“Narrowbanding” refers to a
requirement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that
— on or before January 1, 2013 — all existing licensees on the
VHF and UHF Spectrum implement equipment designed to operate on
channel bandwidths of 12.5 kHz or less or that meets a specific
efficiency standard. Licensees will need to convert or replace
their existing VHF and UHF wideband (25 kHz) systems.
Ultimately equipment will need to operate on bandwidths of 6.25
kHz or less. (Currently no dead-line is set).
Deadline: January 1, 2013 -
Based on FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) Database As of: May 10, 2012
All Part 90 VHF (150-174 MHz) and
UHF (421-512 MHz) Private Land Mobile Radio (PLMR) system
licensees convert from what has been known as "wide-band" (25
KHz) operation to "narrow-band" (12.5 KHz or equivalent)
operation by January 1, 2013.
VHF (150–174 MHz: available nationwide)
UHF (450–470 MHz: available nationwide)
UHF (470–512 MHz: shared with UHF-TV; available only in
11 cities)
After January 1, 2013, licensees not operating at 12.5 KHz efficiency will be in violation of the Commission's rules and could be subject to FCC enforcement action, which may include admonishment, monetary fines, or loss of license.
Narrowbanding Considerations
Consult your public safety leadership and those who maintain your radio systems. Remember to consider "non-voice" radios when reviewing the status of your local radio systems.
Determine if your system needs re-programming or full replacement.
Consider available options to meet the narrowbanding mandate. These include:
Continuing to use analog systems in a narrowband mode
Moving to digital radio systems
Moving to another frequency band such as 700 or 800 MHz
Each option has plusses and minuses. You'll want to get unbiased and competent advice before making these decisions.
Collaborate with neighboring communities to determine their narrowbanding plans. Migrate to narrowbanding in concert with your neighbors in order to assure uninterrupted radio interoperability.
Consider that narrowbanding may cause a slight decrease in the level of system coverage. Conduct a system coverage analysis to determine if there will be a slight decrease in your radio system's level of coverage. Prepare to add towers or other infrastructure to your system if additional coverage is needed.
Modify your FCC licenses to show the new narrowband emission.
Develop a realistic timeline as well as budget of the costs involved. Older systems may need to be completely replaced.
VHF/UHF Narrowbanding Workshop
On January 26, 2011, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the FCC conducted a workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding to assist licensees in completing the transition to narrowband radio communications by January 1, 2013.
The workshop provides Public Safety licensees with information regarding the narrowbanding transition path, and will include input from federal agencies, equipment manufacturers, and public safety organizations to help ensure timely compliance with the deadline.
Additional Resources
FCC
Narrowbanding Mandate: A Public Safety Guide for
Compliance
This guide, published by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and International Municipal Signal Association, provides guidance to State and local public safety entities on the requirements of the FCC Narrowbanding Mandate.
Narrowbanding: What You Must Know
Republished from January 2010 Public Safety Communications with permission of APCO International. For membership and subscription information, visit www.apcointl.org
Narrowbanding 101
The purpose of this article is to spread awareness of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate regarding radio communication system narrowband compliance, and to provide an overview of the mandate and its impact on public safety agencies.
FCC: VHF/UHF Narrowbanding Information
The FCC Narrowbanding website includes a countdown clock, recent narrowbanding articles, links to helpful resources, and FCC contact information.
NPSTC: Narrowbanding Information
The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council website provides a comprehensive list of narrowbanding resources including technical briefs, articles about the narrowbanding process, the cost of narrowbanding, and general fact sheets about narrowbanding.
OEC: A Practical Guide to Narrowbanding
This best practices guide assists emergency responders in compliance with the FCC narrowbanding mandate. The guide includes a step-by-step approach for narrowbanding communications equipment and licenses and five case studies illustrating common narrowbanding challenges and solutions.
NPSTC: Narrowbanding Assistance Contact Map
NPSTC has assembled local, knowledgeable contacts from the State's Interoperability Coordinators, local public safety frequency advisors, and National Regional Planning Council (NRPC) members, plus additional persons who can provide information on the narrowbanding process.
FCC: Guidance For Submission Of Requests For Waiver And Other Matters
This Public Notice reminds licensees, frequency coordinators, equipment vendors, and other
interested parties of the Federal Communications Commission’s January 1, 2013 deadline for private land
mobile radio services in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz (VHF/UHF) bands to migrate to
narrowband (12.5 kHz or narrower) technology.1 It also provides guidance for licensees that intend to
submit requests for waiver of the deadline and sets forth additional information regarding the transition to
narrowband technology.
