Radio Communications

Essentials

Module 9: Narrowbanding

Pete Peterson

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Topics

Why is it Necessary?

Who is Affected?

Key Deadlines & Exceptions

What are the Challenges?

Sample Steps to Narrowband

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Questions

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Why is it Necessary?

The Public Safety community needs more channels in the 150-174 MHz (VHF) and 421-512 (UHF) bands.

To help satisfy Public Safety’s demand, the FCC is requiring all non-federal licensees in these bands to migrate their wideband 25 kHz voice channels to narrowband 12.5 kHz channels or to a technology that provides the equivalent of one voice path per 12.5 kHz of bandwidth or provides a data rate of 4800 bits per second per 6.25 kHz bandwidth.

Federal agencies were required to narrowband on frequencies assigned to them by NTIA by 2005.

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1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Interim Deadline (January 1, 2011)

New and expanded VHF/UHF systems

must comply with 12.5 kHz standard

Final Deadline (January 1, 2013)

All VHF/UHF systems must comply

with 12.5 kHz standard

Timeline of the FCC’s Narrowbanding

Regulatory Policy Implementation

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1997 --12.5 kHz

Equipment

Becomes

Available

2004 -- January 2013

Narrowbanding

Deadline Announced

1995 – Original

Narrowbanding

Rules Adopted

Who is Affected?

Typical VHF & UHF two way radio licensees and users include:

Hospitals, Ambulance & Emergency Medical Services

Local Municipal Government Agencies & Public Works Departments

Public Safety, Disaster Response, EOC's & Search & Rescue

City, County & State Government Agencies

Wireless Data, SCADA, Telemetry & Private Radio Paging Networks

Industrial Plants, Manufacturing & Warehousing Facilities

Electric, Gas, Wind, Solar Energy Utilities

Mining & Natural Resource Exploration Companies

Highway, Railroad, Subway, Taxi, & Bus Transportation Services

Delivery, Logistics, Freight, & Shipping Operations

Airport Passenger Facilities, Security & Tarmac Operations

Automobile Towing & Heavy Equipment Recovery Companies

Trash, Refuse, Recycling & Disposal Services

Farming, Ranching, Agricultural & Nursery Services

Construction & On-Site Facilities Maintenance Services

School Districts, Universities & Colleges

Student Transportation & School Bus Operations

Convention Centers, Hotels & Hospitality Services

Coliseums, Sports Arenas, Stadiums & Golf Courses ……

plus many others!

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Key Deadlines

After January 1, 2011, the FCC no longer will accept applications for new VHF/UHF systems that operate on channels exceeding 12.5 kHz channels, unless the equivalency standard is met.

FCC first ordered that after January 1, 2011 they would prohibit manufacture or import of equipment that operates on a bandwidth greater that 12.5 KHz; however,

The FCC has approved a petition filed by the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) which now gives licensees the flexibility to continue to obtain 25 kHz equipment for existing systems until January 1, 2013.

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Key Deadlines

After January 1, 2011, the FCC will no longer accept applications for modification of VHF or UHF systems that increases the licensees authorized interference contour if it operates on channels exceeding 12.5 kHz, unless the equivalency standard is met.

As of January 1, 2013, all licensees must operate on channels with a bandwidth of 12.5 kHz , unless the equivalency standard is met.

For our planning purposes, the narrowband deadline is December 31, 2012.

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Exceptions

Paging-only channels – 152.0075 MHz and 157.4500 MHz are not subject to the narrowbanding mandate. There are twelve channels reserved for paging in the VHF and UHF bands in the Business/Industrial pool that are exempted from narrowbanding.

Your agency may be conducting paging on channels that are not the designated paging-only channels. If so, your paging system must be narrowbanded.

Does your agency have public alerting systems (radio receivers or warning sirens) or remote control by radio (SCADA systems) that may also need to be modified?

