In spite of the noteworthy efforts on the part of many WISP operators and in spite of a temporary decrease in the levels of TDWR interference reported to us by the FCC, the TDWR interference situation has unfortunately deteriorated. The FCC now reports that some locations (New York, Chicago, Denver and Dallas) that were recently “cleared” of interference are once again experiencing significant interference problems. The TDWR interference in San Juan Puerto Rico is so bad that the TDWR system had to be shut off by the FAA. This is not good news because the FAA is pushing the FCC to solve these interference problems once and for all.
Voluntary database registration has unfortunately not proven to be effective enough. There are still some operators who apparently have not heard about the TDWR interference problem and some who have simply failed to bring and keep their systems in compliance. On the supply-chain side, there are several manufacturers and distributors who did take positive, affirmative and responsible action to help address the problem however they were they in the minority. Most manufacturers and distributors did not “step up to the plate” with customer education or software upgrades. Because airline safety is a very important issue, it only takes a few “bad actors” to cause significant problems for everyone else. The FCC is under strong pressure to take steps to solve the interference problem for good. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology has started drafting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). We don’t know yet what new rules the FCC will propose. They could require that the 5570 to 5680 frequency range be “notched out” for all new equipment. This would mean that we would lose the use of 110 MHz of spectrum. Another possibility is that TDWR database registration will be required of all WISPs instead the current voluntary registration for WISPs located near TDWRs. A third possibility is that all new equipment might have to automatically log into a geo-location database (similar to the TV White Space database) and receive a list of allowable frequencies. Nearby TDWR frequencies and a guard band around the TDWR frequency range would be prohibited. The FCC OET has agreed to meet with us to listen to and discuss our suggestions about ways to address the problem and what new rules should be proposed in the NPRM. I’ve prepared a short online survey for WISPA Members to see what new rules they prefer and what suggestions they have. Please take a few minutes today to review this survey and give me your feedback before I publish this survey to our Members. I expect that there will be a variety of opinions and possibly additional solutions. WISPA’s policy will be guided by whatever the majority of WISPA Members say they want. Here’s the link to the survey < http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HPCC7BL> Most of us do not want new rules and regulations however the bottom line is that we need to save this spectrum. 110 MHz of 5 GHz spectrum is too valuable to just give up. We have to fight too hard to acquire spectrum; it wouldn’t be right for all of us to lose 110 MHz of spectrum because of the actions of a few noncompliant operators. As always, thank-you for your help. Jack Unger Chair - WISPA FCC Committee 818-227-4220 -- Jack Unger - President, Ask-Wi.Com, Inc. Author (2003) - "Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks" Serving the WISP, Networking and Telecom Communities since 1993 www.ask-wi.com 818-227-4220 [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
