FCC lifts Sprint deadline to swap some channels

By DAVID TWIDDY, AP Business Writer
Thu Jun 19, 1:26 PM ET



The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday agreed to give Sprint Nextel Corp. more time to swap some wireless spectrum frequencies with public safety agencies.

Sprint was facing a June 26 deadline to vacate channels that its Nextel wireless network uses in the 800 MHz band. The swap is designed to eliminate radio interference in that portion of the spectrum for the thousands of public safety agencies across the country that regularly use it.

While the deadline was set three years ago, work on the swap has been bogged down by technical and operational problems, opening the possibility that Sprint could lose access to channels where it serves around 16 million Nextel customers.

The Overland Park, Kan.-based company wasn't alone in its trouble, however. About 500 agencies asked the FCC to extend their deadlines, which the agency agreed to do earlier this week.

That prompted Sprint in a filing Tuesday to argue that allowing the public safety agencies to hold onto their channels while forcing Sprint to give up its portion would be "inequitable and unduly burdensome."

The FCC agreed Thursday to grant a waiver to the June 26 deadline for some of the channels and is still considering Sprint's request on the remainder. The waiver comes with a number of conditions.

Sprint must hand over its Nextel network channels within 60 days after the public agencies say they're ready to make the switch, and it must ensure agencies using former Nextel channels won't suffer interference from nearby channels Nextel still uses.

Sprint said it already has been doing that in other instances.

"Today's decision will ensure that America's first responders have access to this vitally important resource when responding to emergencies and taking potentially lifesaving actions," said FCC spokesman Rob Kenny. "We expect that Sprint and the public safety community will continue to work together to ensure that the rebanding transition continues to go smoothly, with no major disruptions to the overall 800 MHz rebanding initiative."

Sprint spokesman Scott Sloat said the company appreciated the FCC waiving the deadline for some channels and hopes the agency approves its request for the remainder.

"We remain committed to completing the reconfiguration," Sloat said. "By granting this waiver the FCC will help promote the reconfiguration process while helping Sprint protect its service to its Nextel customers."

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On the Net:

http://www.sprint.com/index.html

http://www.fcc.gov