Was Northrop Grumman Corp. on to something? Put another way, do Federal Communications Commission rules governing 700 MHz public-safety communications effectively lock out state-of-the-art broadband wireless solutions for first responders in the post-9/11 world?
Northrop Grumman-whose petition for an additional 10 megahertz at 700 MHz to support advanced broadband public-safety services was rejected last month-believes so. So does the District of Columbia government, which last Tuesday announced the completion of a $36-million upgrade of the city’s public-safety radio system.
With improvements (via Motorola Inc.) to 800 MHz and 460 MHz radio systems, firefighters, police and medics can talk to each other and count on reliable coverage. This is huge considering how big a target the nation’s capital area has become for terrorists.
But here’s the kicker: As enthusiastic and proud as District officials are about the public-safety wireless upgrade, they see the future-a broadband future, complete with video and high-speed data-at 700 MHz. This came out after I asked D.C. Chief Information Officer Suzanne Peck if she felt the pricey investment in public-safety radio enhancements could be jeopardized if the FCC realigns the 800 MHz band to prevent harmful interference from Nextel Communications Inc. and others to emergency radio communications .
Peck did not seem overly concerned about the FCC proceeding, unlike another city official seated next to me.
In fact, Peck and her team want Congress to earmark more 700 MHz spectrum for broadband public-safety communications. In addition, they want lawmakers to ensure TV broadcasters are not granted an extension beyond the Dec. 31, 2006, deadline for surrendering 24 megahertz that lawmakers transferred to public safety in 1997. None of this is a coincidence. District and Northrop Grumman officials have been working together.
The FCC’s dismissal of Northrop Grumman’s petition is a legally perfected document. It would stand up in court. But is it good policy? Did federal regulators mask a policy disconnect Northrop Grumman and the D.C. government sought to highlight?
Consider this: The earliest that public-safety agencies-especially those in major cities-can access the 700 MHz band is 2007. The 700 MHz public-safety band plan was adopted in 1998, service rules in 2001. Work on the public-safety digital standard-Project 25-dates all the way back to the late 1980s. Motorola has a virtual lock on the public-safety radio market, given its strong IPR position relative to Project 25.
The world has changed. It’s round.
