The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on June 16 submitted joint comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding a process to transition the entire 10 megahertz in the 900 MHz band for broadband use in counties where applicants and licensees reach private agreements to do so.
The comments (download below) note that the 900 MHz band “continues to play a vital role in railroad operations, supporting crucial safety-of-life communications.” ASLRRA and AAR write that “authorizing a 5/5-megahertz broadband segment—before the end of the five-year 3/3-megahertz transition period, and without any proposed alternative spectrum to support displaced operations—would jeopardize the reliability of incumbent operations and result in harmful interference.”
The associations go on to say that if the transition is authorized, “the FCC must, at the very least, maintain existing technical safeguards, including the 70-mile interference protection zone.”
In addition, ASLRRA and AAR write, “broadband proponents must provide appropriate assurances to protect critical railroad safety communications systems, and any agreement to relocate railroad operations must include at least 10 channels of 25 kHz narrowband spectrum configured as a single nationwide ribbon license; full cost recovery; and reasonable transition timelines.”
