Chief Harlin R' McEwen

1
Public Safety Spectrum Trust
Chief Harlin R. McEwen Chief of Police (Ret) City
of Ithaca, NYFBI Deputy Assistant Director (Ret)
Washington, DC
Chairman Public Safety Spectrum Trust
Chairman Communications Technology
Committee International Association of Chiefs of
Police
2
Should I Wait for the FCCs 700 MHz Broadband
System?
New York State Public Safety Interoperability
Symposium
Albany, New York July 1, 2009
3
There are many questions surrounding the FCCs
proposed Nationwide 700 MHz Broadband Data
System. Should an agency or organization that
wants broadband data wait for this system to
build out, move to a commercial cellular system,
or deploy an interim system? Are there strategies
than can be implemented to allow a graceful
migration to broadband data regardless of the
carrier? In addition, examine what happens if the
spectrum is not made available to public safety
at all. What do you do then?
4
Public Safety Communications Background Public
Safety has always had to fight for spectrum to
meet its mission critical communications
needs Local, state, and federal public safety
communication systems have traditionally been
underfunded and therefore not always able to
take advantage of the latest and best
technologies Traditional land mobile voice
communication continues to be essential to
public safety. Efforts by the Federal
Government (DHS and DOJ) to provide funding and
technical support to upgrade mission critical
voice systems and to improve interoperability
have been helpful
5
The Increasing Public Safety Mission Has Required
More Spectrum
STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMERCIAL SPECTRUM
ALLOCATIONS SPECTRUM
ALLOCATIONS Allocation
MHz Allocation
MHz VHF Low Band (25-50 MHz) 6.3 Cellular
50 VHF High
Band (150-174 MHz) 3.6 Broadband PCS
120 UHF Low Band (450-470 MHz) 3.7 AWS
90 800 MHz Band
(806-821/851-866 MHz) 3.5 Broadband Radio
Services 190 800 MHz Band (821-824/866-869
MHz) 6.0 Lower 700
48 700 MHz Band (764-776/794-806 MHz)24.0 Upper
700 30 TOTAL PUBLIC
SAFETY..............47.1 TOTAL
COMMERCIAL.......528
PSBT Proposal 30 MHz
Not available to public safety in many areas of
the U.S. until TV broadcasters are required to
move out of the spectrum in February 2009 (Now
June 12, 2009)
Public Safety also has 50 MHz of spectrum at
4.9 GHz but this is only practical for local area
networks and hotspots not for wide area or
mobile networks
6
Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Spectrum Bands

764-776
806-824
4940 MHz 25-50 150-174
450-470 794-806
851-869 4990

Requires TV Clearing
4.9 GHz
in most urban areas
Public Safety
(TV Channels 60-69)
Tactical Hotspot


Broadband Spectrum
7
The Proposed 700 MHz Nationwide Public
Safety Shared Wireless Broadband Network S W B N
8
The History of Public Safety at 700 MHz 1995
House Appropriations Committee directed the FCC
Chairman to resolve the Public Safety Spectrum
deficiency. FCC and NTIA established the Public
Safety Wireless Advisory Committee
(PSWAC). 9/11/1996 PSWAC released its final
report on the current and future spectrum needs
of public safety. 1997 Balanced Budget Act of
1997 directed the FCC to allocate (no later than
Jan 1, 1998) 24 MHz of radio spectrum between 746
and 806 MHz that was to be recovered from TV
stations 60-69 as a result of the implementation
of digital television. 1998 FCC created the
Public Safety National Coordinating Committee
(NCC) to recommend rules for use of the 24 MHz of
public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
2003 NCC issued its final report. It
recommended that half of the 700 MHz public
safety spectrum (12 MHz) be designated for
narrowband voice channels and half be designated
for data channels.

9
A Critical Step Forward
On February 8, 2006, the President signed the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. That act required
TV Broadcasters to vacate these channels no later
than February 17, 2009 (Delayed to June 12,
2009).
700 MHz (TV Channels 60-69)
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
800 MHz
Public Safety-TV Channels 63,64,68,69
10
The law required 700 MHz spectrum (except that
spectrum allocated for public safety) be
auctioned by January 2008. The proceeds from the
estimated 10 billion raised from the auction was
allocated by Congress for various purposes
11
Public Safety Spectrum Trust

• 06/06/07 - the Public Safety Spectrum Trust
  (PSST) was created in the District of Columbia as
  a
• not-for-profit Corporation

• Formed by the Association of Public-Safety
• Communications Officials-International (APCO),
• the International Association of Chiefs of
  Police
• (IACP), and the International Association of
  Fire
• Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Municipal
• Signal Association (IMSA)