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Narrowbanding Challenges

Planning

Funding

Resources

Maintaining Operable/Interoperable

Communications

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Narrowbanding Challenges - Planning

Identify personnel and resources to manage and

support the transition.

Inventory and evaluate equipment to determine

what is narrowband-capable and what equipment

must be replaced.

Determine the costs and identify a funding

mechanism.

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Narrowbanding Challenges -

Planning

Establish internal planning meetings and with

neighboring jurisdictions to coordinate your plan.

Establish a schedule within your jurisdiction and with

neighboring jurisdictions as your agency transitions

to narrowband operation.

Remember to share your plans with any State and Federal

agencies you work with.

Identify solutions to maintain operable/interoperable

communications during the transition.

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Narrowbanding Challenges -

Planning

Although P25 digital radios satisfy narrowbanding requirements, it is not necessary to switch to a digital system in order to narrowband.

Many radios currently being used are narrowband capable but may not be digital or P25 compatible – ensure you are not buying new equipment when it is unnecessary; however,

Compare resources and costs to narrowband with your other communications needs to determine if changes to digital/P25, to trunking, or to other frequencies are appropriate.

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Narrowbanding Challenges -

Planning

Range of radios may be reduced.

This problem is more acute in older narrowband-capable radios, which may have simply been retrofitted with narrowband receiver filters.

Some jurisdictions may need to install more towers, or increase the height of existing towers to maintain current coverage. Adding towers, increasing height or antenna systems or increasing transmitter power will require frequency coordination.

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Narrowbanding Challenges -

Funding

Convincing officials that this isn’t a negotiable

expenditure.

Funding to retune (reprogram) or replace radios.

Allocating money for equipment “retuning” or

purchasing in a limited number of budget cycles.

Identifying grant opportunities which may be used for:

Replacing non-narrowband capable equipment;

Retuning existing equipment to comply with the narrowband

conversion;

Acquiring or upgrading tower sites needed to maintain

coverage after narrowband conversion.

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Narrowbanding Challenges -

Resources

Limited staff resources to:

Develop and manage the transition plan;

Provide informational awareness and user training;

Accomplish licensing.

Limited technical resources to implement the plan.

May need to hire technicians/engineers/consultants.

Make sure that the local radio shop you choose can

support your requirements and schedule.

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Narrowband License Status Tool

17 FCC data as of 15 JAN 2012 http://www.publicsafetytools.info/start_nb_status.php

Narrowbanding Challenges –

Maintaining Operability/Interoperability

Multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency communications

typically used for mutual aid response may not be

possible if group members narrowband at different

times.

Ideal, but probably not feasible to assume that everyone in

your county or region will narrowband at the same time.

Risk management planning decision that will affect virtually

every jurisdiction’s statewide interoperability governance

boards.

If possible, schedule narrowband change-over for a

time when scheduled services are being performed or

when system usage is low.

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Sample Steps

Assign personnel to lead effort

Verify that you have a current and valid FCC license

Communicate and coordinate with interoperability groups and surrounding jurisdictions

Inventory and assess current equipment for narrowbanding capabilities

Identify equipment to be retuned or replaced

Consider any additional needs, such as P25

Get quotes from vendors for equipment and/or services

Request funding or apply for grants

Schedule narrowbanding, considering resources and any impacts on interoperability

Switch to narrowband

Modify FCC licenses to remove wideband emission designators

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will agencies have to buy new equipment? Not usually: most radios

built since February 14, 1997 are narrowband capable. They just

need to be reprogrammed/retuned; however, don’t just assume this

capability – test it.

Does this apply to both conventional and trunked systems? Yes, if the

operation is in the 150-174 or 421-512 MHz bands

Must agencies implement digital technology when using narrowband

channels? The FCC has not mandated the use of digital radios.

Will agencies end up with twice as many channels? No. If you need

additional channels you will need to justify them in accordance with

the FCC’s rules.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Must 800 MHz systems be narrowbanded? The FCC’s current

narrowbanding mandate does not apply to radio spectrum above 512

MHz. Narrowbanding and 800 MHz rebanding are two separate

initiatives.

