FCC Narrowbanding Requirements

If your community hasn't already begun preparing for the upcoming FCC Narrowbanding requirements, you need to start planning now.

The FCC Narrowbanding Requirements state that all non-Federal public safety licensees using 25 kHz radio systems must migrate to narrowband 12.5 kHz channels by January 1, 2013. Although that deadline may seem far away, the long lead time and interim deadlines (shown below) make it necessary for to plan well in advance. Since most municipal government and state/local public safety radio systems use 25 kHz-wide channels, if you do not meet the deadlines, your community faces loss of communication capabilities.

Start planning now to migrate to narrowband systems and meeting the deadlines to avoid cancellation of existing wideband FCC authorizations.

1. Assess your current radio equipment to determine what can be converted to 12.5 kHz and plan for what equipment will need to be replaced before January 1, 2013. Local governments should develop contingency plans to accommodate system changes for both public safety and non-public safety systems.
2. Applying for new or modified licenses. To move to narrowband operations, agencies must apply for new frequencies or modify existing licenses. An agency that is licensed for a 25 kHz-wide channel is not guaranteed two 12.5 kHz channels. Licensees will have to justify to the FCC why they need additional channels.

Deadlines

To phase in the migration deadline of January 1, 2013, the FCC has established interim deadlines. The first important deadline is January 1, 2011, after which:

1. The FCC will not grant applications for new voice operations or applications to expand the authorized contour of existing stations that use 25 kHz channels. Only narrowband authorizations will be granted.
2. The FCC will prohibit manufacture or importation of new equipment that operates on 25 kHz channels. This will reduce the availability of new equipment for legacy radio systems and will affect how agencies maintain and upgrade older systems.

Additional information:

Check with your local public safety agencies to see if they are already aware of the narrowbanding requirements and if they are moving toward compliance.

Federal Communications Commission