PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
445 12
th
St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
DA 17-704
July 21, 2017
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON
REGION 45 (WISCONSIN) 700 MHZ REGIONAL PLAN AMENDMENT
WT Docket No. 02-378
Comments Due:  August 21, 2017
Introduction.  On June 21, 2017, the Region 45 (Wisconsin)
1
700 MHz Regional Planning 
Committee (RPC) submitted a proposed modification (Plan Amendment) to amend its 700 MHz Public 
Safety Plan
2
for General Use spectrum in the 769-775/799-805 MHz band.
3
  For the reasons discussed 
below, we seek comment on the Region 45 700 MHz Plan Amendment.    
Background.  In 1998, the Commission established a structure to allow RPCs optimal flexibility 
to meet state and local needs, encourage innovative use of the spectrum, and accommodate new and as yet 
unanticipated developments in technology and equipment.
4
  The Commission’s rules require each of the 
fifty-five RPCs to submit its plan for the General Use spectrum.
5
  The Commission’s role in relation to 
the RPCs is limited to (1) defining the regional boundaries; (2) requiring fair and open procedures, i.e., 
requiring notice, opportunity for comment, and reasonable consideration; (3) specifying the elements that 
all regional plans must include; and (4) reviewing and accepting proposed plans (or amendments to 
approved plans) or rejecting them with an explanation.
6
   
                                                     
1
The Region 45 regional planning area consists of the State of Wisconsin with the exception of the following 
counties, which fall within the Region 54 planning area: Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, 
Racine, Rock, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha.  
2
See Letter from Russell R. Schreiner, Chair, Region 45 700 MHz Regional Planning Committee, to Federal
Communications Commission, WT Docket No. 02-378 (filed October 29, 2015) (Cover Letter) and accompanying 
Plan Amendment (October 29, 2015, revised June 21, 2017) (Plan Amendment).    
3
The General Use spectrum is administered by RPCs and is licensed by the Commission for public safety services 
on a site-by-site basis in accordance with the relevant Commission-approved regional plan and frequency 
coordination. 
4
See 47 CFR § 90.527; see also Development of Operational, Technical and Spectrum Requirements for Meeting 
Federal, State and Local Public Safety Agency Communication Requirements Through the Year 2010, First Report 
and Order and Third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 14 FCC Rcd 152 (1998) (First Report and Order); 
Development of Operational, Technical and Spectrum Requirements For Meeting Federal, State and Local Public 
Safety Agency Communication Requirements Through the Year 2010, Second Memorandum Opinion and Order, 15 
FCC Rcd 16844 (2000).  
5
See 47 CFR § 90.527.  Each RPC must incorporate certain common elements into its 700 MHz plan.  A list of 700 
MHz RPCs and region activities is available at http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/public-safety-spectrum/700-MHz/.  
6
First Report and Order, 14 FCC Rcd at 195 para. 87.
2On October 17, 2014, the Commission adopted a Report and Order revising the rules governing 
the 700 MHz public safety narrowband channels.
7
  Specifically, the Commission released the narrowband 
reserve channels (twenty four 12.5 kHz channels) for General Use under the administration of the RPCs 
for the benefit of state and local public safety users.
8
  
In the T-Band markets,
9
the Commission released the reserve channels for General Use under 
RPC administration with priority access given to T-Band incumbents within 128 km of the city center 
coordinates as specified in Sections 90.303 and 90.305
10
of the Commission’s rules.  Priority access is 
also afforded any T-band incumbent that received a waiver of the 128 km distance requirement.
11
  Outside 
the T-Band markets the Commission authorized the RPCs to assign (1) up to eight 12.5 kHz former 
reserve channels for deployable trunked systems and (2) sixteen 12.5 kHz channels for General Use, 
including vehicular mobile repeaters (MO3).
12
  Thus, the Commission stated, “RPCs have the flexibility 
to designate a mixture of General Use and temporary (deployable trunked infrastructure) channels in their 
Regional Plans.”
13
   
On January 9, 2015, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) provided 
guidance on licensing the former reserve channels.
14
  On April 23, 2015 the PSHSB approved the 
channels recommended by the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) and the 
National Regional Planning Council (NRPC) for deployable trunked systems.
15
  Regional plan 
amendments were due by October 30, 2015.
16
  
Region 45 Major Amendments.  The Region 45 Plan Amendment changes the plan to incorporate 
the former reserve channels.
17
  Specifically, the Region 45 Plan designates (1) six former reserve channels 
for deployable trunked systems as recommended by NPSTC and the NRPC;
18
(2) 14 former reserve 
                                                     
