In a letter filed June 30, 2021, the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) reminded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that T-Band (470-512 MHz) licenses have waited almost a decade for this spectrum to be made available, and the FCC “undoubtedly can appreciate their frustration at being told their applications cannot be granted because they do not protect TV stations that clearly do not need and are not entitled to protection from land mobile systems.”

Because the updated list is being used by the FCC in evaluating T-Band applications, the LMCC conducted its own review of the TV stations on the list, which revealed that a significant number of stations that land mobile applicants are required to protect are no longer operating on their original channels but are transmitting on new digital channels that will not be impacted by T-Band systems; are no longer operating at all; or, have license information that differs from the information on the updated list by location or by channel. The inclusion of stations from the first two categories in the Bureaus’ review of T-Band applications is entirely contrary to the FCC’s commitment to promoting intensive use of valuable spectrum and will prevent the deployment of land mobile systems that could not possibly have an adverse impact on TV transmissions.  The LMCC urges the FCC to complete this evaluation as promptly as possible and release a corrected list of protected TV stations so the long-delayed full potential of this band may be realized.

“Public Safety and Industrial/Business entities have been waiting to expand and update their land mobile systems for a decade,” said LMCC President David Smith. “It is frustrating to these applicants to be denied because they do not protect television stations that do not exist or are not entitled to protections. The LMCC has provided the FCC with a roadmap that can hasten resolution of this concern.”

Print Friendly