Historical, regulatory, and litigatory background of the FCC docket no. 18262, "An inquiry relative to the future use of the frequency band 806-960 MHz"

In a proceeding titled "An Inquiry Relative to the Future Use of the Frequency Band 806-960 MHz," the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took steps to open a major segment of the radio spectrum for public safety communication systems and other members of the land mobile radio community. Within the new spectrum allocation the Commission determined to require innovative engineering techniques and methods ofrequency assignments among radio systems as well as to continue some features of established technology and spectrum management systems. The stated purpose of these FCC actions was to devise and implement radio systems and technologies that would use the newly available spectrum with hitherto unacheved efficiency while offering a wide range of choices to eligible spectrum users. In this study the Associated Public-Safety Communications Officers, Inc., (APCO) proposes to evaluate the effect of the policies established by the FCC for the 900-MHz band, including the applicability of the new system and technology contemplated by the FCC for use in that band, on tax-supported public safety radio users. It will evaluate the utility of "trunked" technologies for multichannel systems and the potential of nonprofit and profitmaking suppliers that might be set up to provide these trunked systems. In addition, it will evaluate the practical effect of the decision to abandon block or pool frequency assignments to particular radio services and to remove frequency assignment and coordination from the private radio committees which have been an integral part of public safety radio planning and use.5 As part of this latter point, attention will be given to the staff method of selecting frequencies by "vertical stacking" of systems on each channel in turn and the resulting "first come, first served" licensing apparently without detailed consideration of the systems to be placed on each channel.