Narrowband Migration Task Force Bill Carter ,Frequency Advisor Steve Rauter, WesCom  Chris Kindlespire, Grundy Co 9-1-1 Illinois APCO Representatives

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News Updates Narrowbanding waived for UHF T-Band Users Only and Narrowband Update - May 2012  SIEC Advisory Letter to Local Officials Calendar of Migration Events New Tech Guide for Narrowbanding

Reminder from the MABAS Telecommunications and Dispatch Committee Guide from the US Office of Emergency Communications on Narrowbanding New FCC and Information Links   Now Available IL APCO's Complete Narrowband Seminar on DVD! The Illinois Chapter has produced a Narrowbanding "kit" at cost. We are not making any money with it. These DVDs were professionally produced, copied, and imprinted. The cost of the kit covers 2 DVDs, 1 CD that has many documents and links, a PowerPoint that tracks with the video presentation, a nice case that holds all 3 disks, and includes postage. Please consider a "one stop shopping" approach to Narrowbanding with this kit. Included in the presentation are many tips and guidelines to save your agency money when going through the process, and fully describes the state-wide roll-out of Narrowbanding for all the common and mutual aid channels. Cost $11.50 - again, the Chapter is not making any money on this project. All rights reserved. If you buy one, please send me feedback on what you thought. This has taken a few years to put together, has been peer-reviewed, and was updated many times based on feedback. Steve Rauter   Form Object   llinois APCO in cooperation with other State of Illinois Organizations is participating in a task force for the development of a coordinated migration plan for public safety agencies under 512 MHz. The FCC has mandated migration from 25kHz channels to 12.5kHz channels by January 1, 2013. This affects all frequencies below 512mHz (except for VHF-Low Band). This Committee is dedicated to the coordination of efforts in the Illinois public-safety community allowing for a graceful migration to narrow-band for common interoperability channels such as IREACH, ISPERN, MERCI, UHF-Med Channels, IFERN, WB Fireground Channels, ESMARN, and Point-to-Point. Reminder from the MABAS Telecommunications and Dispatch Committee On January 1, 2013, all public safety and business industrial land mobile radio systems operating in the 150-512 MHz radio bands must cease operating using 25 kHz efficiency technology, and begin operating using at least 12.5 kHz efficiency technology. This deadline is the result of an FCC effort that began almost two decades ago to ensure more efficient use of the spectrum and greater spectrum access for public safety and non-public safety users. Migration to 12.5 kHz efficiency technology (once referred to as Refarming, but now referred to as Narrowbanding) will allow the creation of additional channel capacity within the same radio spectrum, and support more users. After January 1, 2013, licensees not operating at 12.5 KHz efficiency will be in violation of the Commission's rules and could be subject to FCC enforcement action, which may include admonishment, monetary fines, or loss of license. Each MABAS Division received a copy of the Il-APCO DVD Presentation regarding the FCC mandated narrow banding requirements at this years MABAS conference. Please refer to that presentation and begin planning now if you have not already done so. Additionally, for those departments that received a VHF interoperable radio from the ITTF remember to include that radio in your narrow banding plan. Further information can be obtained from the FCC website; www.fcc.gov   NPSTC reached out to the federal government to seek information about funding alternatives in support of narrowbanding and received the information below.     Funds awarded under the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program may be used for narrowbanding projects; funds may be used to purchase equipment that meets narrowbanding equipment or to educate users about the requirements.  These expenditures must align with a State or Territory's previously proposed and approved PSIC Investments.  However, PSIC funds cannot be used for the payment of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing fees associated with narrowbanding requirements. Please direct specific questions about allowable PSIC expenditures to PSIC@dhs.gov.   Thank you,   Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration   Department of Homeland Security FEMA Grant Programs Directorate --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ntia.doc.gov/psic PSIC@dhs.gov

NARROWBAND INFORMATION RESOURCES !

Narrowbanding: Will it Affect Your Municipality? - A Document from SAFECOM

Public Safety Interoperable Communications Grant Program - FAQ's

FCC Narrowband Workshop Video from January 26th, 2011

HARRIS-TYCO-MA-COM-GE NB COMPLIANCE

New FCC Equipment Notice         UPDATED Fcc Narrowband Site           NEW FCC Powerpoint

IL_APCO Narrowband Taskforce Seminar PowerPoint

Narrowband Compliance Plan

A recently published helpful article on Narrowband migration

http://www.narrowbandinglaw.com/

http://wirelessradio.net/

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home

Emission link for licensing  http://apco911.org/frequency/emission.html

FCC Technical Discussion Questions/Answers from FCC http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/kdb/GetAttachment.html?id=31623

Kenwood Narrowband Equipment Listing

Motorola Narrowband Equipment Listing

Spectrum reference website:  http://www.unwantedemissions.com

For those inquisitive folks who may be interested in learning more about the history and background of the FCC's narrowbanding proceeding and the resulting mandate (and, who happen to have a fair amount of time on their hands!)...... 

Happy reading!

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A Historical Record of the FCC's Part 90 Narrowbanding Proceeding

Basically, narrowbanding all started with and FCC Notice of Inquiry
(91-170) in July of 1991. A record of the filers in that proceeding
is available here:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/document/view?id=6005043895

I haven't been able to locate an archived copy of the actual Notice
of Inquiry; however, the NOI was followed up by a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (PR Docket 92-235) released in November of 1992:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/comment/view?id=107799

The first 75 or so pages contain most of the meat and potatoes
related to this proceeding....i.e. remember Part 88? How about the
consolidation of all radio services to just two? Centralized
trunking? Spectrum efficiency standards? 

which eventually led to the current narrowbanding proceeding known
as WT Docket 99-87:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/proceeding/view?name=99-87

As those who follow the above links will discover, the new and
improved FCC ECFS 2 (Electronic Comment Filing System) really is...
Much of the information now available has never been easily found
or accessible to the the general public prior to now.