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News & Events
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Press Releases
For Immediate Release
800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC
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 Voluntary
Relocation Guard Band Elections
Filing Instructions and Supporting Information Provided
February 8, 2006, Washington, D.C. — 800 MHz Transition
Administrator, LLC (“TA”) today provided guidance to incumbent
licensees operating on frequencies between 809-816MHz/854-861 MHz in the
800 MHz Band that wish to relocate voluntarily to the Guard Band (816-817
MHz/861-862 MHz) pursuant to the Order (http://wireless.fcc.gov/publicsafety/800MHz/bandreconfiguration/downloads/FCC-04-168A1.pdf)
of the Federal Communications Commission mandating the reconfiguration of
the 800 MHz Band. Previously, the TA had afforded the opportunity for incumbent
licensees required to relocate to other frequencies to elect to relocate
to the Guard Band as part of their reconfiguration. Guard Band elections
are now being opened to those who are not required to reconfigure, but who
wish to relocate voluntarily to the Guard Band at their own expense
Since there is no Guard Band in the 800 MHz Band Plan for the Southeastern United States,
certain incumbent 800 MHz licensees in the Southeastern U.S. (specifically, certain counties
in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)
do not have the ability to relocate to the Guard Band. Potentially affected licensees should
consult the FCC's Second Erratum
(http://wireless.fcc.gov/publicsafety/800MHz/bandreconfiguration/downloads/DOC-252929A1.pdf)
to the 800 MHz Order for additional information. Action by the TA on voluntary
Guard Band elections related to licenses located in the Canadian and Mexican border areas
(as defined in 47 C.F.R. Section 90.619) will be deferred pending ongoing negotiations of
international agreements with Canada and Mexico. Licensees considering voluntary relocation
to the Guard Band are advised that they will be required to tolerate increasing levels of
interference from cellular-architecture systems as a function of proximity of their new channel(s)
to the ESMR Band. To learn more about interference protection in the Guard Band, licensees should
review Paragraph 158 of the 800 MHz Band Reconfiguration Order
(http://wireless.fcc.gov/publicsafety/800MHz/bandreconfiguration/downloads/FCC-04-168A1.pdf).
Those requesting relocation to the Guard Band are not necessarily guaranteed that they will be
relocated because licensee requests for Guard Band spectrum may exceed the available capacity.
Since these relocations are not required, their timing will be in accordance with sound spectrum
management policies and may not occur until after Sprint Nextel has completed its own relocation.
Finally, because this relocation is voluntary, licensees will be responsible for their own costs
associated with the reconfiguration.
Licensees electing to relocate to the Guard Band must notify the TA of their elections by
completing and returning a Voluntary Guard Band Election Form. This form may be found on the
TA's website at
www.800TA.org/content/documents/reconfig_forms.asp.
Filing Timeframes and Instructions. To facilitate frequency planning, the TA will accept licensee
elections immediately. Licensees electing to relocate to the Guard Band should submit their
elections as soon as possible but no later than March 1, 2006 for Waves 1-3 and April 3, 2006
for Wave 4. To determine which filing date applies to a particular license, please review the
Regional Prioritization Plan which may be found at
www.800TA.org/content/PDF/rpp/RPP.pdf or consult the TA Call Sign Checker tool available at
http://www.800ta.org/content/800MHz/call_sign.asp.
Elections should be sent to the TA by e-mail to elections@800TA.org
or by fax to (866) 432-8317 (this is a voicemail service that automatically will accept faxes).
The TA will provide electronic confirmation of receipt 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 Guard
Band elections public.
Parties that wish to submit a copy of their election in paper form should send their elections to:
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800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC
c/o Steve Lederman
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
P.O. Box 407
Washington, D.C. 20044-0407
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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
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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