700 MHz Broadband Public Safety Nets Must Use LTE

By Doug Lung
published


Under the FCC's Third Report and Order and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 11-6) all 700 MHz public safety mobile broadband networks must use a common air interface–Long Term Evolution (LTE) to support roaming and interoperable communications between public safety agencies.

The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks public comment on the architectural vision of the network; the effectiveness of open standards; interconnectivity between networks; network robustness and resiliency; security and encryption; coverage and coverage reliability requirements; roaming and priority access between public safety broadband networks; and interference coordination and protection.

The FCC Report and Order and FNPRM is quite specific on the LTE implementation. It could almost serve as a tutorial on LTE. For example, the Order and FNPRM discusses what bandwidths should be allowed and in-building signal level requirements, including use of Distributed Antenna Systems.

The deadline for comments is 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. The deadline for reply comments is 75 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.