-safety organizations—the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the International Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Fire Chiefs—have written letters to lawmakers asking that this language be changed to let first-responder agencies use the spectrum as soon as TV broadcasters clear it. Beltway sources indicate this language was changed in the revised Senate bill that was passed yesterday and is expected to be considered by the House next week.
For public safety’s sake, hopefully this revamped language will be part any final law that is passed.
I’m really not a football fan. It is much too violent and barbaric a game for my tastes. I prefer baseball, a tough, yet civilized, contest. (If you don’t think baseball players are tough, you’ve never taken a fastball in the ribs or a foul tip to the collarbone.) So, I will continue my time-honored tradition this weekend of going to a movie on Super Bowl Sunday.
Nevertheless, I know enough about the gridiron and its combatants to know that a team’s fortunes typically depend on whether the quarterback plays well or the game plan is effective. Quite often, one is dependent on the other. I’ve been thinking about this since the FCC issued draft rules for the reauction of the commercial D Block spectrum in the 700 MHz band, which would be paired with public-safety spectrum to form the backbone for a high-speed network for first responders. These rules would require the formation of a new board for the Public Safety Spectrum Trust, the licensee that holds the public-safety airwaves in the band.
That means Harlin McEwen, the current PSST chairman would be out—which would be a mistake. (Disclaimer: McEwen is a member of the UC editorial council and occasionally writes for our print edition.) Certainly, he has his critics. Politics are a factor in this. So too, I believe, are McEwen’s intimidating presence and considerable fortitude and conviction. But from the press box, it appears that he has done a solid job with a game plan that was flawed from the beginning. For example, the PSST board is too large to be effective and the organization was unfunded, leaving it in the awkward position of having to take controversial loans from its advisor Cyren Call. (To be fair, it is exceedingly difficult to craft an effective game plan when no playbook exists, which is exactly the position the FCC found itself in when it approved the public/private partnership plan for this network.)
Say what you will about McEwen, but I have never met anyone whose loyalty towards and passion for public-safety communications exceeds his. Just as no coach would yank his starting quarterback in a big game after an interception—or even two—McEwen deserves to stay in this game until the final gun.
So, the Senate has approved a delay of the DTV transition until June. What I’d like to know is, why? I understand their rationale. Too many people are unprepared for the transition, the coupons that would save consumers $40 on their converter boxes are about to expire, they’ve run out of coupons and there isn’t any money to print more, blah, blah, blah. What I don’t understand is why the Senate cares. The word has been out for three years about the transition. And the message couldn’t have been clearer: if you’re getting your TV signal from a cable or satellite provider, you’re fine; otherwise, you need a converter box if you have an analog TV. What is so hard to understand about that? The procrastinators shouldn’t be allowed to muck this up. Think about this in terms of a railway. The timetable lets you know when the train will depart, and it’s up to you to be on the platform. If you’re not—for whatever reason—the train leaves without you. It should work that way regarding the DTV transition. If people were asleep at the switch, so to speak, they can read a book until they can get their precious TV back (it would probably do them some good). Regarding the coupon-related problems, there are two simple fixes: (1) suspend the expiration date for those that already are in circulation; and tell those who can’t get their hands on a coupon right now to buy a box and keep their receipt, which they can mail in later for a refund (the money they would save on printing more coupons could be applied to the reimbursement costs). Too many important initiatives—including those related to public-safety communications—depend on this transition. It needs to move forward, without delay. Does anyone really think a four-month delay is going to make that much of a difference anyway?
Today, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s resignation becomes effective after serving on the commission for eight years. Traditionally, FCC chairmen have departed when replaced as head of the commission, but Martin had left open the possibility that he might stay. During the Consumer Electronics Show early this month, Martin reportedly noted that his term does not expire until 2011 and said, “I don’t have anything to go do yet.” However, in an announcement last week, Martin said he will serve as a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C.
Combined with Deborah Taylor Tate’s tenure at the FCC ending earlier this month, Martin’s departure will leave Commissioner Robert McDowell as the lone Republican on the commission.
Although not officially announced yet, President-elect Barack Obama will appoint Julius Genachowski to succeed Martin as FCC chairman, according to multiple media outlets. A law-school friend of Obama, Genachowski was general counsel to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt during the Clinton administration before entering the private sector in a variety of roles, including co-founding startup incubator Launchbox Digital.
I listened to President George W. Bush’s final press conference on Monday, and I have to say I felt bad for him. Reporters hit him with questions about his failures: 911, Osama, Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War, the mortgage crisis and the economy. Bush stood his ground. He pointed to the 30,000 saved from New Orleans’ rooftops and the success in rebuilding Iraq and U.S. stimulus packages. But the fact is, we are at war, our economy is hurting, our trade deficit is soaring. In fact, some would argue our country’s in bad shape. Now, it’s president-elect Barack Obama’s turn to get our country on the right track. And I really hope public safety gets some of his attention. Harlin McEwen, chairperson of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust, does too and already has sent Obama a letter asking for $15 billion to build-out a nationwide wireless broadband network. However, Obama seems more interested in pushing back the digital TV transition that was put into place to open much of the 700 MHz band for commercial and public-safety wireless networks in support of public-safety communications. So I have to ask: Is this the president who will take this issue seriously, or, to steal from Obama’s campaign mantra, will we just have to keep our fingers cross and hope for change?
What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.
Believe it or not, it’s been almost three years since the Utah Communications Agency Network (UCAN) was announced as the first public-safety entity to sign an agreement to secure funding that enabled it to pay for planning associated with its 800 MHz rebanding effort. UCAN executive director Steve Proctor said the last physical rebanding work on the network’s infrastructure was completed in late December. Proctor said there are still a few “straggler” mobile and portable radios that need to be reprogrammed and the inevitable paperwork associated with the “true-up” process before UCAN will be done with rebanding.
The good news is that the experience of UCAN and systems like the one run by the state of Colorado prove that even large networks can be rebanded. The bad news is that, if a first-mover poster child like UCAN—an entity fully engaged in the process as early as November 2004—is just finishing rebanding now, it’s hard to imagine that FCC’s current target of completing the first three waves of rebanding by July 1 is realistic.
Meanwhile, before the government complains about the pace of rebanding, it should first take a hard look in the mirror. Public-safety agencies along the Mexican border are still stuck in the starting blocks, waiting for the U.S. and Mexico to reach an 800 MHz agreement so they can start the rebanding process. Although federal officials have been citing “progress” in negotiations with Mexico at trade shows for the past couple of years, no deal has been announced in the four years since Nextel Communications accepted the 800 MHz rebanding reconfiguration order issued by the FCC in mid-2004.
At this pace (or lack thereof), it’s not farfetched to think that a large, complex system located near the Mexican border will struggle to finish rebanding by 2013. And Murphy’s Law dictates that the radio guy for such a system also will be responsible for ensuring that a sub-512 MHz network gets rebanded by the 2013. For good measure, he’ll probably be affected by a 700 MHz problem, as well. Just the thought of such a possibility makes me glad I only write about this industry.