7
Proposed Amendments to the Service Rules Governing Public Safety Narrowband Operations in the 769-775/799-
805 MHz Bands, Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd 13283 (2014) (Report and Order).
8
Id. at 13297 para. 39.  47 CFR § 90.531(b)(2).
9
Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; 
Miami, Florida; New York, New York/N.E. New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; San 
Francisco/Oakland, California; Washington, District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia (the Affected T-Band 
Markets).  See 47 CFR § 90.303.  There are no T-Band public safety incumbents in Cleveland, Ohio, or Detroit, 
Michigan.  Id.
10
47 CFR §§ 90.303, 90.305.
11
Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd at 13298-99 paras. 43-45.  
12
Id. at 13299 para. 46, 13301 para. 51.  
13
Id. at footnote 126.
14
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Provides Guidance for Licensing Channels in the Former 700 MHz 
Narrowband Reserve Spectrum, Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd 124 (PSHSB 2015).
15
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Approves Recommended Nationwide Channels for Deployable 
Trunked Systems in the 700 MHz Narrowband Public Safety Band, Public Notice, 30 FCC Rcd 3723 (PSHSB 2015).
16
Proposed Amendments to the Service Rules Governing Public Safety Narrowband Operations in the 769-775/799-
805 MHz Bands, et al, Order, 30 FCC 3699 (PSHSB 2015).  
17
See Plan Amendment at Section 8 and Appendix O.
18
Id. at 26.
3channels for general use;
19
and (3) four channels for vehicular repeater (MO3) use limited to two-watts 
effective radiated power to be coordinated for use with 800 MHz systems in the region.
20
Finally, the 
Region 45 Plan recognizes (1) the former Secondary Trunking channels as Air-Ground channels
21
and (2)
that the state shall administer the licensing of the Air-Ground channels.
22
Five regions adjacent to Region 45 – Region 13 (Illinois); Region 15 (Iowa), Region 21 
(Michigan); Region 22 (Minnesota), and Region 54 (Southern Lake Michigan area) – reviewed the 
Region 45 Plan Amendment and provided letters of concurrence.
23
  We have reviewed the Region 45 Plan 
Amendment and tentatively accept the Plan Amendment.    
Request for Comments on the Region 45 Plan Amendment. Prior to taking further action on the 
Plan Amendment, by this Public Notice we solicit comments on the Region 45 Plan Amendment.  If no 
party raises an objection during the comment period, the Region 45 Plan Amendment will be deemed 
approved without further action by the PSHSB.
24
Pursuant to Sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.415, 1.419, 
interested parties may file comments on the plan amendment on or before August 21, 2017.  All 
comments should reference the subject plan amendment and WT Docket No. 02-378.  Parties may file 
comments and reply comments by using (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System 
(ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies.  See Electronic 
Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
? Electronic Filers:  Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the 
ECFS:  http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs or the Federal eRulemaking Portal:  
http://www.regulations.gov.  Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website 
for submitting comments.  
? For ECFS Filers:  In completing the transmittal screen, filers should include their full name, 
U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the rulemaking number.  Parties may also submit 
                                                     
19
Id.
20
Id.
21
Id. at 26-27
22
Id. The air-ground channels are listed under 47 CFR § 90.531(b)(7).  The Commission noted that “our 
agreements with Canada and Mexico for the 700 MHz band cover only terrestrial land mobile operations along the 
border; neither agreement contemplates airborne operations.”  See Report and Order, 30 FCC Rcd at 13291 para. 20.  
Therefore, the Commission stated that it “will consider applications for air-ground use of the secondary trunking 
channels within 315 kilometers of the Canada or Mexico border on a case-by-case basis.”  Id.  The Commission 
advised “applicants for such channels in the border areas to specify channels on U.S. primary spectrum whenever 
possible.” Id.  The Commission stated that the “315 km distance is based on “worst case” radio line of sight from an 
aircraft at an altitude of 457 meters AGL to a typical base station antenna elevation on the other side of the borders, 
assuming certain median terrain levels above mean sea level for both the aircraft’s location and the base station’s 
location.”  Id. at note 55.
23
Letters of Concurrence attached to Plan Amendment.
24
See 47 CFR § 90.527(b); Development of Operational, Technical and Spectrum Requirements for Meeting 
Federal, State and Local Public Safety Agency Communication Requirements Through the Year 2010, Proposed 
Amendments to the Service Rules Governing Public Safety Narrowband Operations in the 769-775/799-805 MHz 
Bands, Seventh Report and Order, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 28 FCC Rcd 4783, 4804 para. 66 (2013).
4an electronic comment by Internet e-mail.  To get filing instructions, filers should send an 
email to ecfs@fcc.gov and include the following words in the body of the message: “get 
form.”  A sample form and directions will be sent in response.
? Paper Filers:  Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of 
each filing. 
Commenters may send filings by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, 
or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although the Commission continues to experience 
delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail).  Commenters must address all filings to:  Secretary, Office 
of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
? Effective December 28, 2009, commenters must submit all hand-delivered or messenger-
delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary to FCC Headquarters at 445 12
th
Street, SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554.  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 is permanently closed. 
? 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 should be addressed to 445 12th 
Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20554.
? People with Disabilities:  To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an email to 
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 
(voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty).
Commenters must address all filings to the Commission’s Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, Office 
of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20554.  
The Plan Amendment is available through ECFS at ecfs@fcc.gov.  Region 45 Plan Amendment 
documents in WT Docket No. 02-378 are available for public inspection and copying during business 
hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th St. SW, Room CY-A257, 
Washington, D.C. 20554.  
For further information regarding this matter, contact John A. Evanoff, Attorney-Advisor, Policy 
and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at (202) 418-0848 or 
John.Evanoff@fcc.gov.
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