IP: [anonymous] DoD to Share Spectrum with First Responders

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
>
> (...)
>
> DEFENSE DEPARTMENT TO SHARE SPECTRUM WITH FIRST RESPONDERS
>
> The Department of Defense today submitted its report to Congress
> regarding the feasibility of sharing the 138-144 MHz band with
> public safety users.  A DoD Joint Spectrum Center engineering
> study identified ways sharing would be possible without
> interfering with DoD operations.
>
> Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Spectrum and C3 Policy
> Steven Price said, "We believe it is possible to share portions
> of the 138-144 MHz band with public safety users on a limited,
> coordinated basis.  DoD is willing to work with National
> Telecommunications and Information Administration, state and
> local governments and first responders on a case-by-case basis
> to explore sharing the band for the common good."
>
> While the 138-144 MHz band continues to be critical to DoD
> operations, the department has found it helpful in emergencies
> to share communication systems with other first responders.  A
> small number of channels may be shared on a regional basis when
> it is to the mutual benefit of DoD and public safety officials.
>
> DoD operations that would be affected if this band were
> interrupted through heavy use of too many channels would include
> air-surface-air, air traffic control and ground support
> functions at military airfields, tactical communications for
> close air support, land mobile radios for sustaining
> installation infrastructure support and land mobile radios and
> specialized equipment for training and test range support.
> Other systems that would be affected include fire and security
> alarms, and hydrology and utility controls.
>
> The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2000 reclaimed
> for federal, primarily DoD, use of three megahertz in the
> 138-144 MHz band previously identified, pursuant to requirements
> of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, for reallocation for mixed
> federal government and non-federal government uses.  As Congress
> understood, the recovery of 3 MHz was and is crucial to
> fulfilling DoD's spectrum requirements.  However, in the
> conference report, DoD was asked to provide a technical report
> assessing the feasibility of sharing the 138-144 MHz band with
> public safety users.  In the fiscal 2001 authorization, Congress
> directed DoD, in cooperation with the Justice Department and the
> NTIA, to provide for an engineering study with regard to
> spectrum sharing in the 138-144 MHz band.  The assistant
> secretary of Defense for Command Control Communication and
> Intelligence (C3I) has submitted this report to the Senate Armed
> Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.
>
> Under direction of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command,
> Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) John Stenbit, the
> DoD Joint Spectrum Center conducted an engineering study
> regarding sharing in the 138-144 MHz band.  The resultant
> classified study showed that the areas of operation associated
> with the DoD frequency usage in the 138-144 MHz band encompasses
> nearly the entire continental United States.  Large distance
> separations would be required to prevent co-channel and
> adjacent-channel interference between DoD equipment and
> potential state and local public safety systems, particularly in
> the case of DoD air-ground-air radios.
>
> [Web version:
> http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2002/b02052002_bt056-02.html]
> (...)

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