PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov DA 10-1796 Released: September 22, 2010 PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON ADDITIONAL PETITION FOR WAIVER TO DEPLOY 700 MHZ PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORK PS Docket No. 06-229 Comment Date: October 18, 2010 On September 15, 2010, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) sought comment on twenty-three waiver petitions for various jurisdictions seeking to deploy networks in the 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum.1 Among those petitions on which comment was sought were petitions by the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network, Texas; and Harris County, Texas.2 On September 17, 2010, the State of Texas filed a separate petition seeking similar statewide waiver relief, and referenced the earlier-filed petitions from jurisdictions within Texas. Included in the State’s petition were letters of support from: (1) the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network; (2) Harris County; (3) the City of Houston; and (4) the City of San Antonio, which was previously granted a waiver by the Commission for a 700 MHz public safety broadband network.3 Among other questions posed, the September 15 Public Notice sought comment on how to resolve those waiver petitions that represented a geographic overlap either with a pending new petition or with a petition previously granted.4 Because the petition by the State of Texas is inextricably connected with the earlier-filed Texas applications and is relevant to the resolution of this question with respect to these Texas jurisdictions, we find it is in the public interest to consider this petition in connection with the petitions listed in the September 15 Public Notice, and within the same comment cycle. 1 Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Seeks Comment on Petitions for Wavier to Deploy 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Networks, PS Docket No. 06-229, Public Notice, DA 10-1748 (Sept. 15, 2010) (September 15 Public Notice). 2 Id. at 4. 3 See Requests for Waiver of Various Petitioners to Allow the Establishment of 700 MHz Interoperable Public Safety Wireless Broadband Networks, PS Docket No. 06-229, Order, 25 FCC Rcd 5145 (2010) (Waiver Order). 4 September 15 Public Notice at 2-3. 2 Accordingly, we seek comment on the petition filed by the state of Texas, including each of the questions and issues raised in the September 15 Public Notice. We also encourage commenters to address any other issues that they consider to be material to the Bureau’s consideration of this petition. Comment Filing Procedures Interested parties may file comments on the above-referenced petitions on or before October 18, 2010. All comments should reference the appropriate petition(s) and PS Docket No. 06-229. Comments may be submitted using (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies.5 Comments can be filed through the Commission’s ECFS filing interface located at the following Internet address: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Comments can also be filed via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.6 In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first- class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § Effective December 28, 2009, all hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. Please Note: The Commission's former filing location at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Suite 110, Washington, DC 20002 permanently closed on December 24, 2009. § Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. § U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530, (202) 418-0432 (TTY). 5 See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (1998). 6 Filers should follow the instructions provided on the Federal eRulemaking Portal website for submitting comments. 3 For further information about this Public Notice, please contact Jennifer Manner at (202) 418- 3619, jennifer.manner@fcc.gov. -- FCC --