Will paging channels need to be narrowbanded? Yes and No. Paging

channels 152.0075 MHz and 157.4500 MHz can remain wideband

channels. If you use other channels to page, then you must

narrowband your paging system.

Will narrowbanding reduce overall coverage? Not in all cases. Only a

thorough analysis of your equipment and coverage requirements can

tell for sure.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will agencies need to change frequencies? No. Agencies may still

operate on the same frequency; however, the bandwidth will be

reduced.

My local radio shop wants to add a third-party aftermarket device and

do some “tweaking” to narrowband my wideband-only radios. Is this

permissible? No. The FCC has ruled that the radio must be

designed and type accepted by the original manufacturer to be

narrowbanded or it can’t be used after December 31, 2012.

Will the FCC grant waivers to allow continued operation at 25 kHz

after January 1, 2013? It’s possible; but don’t count on it. The FCC

has taken a hard stand on non-compliance. Failure to narrowband

may subject an agency to FCC actions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a second narrowband phase?

Beginning on January 1, 2013, to be certified, equipment

manufacturers of VHF and UHF equipment must certify that their

equipment is 6.25 kHz-capable (this was changed from January 1,

2011). The FCC expects licensees will ultimately use equipment that

operates on a bandwidth of 6.25 kHz or less; however, there is no

date for a second phase of VHF/UHF narrowbanding to 6.25 kHz

channels.*

There is an FCC rule for 700 MHz users to migrate to 6.25 kHz-

channel equivalency on January 1, 2017 but not other licensees in

current regulations.

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Can I Seek a Waiver?

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FCC Public Notice 11-1189

FCC staff discussed the Public Notice at the APCO International conference in August, 2011, stating:

Requests for waivers must describe how the applicant will comply with the narrowbanding requirements. Specifics how the licensee will move towards compliance, including milestones and progress checks are required

Entities who seek waivers of the rules must prove extraordinary circumstances; failure to plan or budgetary circumstances is not considered a basis for a successful waiver request

There is no deadline by which waivers must be filed, but the FCC is urging that licensees file as early soon as possible

If the FCC has not acted upon a narrowband waiver by the deadline, the licensee will be in violation

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FCC Public Notice 11-1189

There have been bills filed in Congress seeking to postpone the deadline for State, local and tribal governments to comply with the narrowbanding waiver

Industry, frequency coordinators and those close to the current legislation do NOT expect the FCC’s narrowband requirement to be postponed. Since 16 years has already passed during which licensees were to transition to narrowband, there is real doubt a delay will be granted. Any delays result in any no relief to the spectrum crowding in more heavily populated areas.

We urge you to plan for compliance by December 31, 2012.

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Final Thoughts

Agencies cannot simply ignore the FCC’s rules. Your agency can

seek a waiver, but don’t count on approval. FCC staff are on record

stating agencies should not count on waivers. In their words: requests

for waiver “must meet a high standard and are not routinely granted.”

After January 1, 2013, wideband operations in these two bands will

be a violation of the FCC regulations. The FCC can take enforcement

action, including admonishments, monetary forfeitures, and/or license

revocation.

In addition, licensees who have not completed narrowbanding by this

date may experience interference on their systems or interfere with

other systems. As a wideband user, your agency could be ordered to

cease operations if your system is causing interference.

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Questions?

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Resources and References

FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau FAQS

http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/public-safety-spectrum/narrowbanding-faq.html

OEC’s Practical Guide to Narrowbanding (Short URL) http://go.usa.gov/Wk1

IAFC’s “FCC Narrowbanding Mandate: A Public Safety Guide for Compliance” http://go.usa.gov/Wkb

State of Vermont’s “Step by Step” Narrowbanding FCC License Modification Guide http://go.usa.gov/Wk9

National Institute of Justice: Understanding FCC Narrowbanding Requirements http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/217865.htm

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