12

• The Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) is
  governed by a voting board of fifteen members -
  one representative from each of the following
  organizations
• 1. AASHTO - American Association of State
  Highway Transportation Officials
• 2. AHA American Hospital Association
• 3. APCO - Association of Public-Safety
  Communications Officials-International
• 4. FCCA - Forestry Conservation Communications
  Association
• 5. IACP - International Association of Chiefs
  of Police
• 6. IAFC - International Association of Fire
  Chiefs
• 7. ICMA - International City/County Managers
  Association
• 8. IMSA - International Municipal Signal
  Association
• 9. NASEMSO - National Assn of State Emergency
  Medical Services Officials
• 10. NASNA National Assn of State 9-1-1
  Administrators
• 11. NEMA National Emergency Management
  Association
• 12. NENA - National Emergency Number Association
• 13. NFOP National Fraternal Order of Police
• 14. NGA - National Governors Association
• 15. NSA - National Sheriffs Association

13
FCC Second Report Order 07/31/07

• Creates a Public/Private Partnership for a Shared
  Wireless
• Broadband Network (SWBN)
• Issues a single nationwide broadband license to a
  Public
• Safety Broadband Licensee (PSBL)
• Assigns significant responsibilities to the
  PSBL
• PSBL must negotiate a Network Sharing
  Agreement
• PSBL must oversee the Narrowband
  Relocation
• PSBL must represent entire Public
  Safety community
• Directs the D Block licensee(s) to build the SWBN
  to
• Public safety specifications
• Combines spectrum assets of the PSBL and D Block
  Licensee(s) to form the SWBN

14
Previous Band Plan - Upper 700 MHz
746 747 752
762 764 767 773
776 777 782
792 794 797 803
806
Base Transmit
Mobile Transmit
D 10
PS WB 4
A 1
C 5
B 2
B 2
D 10
C 5
A 1
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
PS WB 4
G B 1
G B 1
G B 1
G B 1
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
746 752 758
764 770
776 782 788
794 800
806
New Band Plan - Adopted by FCC on July 31, 2007
746
763 768 769 772
775 776
793 798 799 802
805 806
D 5
PS BB 5
A 1
C 11
B 1
B 1
C 11
A 1
G B 1
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
PS NB 3
G B 1
PS BB 5
D 5
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
Single National Public Safety License For
National Broadband Network
Spectrum To Be Auctioned With Public Safety
Network Requirements For National Broadband
Network
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Proposed SWBN Network Requirements

• Sufficiently robust to meet reliability and
  performance requirements of Public Safety
• Hardening of transmission facilities
• Antenna towers and cell sites built to withstand
  harsh
• weather and disaster conditions such as flooding,
• wildfires, hurricane force winds, earthquakes
• Backup power sufficient to maintain operations
  for extended
• periods of time
• Enhanced battery backup with generators at
  primary sites
• Fuel supplies for several days/weeks
• Comprehensive battery/generator service plan
• Sufficient capacity to meet requirements of
  Public Safety
• Every day but also during large events,
  disasters and
• catastrophic situations
• Automatic Priority Access with Ruthless
  Pre-emption

16
Proposed SWBN Network Requirements

• Operational capabilities consistent with features
  typical of
• Public Safety systems
• PSBL has right of approval of all public safety
  network
• devices
• PSBL can purchase subscriber equipment from any
• manufacturer for use on the network
• State-of-the-art Security and Encryption
• At least one dual mode handset capable of
  operating on
• 700 MHz and satellite frequencies
• Mobile voice, video, and data capability that is
  seamlessly
• interoperable across agencies, jurisdictions, and
• geographic regions

17
Public Safety Spectrum Trust

• 10/10/07 - the PSST submitted its
• application to the FCC requesting it be named
• the Public Safety Broadband Licensee (PSBL)

• 11/02/07 - the newly constituted Board of
• Directors of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust met
  in
• Washington, DC.
• The Board elected officers for a two year
  term
• Harlin McEwen, IACP, Chairman
• Kevin McGinnis, NASEMSO, Vice-Chairman
• Alan Caldwell, IAFC, Secretary-Treasurer

11/19/07 - the FCC named the PSST as the
nationwide Public Safety Broadband Licensee (PSBL)
18
Timeline

• 01/24/08 - 03/18/08 700 MHz Auction 73.
  Auction raised
• almost 20 billion. (Only one bid for the D Block
  spectrum which did
• not meet the minimum bidding requirement of 1.33
  billion).
• 03/20/08 FCC Order Delaying Further D Block
  Action until
• further notice
• 05/14/08 FCC issued 2nd Further Notice of
  Proposed
• Rulemaking (2nd FNPRM)
• 07/07/08 Due date for 2nd FNPRM comments
  replies.
• 07/30/08 FCC Hearing, Brooklyn
• 09/25/08 FCC issued the 3rd Further Notice of
  Proposed
• Rulemaking (3rd FNPRM).
• 11/12/08 Due date for 3rd FNPRM Comments
  Replies.
• 11/26/08 FCC Chairman Martin did not circulate
  a draft
• 3rd Report Order after Congressional leaders
  requested
• all matters be deferred to the next
  Administration.

