4.9 GHz: What’s Next?
Moderator:
Donny Jackson (Editor, IWCE's Urgent Communications)
Panelists:
Kenneth Corey (Chair, Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI))
Charles Dowd (Asst. Chief (Ret.), New York City Police Department)
Michael Barnbeck (Deputy Director, Public Safety Broadband Technical Association)
Mark Crosby (Chief Strategy Officer, Enterprise Wireless Alliance)
Location: W240C
Date: Tuesday, March 26
Time: 2:25 pm - 3:25 pm
Track: First Responder Communications
Topic: Critical Infrastructure, LMR, Spectrum
Format: Panel Session
Vault Recording: TBD
One of the most-anticipated topics for the critical-communications sector is the FCC’s decision regarding rules for 4.9 GHz—a 50 MHz swath of spectrum that traditionally has been reserved for public-safety use. Criticized for being underutilized, the FCC is considering rules that would expand its usage to other sectors, but the initiative has raised many questions.
Should the expansion include just critical-infrastructure users, or would an expansion to include even commercial usage be appropriate? Will incumbent users of the spectrum be protected? How will potential interference disputes in the band be resolved? What is the best way to maintain local control of the usage within the 4.9 GHz band? Should the FirstNet Authority be awarded a nationwide license to the 4.9 GHz band, and what conditions should be attached to such a license? Which approaches will provide the kind of robust product and applications ecosystems necessary for public-safety and critical-infrastructure entities.