[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74218-74219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31511]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Notice, Establishment of a Frequency Assignment Coordination Web 
Site

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), as part of an agreement with the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) in its Allocations and Service Rules for the 71-76 
GHz, 81-86 GHz and 92-95 GHz Bands Report and Order, plans to establish 
a Web-based coordination system to facilitate frequency assignment 
coordination between federal and non-federal operations within the 70, 
80, and 90 GHz bands.\1\ Until the complete web-based coordination 
system is operational, NTIA and the federal agencies will continue to 
process private sector assignments for coordination within 14 working 
days of the FCC providing those assignment requests to NTIA. Although 
the automated coordination system will not be ready for use for several 
months, NTIA is publicly announcing that the following Web site <http://ntiacsd.ntia.doc.gov/webcoord/status.cfm can be accessed by 
non-federal applicants to determine the status of their frequency 
assignment applications for these bands at any point in time.
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    \1\ Allocations and Service Rules for the 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, 
and 92-95 GHz Bands, WT Docket No. 02-146, Report and Order, FCC 03-
248 at ] 54 (released, Nov. 4, 2003) (Allocations and Service Rules 
Order).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl B. Nebbia, Office of Spectrum 
Management, Deputy Associate Administrator, at (202) 482-1850, or 
electronic mail: [email protected]; or Thomas Woods, Office of 
Spectrum Management, Frequency Assignment Branch Chief, at (202) 482-
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1132, or electronic mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: New technologies are making widespread 
beneficial use of the 70, 80, and 90 GHz bands possible for the first 
time. These bands, which are shared between federal and non-federal 
users, can now be used to offer a broad range of new products and 
services, such as high-speed wireless local area networks, and to 
increase access to broadband services, including access systems for the 
Internet. In order to accelerate the introduction of these 
technologies, NTIA and the FCC have agreed to use an innovative Web-
based frequency coordination mechanism to coordinate use between the 
federal and non-federal sectors. The FCC's recent Allocations and 
Service Rules Order for the 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, and 92-95 GHz bands, 
set in motion the steps necessary to implement these technologies. The 
NTIA/FCC agreement calls for the formulation of a plan for the web-
based frequency coordination mechanism within four months of the 
release of the Allocations and Service Rules Order.\2\ Within another 
four months, the interactive system would be operational. This new 
system will allow non-federal users to use a Web site to determine 
whether they have any potential conflict with federal users. Non-
federal user applicants will be required to input certain information 
into a database. Once that information has been submitted, it will be 
processed within minutes and a determination will be made on whether or 
not the applicant can move forward in planning for their system's 
operational use within those bands of spectrum.
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    \2\ See id. at ] 2.
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    Until the complete Web-based system is operational, however, 
federal and non-federal users will continue to coordinate their 
assignments through NTIA's Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee 
(IRAC) Frequency Assignment Subcommittee (FAS). To help each applicant 
know the status of a particular application with respect to its FAS 
review, NTIA will provide status information at http://ntiacsd.ntia.doc.gov/webcoord/status.cfm. This site will identify when 
non-federal applications for these bands have been submitted to the 
FAS, when those applications completed federal agency review, and the 
final result.
    While not a part of the agreement regarding the automated mechanism 
for the 70, 80, 90 GHz bands, the 21.2-23.6

[[Page 74219]]

GHz band is also shared between federal and non-federal users and 
presents similar coordination challenges. Accordingly, NTIA will also 
provide on this Web site status information regarding the processing of 
non-federal applications for that band.

    Dated: December 17, 2003.
Kathy D. Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-31511 Filed 12-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P