The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on a...

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on a petition by the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) asking the agency to modify rules for the 800 MHz expansion bands (EB) and guard bands (GB). The group asked that 800 MHz incumbent licensees in a market be given a six-month period to apply for EB/GB frequencies before they are made available to applicants for new 800 MHz systems. “LMCC states that spectrum for incumbent 800 MHz systems in urban areas to expand is urgently needed but sparsely available,” the bureau said (http://bit.ly/1mLEw7f). “It argues that a limited opportunity for expansion of incumbent systems would serve the public interest because those licensees had to undergo the disruptive rebanding process without deriving any economic benefit, and use of EB/GB frequencies to expand existing systems’ capacity would promote spectral efficiency.” Comments are due May 27, replies June 11.