Public Safety Groups Fear Obama DTV Delay
First Responders Want Assurance That Delay Won't Impede Access to Wireless Spectrum
By Ted Hearn -- Multichannel News, January 12, 2009
Washington—Four leading public safety organizations want a guarantee that an Obama administration delay of the Feb. 17 digital television transition will not postpone their access to spectrum now occupied by analog TV stations.
First responders are to receive 24 MHz of spectrum so they can communicate on the same frequencies nationally, but they can't use those airwaves until analog TV stations have cleared out.
"We ask that any legislation implementing a delay in the DTV transition include exemptions for channels that have been reallocated, approved, or are pending approval for public safety communications," the groups said in a Jan. 9 letter to President-elect Obama.
Signing the letter were Chris Fischer, president of Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO); Chief Russell Laine, president of International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); Chief Larry Grorud, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC); and Ralph Haller, chairman of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC).
Citing problems with a federal DTV coupon program that could harm millions of consumers not able to view digital signals, Obama last Thursday said through a top transition official that the analog TV cutoff should be delay for an unspecified period of time.
Analog TV stations today occupy channels 2-69. Because digital technology is more efficient, digital TV stations need only channels 2-51. Channels 52-69, also called the 700 MHz band, have already been reallocated to wireless broadband providers and public safety groups.
But the new users of the 700 MHz band need to wait for the DTV transition to end before they can use the frequencies.
"An important benefit of the DTV transition is that it clears spectrum in the 700 MHz band for new interoperable radio communications systems for law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and other public safety agencies," the public safety groups told Obama.
Moving stations from channels 52-69 into the so-called DTV core (channels 2-51) is complex. Some stations can't shut down a 52-69 channel until a 2-51 channel opens after either an analog channel shuts down or a currently running digital channel moves to a different channel assignment.
The public safety groups' letter didn't mention that stations in many markets need to transition at the same time. Instead, the groups emphasized to Obama the need for analog stations operating on future public safety spectrum to vacate those airwaves on Feb. 17.
"We understand that you have recently indicated your support for a delay in the digital television (DTV) transition, now scheduled to end on Feb. 17," the groups wrote. "We strongly recommend that any such extension exclude television channels occupying spectrum that will be used for public safety communications."
