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News & Events
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Press Releases
For Immediate Release
800 MHz Transition Administrator
c/o BearingPoint
c/o Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20044 |
Contact: Robert B. Kelly
Phone: (202) 626-6216
E-mail: elections@800ta.org |
800 MHz Transition Administrator Accepting Public Safety Expansion Band Elections
Filing Instructions and Supporting Information Provided
June 28, 2005, Washington, D.C. – The 800 MHz Transition Administrator (“TA”) today
provided guidance to incumbent Public Safety licensees in the 800 MHz band that wish to
remain in the Expansion Band (812.5-813.5 MHz/857.5-858.5 MHz in certain areas of the
Southeast U.S. and 815-816 MHz/860-861 MHz elsewhere) pursuant to the Orders
of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) requiring the reconfiguration
of the 800 MHz band.
The 800 MHz Order of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) envisions that Public
Safety entities currently operating in the Expansion Band will be relocated unless they
affirmatively elect to remain in the Expansion Band. Potentially affected licensees in the
Southeast U.S. should consult the FCC’s Second Erratum
to the 800 MHz Order
for additional information.
Relocation requests related to licenses covering the Canadian and Mexican border areas will be
deferred pending additional guidance from the FCC. Petitions for reconsideration related to the
Expansion Band are currently pending before the FCC and may affect Expansion Band
elections.
Public Safety licensees electing to remain in the Expansion Band should notify the TA of their
election by completing and returning an Expansion Band Election Form. This form may be
found on the TA’s website at www.800ta.org/forms.htm. Licensees who elect to remain in the
Expansion Band are entitled to interference protection equal to that received by Licensees
relocating out of the Expansion Band. Expansion Band frequencies from which Public Safety
licensees relocate will be available for licensing by SMR operators after reconfiguration is
completed.
Consistent with FCC rules, the TA will be proposing new frequencies to Public Safety licensees
with Expansion Band frequencies unless they have elected to remain in the Expansion Band.
Such licensees in Wave 1 as defined in the TA’s Regional Prioritization Plan will be receiving
Frequency Proposal Reports containing proposed new frequencies in the next few weeks. If a
licensee receives proposed frequencies from the TA prior to making their election, and they are
electing NOT to relocate, they should attach a copy of the Frequency Proposal Report for the
relevant call sign(s) to their election form and return it to the TA by the means identified below.
The timing of when a licensee may actually negotiate with Nextel and reconfigure their system,
if they so choose, to those frequencies will be dependent on other 800 MHz frequencies they
may be licensed to use. If a licensee does not also have frequencies in the 806-809MHz/851-
854 MHz range that must be reconfigured in the first part of each Wave, they should negotiate
with Nextel and reconfigure in the latter stage of each Wave, within the same timeframe as
licensees with NPSPAC frequencies (821-824 MHz/866-869 MHz).
Filing Timeframes and Instructions. To facilitate frequency planning, the TA will accept
licensee elections to remain in the Expansion Band immediately and is requesting all elections
be submitted no later than September 27, 2005 for Wave 1 licensees, January 3, 2006 for Wave
2 licensees, April 3, 2006 for qualifying Wave 3 licensees, and July 3, 2006 for Wave 4
licensees.
Elections should be sent to the TA by e-mail at elections@800TA.org or by fax at (866) 432-
8317 (this is a voicemail service that automatically will accept faxes). The TA will provide
electronic confirmation of elections. Parties should file a copy of their election with the FCC in
WT Docket No. 02-55 and are advised that the TA intends to make elections public.
Parties that wish to submit a copy of their election in paper form should send their elections to:
800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC
c/o Robert B. Kelly
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
P.O. Box 407
Washington, D.C. 20044-0407
Questions should be directed to the TA at elections@800TA.org. Additional information
regarding the 800 MHz reconfiguration process can be found at www.800TA.org.
To facilitate the reconfiguration process and the TA’s ability to contact licensees in a timely
manner, the TA continues to encourage all 800 MHz licensees to ensure that their contact
information for their FCC licenses is current and consistent in the FCC’s Universal Licensing
System (ULS).
About the 800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC
800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC ("TA LLC") is the Transition Administrator ("TA")
for the reconfiguration of the 800 MHz band mandated by the Federal Communications
Commission ("FCC"). TA LLC has contracted with BearingPoint, Inc., Squire, Sanders &
Dempsey L.L.P. and Baseline Telecom, Inc. to perform the duties of the TA. Among its duties,
the TA establishes reconfiguration guidelines, specifies replacement channels, reviews
reconfiguration cost estimates, monitors payment of reconfiguration costs, manages the
relocation schedule, facilitates issue resolution and administers the alternative dispute resolution
process. TA LLC uses information it receives solely for the purposes of administering the 800
MHz reconfiguration process and may disclose such information to the FCC or other authorized
parties pursuant to the requirements of the 800 MHz Order or other applicable laws.
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