The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council told Industry Canada it...

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council told Industry Canada it should designate the 700 MHz D-block for public safety use, in response to a consultation by the Canadian regulator. “NPSTC commends Industry Canada’s proposal to designate the 758-763 MHz and 788-793 MHz (D Block) for public safety broadband use, and urges the Department to act expeditiously to ensure that public safety receives the full contiguous 10+10 MHz broadband block of spectrum in the 700 MHz band,” NPSTC said (http://xrl.us/bnyaws). “The public safety market will drive demand for commercial equipment, typically used by consumers, as well as modified commercial equipment and specialized equipment designed to meet specific public safety needs.” NPSTC said if Industry Canada mandates LTE as the standard for the band it will align a Canadian public safety broadband network with the proposed FirstNet in the U.S. “Harmonized 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum, policies and technical rules and standards are essential for cross-border interoperability,” NPSTC said. Public Safety Canada also endorsed a proposal to reallocate the D-block to public safety. “The allocation of the D block in Canada for public safety would harmonize with the United States band plan, which sets aside a total of 20 MHz for public safety in the same blocks,” the group said (http://xrl.us/bnyaxi).