Among large volume of comments to FCC this week on how to allevia...

on FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking that sought feedback on plans to mitigate interference for public safety at 800 MHz, including Nextel proposal that would reconfigure parts of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 2.1 GHz. UTC said it opposed Nextel position “but cannot support any other proposal that includes mandatory relocation and re-division of this spectrum into discrete user pools.” Re-banding proposals don’t solve interference, “making this a highly questionable solution,” UTC said. Group also opposed FCC suggestion of re-arming 800 MHz into narrowband channels. It urged FCC to provide “strict” technical rules that required interference resolution “at the cost of the party causing it.” UTC backed PCIA proposal to consolidate business and industrial/land transportation frequency pools, saying that would “also encourage migration to digital technology and shared systems among user groups, a trend already under way which should not be hindered.” If FCC opts for some version of re-banding, UTC said it backed proposal that would migrate lower channel specialized mobile radio (SMR) licensees to public safety frequencies and would move public safety systems to vacated lower 80 channels or to existing public safety slot at 700 MHz. Group said such migration should be voluntary. Citing “long history” and heavy use of 800 MHz and recent allocations in other bands, UTC said it recommended FCC not allocate more spectrum at 800 MHz to public safety. American Mobile Telecommunications Assn. (AMTA) said that while Commission ultimately might determine that 800 MHz rebanding was needed to cure interference, “the record today is far from conclusive in that regard.” AMTA said there were no data to support concept of separating public safety from commercial users as way to relieve interference. It stressed need for FCC and industry to develop funding plan for whatever changes were needed to mitigate interference. “To the extent that it is in the overall public interest to correct this problem, which it surely is, it may be appropriate to secure congressional support for a funding mechanism that looks to the general public to support this vital effort,” said AMTA, which counts Nextel among its members. “The responsibility cannot rest entirely on those who operate in the 800 MHz band, and most certainly not on those who do so without causing interference to public safety communications.”