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FAQs
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The Regional Prioritization Plan (RPP)
What is the Regional Prioritization Plan?
As required by the FCC, the TA developed a Regional Prioritization Plan (RPP) that lists the order in which the 55 NPSPAC regions will start the process of reconfiguration.
The FCC approved the RPP on March 11, 2005. The TA considered many factors in crafting the RPP, including FCC’s reconfiguration timeline targets, population, existing instances of interference to public safety systems, the need to reconfigure interconnected regions together, workload balance, seasonal cycles, and the need for new international treaties in border areas.
Beginning with the official start date for reconfiguration, June 27, 2005, the RPP defines four "Waves" or groupings of NPSPAC regions to be reconfigured. Each Wave contains groups of NPSPAC regions that will begin reconfiguration at the same time. The diagram below shows the NPSPAC Regions within each prioritization Wave.
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Figure 1:
NPSPAC Prioritization Map
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What are NPSPAC Regions and why were they used for the RPP?
NPSPAC stands for the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee set up by the FCC in the 1980's to determine how public safety communications in the 800 MHz channels were going to be used. NPSPAC developed a usage plan for public safety that divided the country into many different NPSPAC regions.
The TA recognizes that NPSPAC regions have not been used for licensing CII, B/ILT and commercial systems. The FCC’s R&O and the TA’s RPP use NPSPAC regions to divide the nation geographically for purposes of administering an orderly reconfiguration of the 800 MHz Band for all users. The concept of NPSPAC regions will be applied to such entities solely for reconfiguration timing purposes.
What are the Wave Start Dates?
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Figure 2:
Voluntary Negotiations Start Dates
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Channels 1-120 in a NPSPAC region must be cleared of all users (most of whom are commercial entities, not public safety) to allow NPSPAC relocation. This means NPSPAC licensees cannot move the timing of their physical relocation outside of their Wave, region, or stage.
How do I find out which Wave I am assigned to?
Visit the Tools section of our website for the call sign and frequency checkers (if it is a non EA license).
When do I begin reconfiguration if my system spans regions across different waves?
Licensees with systems that span multiple reconfiguration waves must begin the reconfiguration process at the designated time for the first wave in which they have a system. This will help ensure that complex systems spanning reconfiguration waves have adequate time to reconfigure. One possible exception is for licensees in border areas for which revised band plans are pending new international treaty agreements.
What is a Channel 1-120 Licensee?
Channel 1-120 licensees are those currently operating at 806-809 MHz/851-854 MHz.
How can I determine the freeze dates for new license applications?
Upon release of the Starter Public Notice for each voluntary negotiation period, the FCC will freeze the acceptance of most 800 MHz applications within, and up to seventy miles outside of the affected 800 MHz NPSPAC region(s). This freeze will be effective until thirty working days after the end of the mandatory negotiation period for the region(s).
The TA has used the FCC's guidance and the approved Regional Prioritization Plan (RPP) dates to calculate the dates in the chart below. The dates provided by the TA are for general guidance only. The FCC plans to issue Public Notices 30 days prior to the start of each wave/stage. This notice will determine the actual dates associated with the wave and stage in question. Licensees should not rely on the TA calculated freeze dates to determine the deadline for filing an application.
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