FCC Issues Network Capacity Study

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released what it calls “a comprehensive analysis” of network capacity for its proposed nationwide public safety broadband network, saying 10 MHz of spectrum will provide the necessary channels for day-to-day work, and setting out a concept to provide additional spectrum available during major emergencies. The unique 36-page White Paper was written by four FCC staffers, and documents the background of the Commission’s National Broadband Plan, and the allocation of “significant” spectrum to public safety over the past 13 years. The authors explain that in addition to the amount of allocated spectrum, capacity is also determined by network architecture, number of cell sites, sectors per cell site, and “sound network and spectrum management.” The paper describes today’s public safety wireless networks, and note that they “consume a large amount of spectrum per user” because of legacy design and technical consideration. “It would be a huge mistake to design a network based upon the public safety’s past experience in using spectrum,” the authors state. The authors describe how spectrum could be shared during major emergencies, and how video and other bandwidth intensive applications will affect public safety in the future. In the appendix of the document, the authors set out several incident scenarios, and calculate how much spectrum might be used for various voice and data applications. Download (pdf) the White Paper here. Update: Tech guru Andrew Seybold attended a panel at which FCC chief technologist John Peha spoke, during which Peha reiterated many of the points made in the FCC paper. Read Seybold’s account of the panel discussion and Seybold’s own thoughts on Peha’s talk and the use of spectrum. Two groups issued reactions to the FCC’s paper, including APCO and NPSTC.