FCC Approves Channel Change

The city of Emeryville (N. Calif.) asked the FCC for a rule waiver so it could switch to a higher-bandwidth mobile data system, and now the FCC has granted the city a temporary waiver. Emeryville wanted to upgrade their mobile data system from 9.6 Kbps to 43.2 Kbps, and to use a different format (“mask”) on 800 MHz channels. However, the FCC said doing so might preclude use of adjacent frequencies by other agencies. So they approved a waiver until the region’s 800 MHz systems are rebanded. At that point, the city could apply for other 800 MHz frequencies that would allow the wider bandwidth without a waiver. Download (pdf) the FCC waiver grant here.