WASHINGTON-The Automobile Association of America received a powerful push from six U.S. senators last week, who urged the Federal Communications Commission to grant AAA “quasi public-safety” status, a request AAA has long been advocating. This status would allow it “the right of first refusal,” when others want to use spectrum formerly in the Automobile Emergency Radio Service, said Gary Ruark, AAA’s frequency coordinator.
The senators delivered Sept. 1 a letter to FCC Chairman Bill Kennard signed by the chairman of the Senate communications subcommittee, Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and the Senate Minority Whip Wendell Ford of Kentucky, as well as four other senators. A similar letter last February urged the same result. To date, the FCC has not acted on the AAA request. Some expect the FCC to address the AAA issue when it finishes the refarming proceeding. The FCC is reviewing changes to the refarming procedures instituted last fall.
Refarming combined 20 radio services, including AERS, into two pools-public safety and industrial/business. AAA has asked the FCC to allow it to coordinate the former 43 AERS frequencies in the same way the utility, railroad and the petroleum industries are allowed to coordinate their frequencies. The utility, railroad and petroleum industries were given quasi public-safety status by the FCC because the agency believed these entities use their spectrum differently than other business/industrial users.
The senators repeated AAA’s claims that it has experienced interference problems since coordination was taken over by the Industrial Telecommunications Association and the Personal Communications Industry Association. “The [FCC] should avoid limited, ineffectual remedial measures that do not fully solve AAA’s interference problems or that impose new burdens on emergency road service providers,” according to the letter.
AAA has chosen not to join the land mobile task force created by PCIA to address these issues, said Alan S. Tilles, an attorney representing PCIA. “AAA’s interest would be better served by working within the existing structure to make sure their needs are addressed. PCIA represents thousands of users whose emergency responsibilities are just as important as those expressed by AAA and therefore it behooves all of us to work together to achieve the end goal of usable spectrum for all,” he said.
