The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is weighing in on Cyren Call Communications' proposal it made to the FCC in May to use 30 megahertz of the 700 MHz band for a public-private network built for public-safety needs. NENA has asked Congress and the FCC to seek public comment on the matter. Morgan O'Brien, co-founder of Nextel and now head of Cyren, proposed the network would be run by a public-private partnership with commercial operators that would fund network infrastructure deployment in exchange for leveraging the 700 MHz band for wireless business opportunities. One of the main arguments against it: The FCC has already set aside 24 megahertz of spectrum for public safety in that band and $1 billion of the proceeds from the auction of frequencies in that band are earmarked by Congress to fund first-responder communications. In its statement, NENA asked that the proceeding not impact the 24 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum already dedicated to public safety nor the funding for interoperability and E-911 upgrades earmarked from proceeds of the 700 MHz auction. Cyren Call asked the FCC to open a proceeding to solicit public comment on its proposal, but company officials have acknowledged that the commission needs direction from Congress to consider the notion of not auctioning the spectrum, which is expected to generate about $5 billion for the U.S. Treasury.
To read more about NENA's support of Cyren Call's proposal:
- check out this article from MRT Magazine