The FCC should take “early...
The FCC should take “early steps” to release information on interference complaints and investigations, including those voluntarily resolved by the affected parties, said a white paper released by the FCC Technological Advisory Council’s Spectrum Receiver Performance Working Group. “Whether interference…
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is harmful or not is technically complex and highly subjective.” The paper examined the future of interference enforcement. The communications world is changing, with terrestrial wireless systems relying on low-power base stations proving coverage “over small areas on an interference-limited basis,” the paper noted (http://bit.ly/SXCK5R). Another big development is the emergence of Wi-Fi and other unlicensed systems. “Today’s low power/low antenna height network architectures, coupled with the high mobility and low power of individual end user devices, make spectrum monitoring from a limited number of fixed locations problematic,” the paper said. “It also necessitates more sensitive mobile and portable monitoring devices that can process signals from devices that operate with multiple, sophisticated waveforms on multiple channels in multiple bands on a highly dynamic basis.” The paper outlined areas for future work by TAC. The council should examine the potential costs and benefits of a “Public-Private Partnership that would serve as a forum for the voluntary sharing of information on interference incidents in a systematic fashion,” the paper said. TAC should also identify, analyze and recommend “new strategies for interference resolution and enforcement” and investigate the changing radiofrequency noise floor “and its impact on wireless services,” the report said. The principal author was Dale Hatfield, former chief of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology and former acting NTIA administrator.