APCO Says 800 MHz Waiver for Arizona Utility May Be Acceptable

right conditions. The FCC has in place a licensing freeze while the 800 MHz transition is being completed, a slow process along the border with Mexico. “Due to the complexities involved with the rebanding process, and the need to ensure that public safety licensees are afforded full opportunity to maintain consistent operations to carry out their missions, APCO is wary of providing the extraordinary relief that APSC seeks,” the group said. But APCO also noted that APSC agreed that if frequency changes are needed, it will work with the FCC, the 800 MHz transition administrator and other parties. “If the Bureau were to afford the relief sought, APCO recommends that APSC be held accountable and ensure that it will immediately act, at its own cost, to resolve any issues it causes that impact the needs of public safety licensees to access channels during the rebanding process,” the group said. The waiver requests show why it supports six-month advance filing window for public safety and business/industrial/land transportation (B/ILT) licensees, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council said. “Applicants like APSC have an operational need for land mobile channels as opposed to a speculative need." The Enterprise Wireless Alliance also filed in support of the waiver. “While APSC has described three scenarios for deployment of its new system, the only reasonable, practical approach is the one for which waiver relief is sought,” EWA said. “The purpose of the licensing freeze is to create a stable spectrum environment and ensure that adequate replacement channels are available to permit the reconfiguration of all systems in an area.” Comments were due Monday in docket 17-168.