HEADLINES
FCC Narrowbanding Not a Surprise, But Could be Costly for Some
When the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) insti-
tutes its narrowbanding requirement on Jan. 1, 2013, most school districts will be ready, but, for some, at a high cost. “Te change to migrate to the narrowband 12.5 kHz system
means we will have to upgrade our complete radio system. Te cost to implement this upgrade is approximately $300,000,” said Cliff Shearouse, director of transportation services for Henry County Schools in McDonough, Ga. Te move for all non-federal public safety licensees using 25
kHz radio systems to narrowband 12.5 kHz channels is one part of new rules the FCC adopted more than a decade ago “to bet- ter ensure the most efficient use of available spectrum for public safety,” according to Robert Kenny, a spokesman for FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. “Te transition will allow more first responders on the lower
bands at one time without causing significant interference. It is the equivalent of moving from a two-lane highway in voice traf- fic to a four-lane highway, creating greater efficiency in use of the
spectrum,” added Kenny. Many districts have been in the process of changing over for
some time, including Newport-Mesa Unified School District. For Transportation Director Pete Meslin, the switch came about over 10 years ago, before he even arrived at the Southern California district, but not from a nudge by the FCC. “With all the recent push to be earthquake safe and emer-
gency ready, districts have been aware of this for a while, not so much because of the FCC push, but the need to have a radio system that will function in the event of an emergency,” said Meslin. Others have been slowly instituting the change by stretching
the costs over multiple budget years. “All of our equipment is already narrowband compliant with
the exception of the buses. We have been changing them out every year and have a few more to go. Hopefully, we’ll be ready,” said Kim Holcomb, director of transportation for East Strouds- burg (Penn.) Area School District. n
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26 School Transportation News Magazine February 2010
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