As school districts and bus companies should be preparing to transition two-way radio systems to comply with a new FCC requirement set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, new legislation proposes to extend the final deadline by two years.
H.R. 3430 was introduced on Nov. 15 by Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ) to require the FCC to implement a new deadline of Jan. 1, 2015 for all public safety and business industrial mobile radio licensees including school bus operators to migrate to two-way radios that use 12.5 KHz or narrower from the current 25 KHz. The bill was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The intent of the regulation is to ensure more efficient use of the spectrum and to provide greater access to public safety as well as non-public safety users. This means FCC could also sell additional space on the wireless communication spectrum to GPS, AVL and other technology providers. A narrowbanding expert told NASDPTS members in Cincinnati earlier this fall that the program is similar to a recent move from analog to digital television channels.
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance, a national association representing the wireless communications industry, says it has fielded numerous questions and concerns regarding the new bill. In a blog last week, EWA President and CEO Mark Crosby encouraged radio operators to continue working toward compliance with the existing January 2013 deadline.
“If there is a legitimate reason or reasons why an extension is necessary, licensees are encouraged to review the FCC’s Public Notice (issued this past summer) that covered the ground rules for narrowbanding waivers,” Crosby concluded. “To think for a moment that this bill has any chance of passage is wishful thinking.”
