[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 28511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13810]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[DA 98-786]


Waiver To Permit Sharing of Industrial/Land Transportation 
Channels With Public Safety Users

    1. On May 6, 1997, Central and South West Services, Inc. (CSW) 
filed a Request for Waiver of Sec. 90.179 of the Commission's Rules to 
permit it to share its 800 MHz Industrial and Land Transportation (I/
LT) Category system with Public Safety and Federal Government users on 
a non-profit, cost shared basis. CSW is the parent company of four 
electric utilities serving approximately 1.7 million consumers in 800 
communities located throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. 
It is licensed for one hundred and twenty-five 800 MHz I/LT channel 
pairs and operates a trunked land mobile radio system providing 
communications capabilities over 152,000 square miles. CSW uses its 
system--which was designed to address peak loading, reliability and 
control issues attendant to the rapid-wide scale mobilization of 
personnel and equipment--to dispatch and coordinate inspection, 
maintenance and emergency response activities.
    2. Private Land Mobile Radio Service frequencies in the 800 MHz 
band are divided into the following five categories: Specialized Mobile 
Radio, Public Safety, Business, I/LT, and General. CSW requests a 
waiver in order to share its I/LT system with Public Safety and Federal 
Government eligibles because section 90.179(a) of the Commission's 
Rules provides that a licensee may share its radio station only with 
users that would be eligible for separate authorization to use those 
frequencies. Public Safety and Federal Government entities are not 
eligible to be licensed on 800 MHz I/LT Category spectrum.
    3. In its Request for Waiver, CSW asserts that many public safety 
agencies operating within the area covered by its network lack 
sufficient spectrum or financial resources to construct and operate 
high quality, comprehensive communications systems. Additionally, CSW 
contends that these agencies often need to communicate and coordinate 
with CSW in situations such as power outages. Attached to the request 
are letters from eight Public Safety eligibles, and from the United 
States Army's Fort Hood military complex in central Texas, indicating 
interest in sharing CSW's system. Additionally, on March 5, 1998, CSW 
was contacted by the Texas Coastal Corridor Initiative about use of the 
CSW system for drug interdiction across South Texas.
    4. Interested parties may file comments on CSW's Request for Waiver 
on or before June 4, 1998. Parties interested in submitting reply 
comments must do so on or before June 15, 1998. All comments should 
reference CSW's Request for Waiver with the designated DA number, and 
should be filed with the Office of the Secretary, Federal 
Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW, Room 222, Washington, DC 
20554. A copy of each filing should be sent to International 
Transcription Services, Inc. (ITS), 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, 
DC 20036, (202) 857-3800 and Scot Stone, Federal Communications 
Commission, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and 
Private Wireless Division, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8010-G, (202) 418-
0680 or via e-mail to [email protected].
    5. The full text of the Request for Waiver, comments, and reply 
comments are available for inspection and duplication during regular 
business hours in the Public Safety and Private Wireless Division of 
the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications 
Commission, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8010, Washington, DC 20554. Copies 
also may be obtained from ITS, 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 
20036, (202) 857-3800.
    6. For further information, contact Scot Stone of the Public Safety 
and Private Wireless Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 
at (202) 418-0680 or via e-mail to [email protected].

Federal Communications Commission.
D'wana Terry,
Chief, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division.
[FR Doc. 98-13810 Filed 5-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P