Enterprise Wireless Alliance, WIA Trade Tough Words on 800 MHz Licensing
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance questioned whether the Wireless Infrastructure Association had effectively killed a move to a new process for licensing 800 MHz expansion/guard band spectrum. During a meeting last week with a majority of the certified 800 MHz frequency…
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advisory committees (FACs), Wireless Bureau staff said, “FCC leadership” had rejected a round-robin application approach, EWA recounted Wednesday. EWA said the rejection was surprising: “Matters involving coordination of Part 90 Private Land Mobile Radio spectrum rarely -- if ever -- cause a ripple with the Commission’s leadership, which typically relies on the recommendations of its resident experts” in the bureau. EWA noted the WIA was one FAC that never agreed to an amended memorandum of agreement but also didn’t express reservations. If WIA had objected earlier, its concerns could have been addressed, EWA said. “WIA’s belief that the current process will work fine even if 2,000+ applications are dumped into an inter-FAC concurrence regimen that typically handles only a few applications daily seems to EWA to be the product of magical thinking,” the alliance said. “EWA fears it will produce hundreds of mutually exclusive applications that will have to be sorted out one-by-one without a clear standard for determining priority.” The Land Mobile Communications Council complained Tuesday no agreement is in sight (see 1904090044). “After attempting for a year to develop a workable coordination process, we see little likelihood that further effort would produce a solution acceptable to all FACs given WIA’s position that no solution is needed,” said EWA President Mark Crosby. “At no point did WIA nor its leadership advocate any recommendation independently to the FCC regarding the Memorandum of Agreement we have with other FACs. The FCC made its decision on its own. Implications to the contrary are presumptuous, mischaracterize the facts, and are plainly incorrect,” a WIA spokesperson emailed. “As a market leader in frequency coordination, WIA will continue to work closely with other FACs and the FCC on establishing a fair process. WIA would support the round robin approach if the FCC adopts it and will support the FCC’s determination on how to proceed. WIA will strive to achieve a successful process and look forward to this important work.”