FCC Improves Public Safety Access to Latest Broadband Technology

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently improved the ability of public safety personnel to use spectrum at 4940-4990 MHz (4.9 GHz band). The Commission revised technical specifications in the 4.9 GHz band to allow manufacturers to adapt, for that band, technologies that are being used in adjacent spectrum bands, such as the 5.4 GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) unlicensed band and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) band.

Specifically, the Commission adopted two emission masks limiting interference potential for the band, one for low-power and one for high-power operations. These changes will allow public safety licensees to leverage commercial off-the-shelf technologies available for the U-NII and ITS frequency bands.

The Commission envisioned that, by leveraging technology already developed for adjacent bands, public safety licensees could use a single, low-cost device to access the 4.9 GHz band, the U-NII band, and the ITS band, allowing them to enjoy savings that are typically limited to the high-volume commercial market. The Commission's action is intended to provide emergency responders with easier access to the latest broadband technology in support of public safety and homeland security missions, such as wireless local area networks for incident scene management, emergency dispatch operations, and emergency vehicular operations.