On May 11, the FCC conditionally approved 21 waivers from public safety agencies looking to build broadband networks in advance of the conclusion of the proceeding on the build-out of the national broadband public safety network. In their filings, petitioners stated that their networks would be interoperable with other networks built in the spectrum allocated to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust.
Conditions placed on the petitioners include coordination with the recently established Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC), deployment of Long-Term Evolution technologies; participation in an LTE demonstration network established in Washington, D.C., and sponsored by the Public Safety Communications Research program; and submission of quarterly progress reports to the commission and the PSST.
Thursday, May 13, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration announced it would accept a third round of applications for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds specifically from those agencies that received waivers to start building public safety broadband networks in advance of the FCC's completion of its proceeding on the national broadband public safety network.
The NTIA noted in a news release that these jurisdictions had been discouraged from applying for grants under the ARRA because they lacked the legal authority to use the spectrum. As a result of the commission's action, the NTIA will accept applications from those agencies granted waivers from June 1, 2010, to July 1, 2010.
The jurisdictions granted waivers are:
Adams County, Colo.
Alabama
Boston, Mass.
Northern California Consortium (Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose)
Charlotte, N.C.
Chesapeake, Va.
District of Columbia
Hawaii and Maui, Hawaii, Kauai counties and City and County of Honolulu
Iowa
Los Angeles County
Mesa, Ariz., and TOPAZ Regional Wireless Cooperative
Mississippi
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York City
New York State
Oregon
Pembroke Pines, Fla.
San Antonio, Texas
Seattle, Wash.
Wisconsin Consortium (Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties)
North Dakota withdrew its request for a waiver and Flow Mobile, its partner who filed a separate application on behalf of the state, was denied its waiver request.
Read the FCC news release and order for more information. The full text of the NTIA's notice is available from the Federal Register.
