WASHINGTON—The 800 MHz Transition Administrator is extending the deadline to Aug. 14 for licensees in the border regions to file requests for planning funding. The original deadline was last Saturday.
The issue of planning funding has been bubbling under the surface of the 800 MHz rebanding process for months. Public-safety licensees say it is difficult for them to enter negotiations unless they know they will be reimbursed for their troubles.
The Transition Administrator is an outside team selected by the Federal Communications Commission to manage the 800 MHz rebanding. Sprint Nextel Corp. is paying to retune public-safety and private-wireless licensees in the band.
If a licensee misses the Aug. 14 deadline, any planning funding will need to be negotiated as part of the frequency reconfiguration agreement process.
Last month, the Transition Administrator released details and a new electronic worksheet about its Planning Funding Fast Track Option.
Public-safety agencies’ requests must meet specific criteria to take advantage of the new process. The agencies’ requests must equal less than $55 per subscriber, use less than 25 percent of the funding for project management, and use less than 8 percent for legal costs.
More than half of the licensees that need money for planning will be able to use the fast-track option, according to TA estimates. Those seeking to use the fast-track option must begin using the new form available on the TA’s Web site.
Meanwhile, in a status report, Sprint Nextel Corp. said it believes it is making great progress in the three-year rebanding effort, noting that 96 percent of the Wave 1 Phase 1 frequency relocation agreements have been signed and 50 percent of Wave 1 and Wave 2 licensees have been relocated.
