NTIA REPORT CITES NEED FOR MORE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SPECTRUM
NTIA released report Fri. outlined need for more spectrum for critical infrastructure providers in energy, water and railroad sectors, concluding that urgency of those issues might have changed following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Report to Congress, required by fiscal 2001 appropriations act that covered Commerce Dept., catalogued congestion that infrastructure providers faced in land mobile portion of spectrum. “It is of utmost importance that the Federal Communications Commission revisit these critical issues in order to accommodate the increasing role these industries play in maintaining quality of life,” report said. It cited continued use of spectrum as “essential to the current and future operations of these industries.” NTIA said industry feedback it received in preparing report pointed to spectrum that was “either congested or quickly approaching critical mass, thus leading to problems of interference.” NTIA said industry consensus called for additional spectrum, citing lack of bands available for new users. Report has been closely watched by private wireless industry who have raised concerns about Nextel proposal pending at FCC that would reconfigure some public safety, private wireless and commercial operators at 700, 800 and 900 MHz.
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Report stressed importance of spectrum needs in light of new demands placed on critical infrastructure in U.S. after Sept. 11. In energy industry, NTIA said providers used combination of wireless and wireline technologies to maintain secure voice and data communications to preclude disruption of services caused by natural disasters or equipment malfunctions. “Just as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disrupted our economy, crippled the airline industry and compromised our national security, a disruption in a power generating station’s control computer or a petroleum pumping facility could be just as devastating,” report said.
NTIA said that while critical infrastructure providers in railroad, water and energy industries agreed they needed more spectrum, there was no consensus on where new spectrum should come from. Commenters who provided NTIA with feedback for report also cited interference as common problem. Industries covered in report use variety of bands between 20 MHz and 25 GHz: (1) Railroad industry said 700 MHz guard band and 1.4 GHz mobile communications service band were possibilities for future spectrum. (2) United Telecom Council, which represents energy companies that use wireless spectrum, recommended that exclusive spectrum for utilities be allocated at 450 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz for voice and data communications. (3) Water industry uses bands such as 900 MHz, 928 MHz, 952 MHz, 956 MHz, 2 GHz, 6 GHz and 23 GHz. NTIA report said: “Water industry commenters indicated that industry users are near the limits of capacity and experiencing interference problems.”
Sept. 11 attacks “underlined the importance” of industries covered by report and role they play in disaster response and recovery, NTIA said. “When the World Trade Center collapsed, utilities needed to be shut off or restored,” it said. “It was important for sufficient water pressure to be available for firefighting and when the airlines were grounded, people and commerce relied more on the railroad industry for transportation.” NTIA said some issues raised in report could be mitigated by using advanced communications technology or newly allocated bands such as 700 MHz guard bands. Report is at www.ntia.doc.gov.
Under 2001 appropriations act, Congress gave FCC 6 months after release of NTIA report to respond with its own document. Congressional appropriators had asked NTIA to study current and future use of spectrum by energy, water and railroad services to protect and maintain critical infrastructure in U.S. Industry commenters had told NTIA that they couldn’t rely on commercial wireless services for “mission-critical functions” because of insufficient coverage, reliability, robustness and redundancy. “Additionally, the high cost of commercial wireless services and wireline technologies affects reliance on these technologies,” report said.