Nextel Communications, the NAB and the Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV) yesterday jointly filed a proposed plan to relocate Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) licensees out of the 1990- to 2025MHz band.
Under the plan, Nextel would fund the entire cost of relocating BAS users in the 1990- to 2025MHz band in exchange for Nextel being assigned replacement spectrum in the 1910-1915/1990-1995MHz band and receiving full credit for its contributions to the BAS relocation costs in the pending 800MHz public safety proceeding, according to the filing.
According to the filing, there are three major benefits to the plan:
- It would expedite the clearing of the replacement spectrum at 1910-1915/1990-1995MHz.
- It would “eliminate the flawed, market-segmented approach” in the current BAS relocation plan.
- It would facilitate the entry of MSS and terrestrial wireless licensees in the 1995-2025MHz band by speeding up the process of relocating BAS incumbents.
The plan calls for the relocation to occur in two phases. In the first, markets where Nextel wishes to deploy terrestrial service in the 1.9GHz band immediately and adjacent markets raising intermarket coordination and interference problems would be targeted for relocation, the plan said. In phase two, BAS incumbents in the rest of the markets would be relocated.
The plan calls for phase one to be completed within 18 months and phase two to be done in 30 months from the effective date of the commission order adopting the Consensus Plan or similar 800MHz plan.
The plan is conditioned on the commission adopting the Consensus Plan in the “800MHz Public Safety Proceeding” or a similar 800MHz realignment plan that assigns 1910-15/1990-95MHz as replacement spectrum for Nextel. It is also conditional on Nextel getting full credit for the actual BAS relocation costs in the commission’s valuation of Nextel’s contributions to the 800MHz band realignment.
For more information, please visit www.mstv.org.