19
Timeline

• 04/20/09 - MCC hosted meeting in Washington, DC,
  to
• discuss their large city interests with a goal to
  promote
• consensus within the public safety community
• Major Cities Police Chiefs, Major County
  Sheriffs, International Assn.
• of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Sheriffs
  Association (NSA),
• Association of Public-Safety Communications
  Officials-International
• (APCO), International Assn. of Fire Chiefs
  (IAFC), Metropolitan Fire
• Chiefs
• 05/28/09 APCO hosted follow-up meeting in
  Washington
• Resulted in consensus among these
  organizations to work with the
• MCC to ask Congress to remove auction
  requirements from the
• D Block spectrum and include the spectrum
  as part of the nationwide
• Public Safety Broadband License

20
700 MHz Broadband Spectrum Options
FCC Holds D Block Auction (Now Required by Law)
Congress Passes Law To Remove D Block From Auction
FCC Rules Continue To Require D Block Winner(s)
Form Private/Public Partnership(s) With PSBL
FCC Rules Add D Block Spectrum To Nationwide
PSBL 10 MHz x 10 MHz Allow Private/Public Partners
hip(s)
FCC Rules Allow Local/Regional Build With
Nationwide Minimum Requirements
FCC Rules Allow Local/Regional Build With
Nationwide Minimum Requirements
21
Timeline

• Waiver Requests
• Waiver requests asking for approval to use
  locally the public
• safety broadband spectrum licensed to the Public
  Safety
• Spectrum Trust (PSST)
• 12/11/08 - Boston
• 03/24/09 - San Francisco Bay Area
• 04/03/09 - State of New Jersey
• 05/07/09 - PSST Filed Waiver Comments
• 06/08/09 - New York City
• 06/26/09 - District of Columbia

22
Nationwide Minimum Requirements

• 06/09/09 APCO/NENA endorsed LTE as their
  preferred standard or Common Air Interface (CAI)
  for the nationwide 700 MHz SWBN
• 06/10/09 The National Public Safety
  Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) endorsed LTE
  as their preferred standard for the nationwide
  700 MHz SWBN
• NPSTC announced creation of a Working Group to
  develop the basic nationwide minimum requirements
  that will be necessary to have a nationwide
  interoperable network but also allow
  local/regional government build out and/or
  regional public/private partnerships
• 06/29/09 New FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski
  occupies
• his office

23
Discussion of a question posed earlier Q - Should
an agency or organization that wants broadband
data wait for this system to build out, move to a
commercial cellular system, or deploy an interim
system? A - State and local agencies currently
have no access to broadband spectrum. Until this
gets worked out by the FCC the best option is to
use commercial cellular services. Deploying an
interim system would be costly and can only be
done by aggregating narrowband voice channels to
deploy wideband data service.
24
The ProposedNationwide Public SafetyShared
Wireless Broadband Network - SWBN -
Having served in a national leadership role of
public safety communications for more than 30
years, it is my view that if this proposal does
not succeed, in one form or another, public
safety and the citizens we serve will lose a one
time opportunity to dramatically improve public
safety communications.

25
The nationwide SWBN and Narrowbanding Q - How
does the nationwide Shared Wireless Broadband
Network relate to the current challenges of the
FCC mandate to narrowband current voice systems
on frequencies below 512 MHz? A - The SWBN is
not intended to solve the problem of
narrowbanding. The SWBN is intended to bring
broadband data services to the public safety
community and not to replace current public
safety voice systems. Those who have systems
below 512 MHz must either narrowband their
current systems by 2013 or replace them with a
new system.
26
New York Statewide Interoperability With the
cancellation of the contract for the Statewide
Wireless Network (SWN), local and state public
safety must collaborate on a new strategy to
either narrowband their current systems or
replace them. This is an FCC requirement, not an
option. In developing a new strategy you should
take advantage of the opportunity to improve
statewide interoperability. The best way to
develop that strategy is to agree on a governance
structure that allows meaningful representation
and participation of all of the public safety
community at the local and state level.