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News & Events
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Press Releases
For Immediate Release
800 MHz Transition Administrator
c/o Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C., 20044 |
Contact: Nikki Diamantes
Phone: (888) 800-8220
E-mail: comments@800TA.org |
Additional Reconfiguration Guidance for Licensees
January 9, 2007, Washington, D.C. — The 800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC (TA), announces the release of additional reconfiguration guidance. Based on lessons learned from the 800 MHz Reconfiguration program to date, the TA has identified a number of areas that require additional guidance for licensees, including mutual aid and interoperability, Cost Estimate preparations, Change Notice and Amendment, actual cost reconciliation, and incumbent labor rates. "The TA continues to work with the FCC, Public Safety leadership, Sprint Nextel, and system vendors to identify ways to make the process easier for all licensees involved in reconfiguration," said Brett Haan, Director of the TA. All reconfiguration guidance is available on the TA's website at: http://www.800TA.org.
Mutual Aid Interoperability. — Many of the 800 MHz systems impacted by reconfiguration are shared or have interdependencies with other systems. Licensees should take these interdependencies into account and plan for the continuity of mutual aid operations during the reconfiguration of their systems. The Mutual Aid and Interoperability Fact Sheet defines the steps that the TA recommends licensees complete as part of the planning process to ensure that no organizations or groups of users are missed during reconfiguration, to generate specific interoperability requirements, and to coordinate interoperability solutions to preserve Public Safety communications during reconfiguration.
Cost Estimate Preparations — The Guidelines for Preparing a Cost Estimate provide licensees with instructions for preparing a Cost Estimate to submit to Sprint Nextel to request reconfiguration funding and to use during Frequency Reconfiguration Agreement (FRA) negotiations with Sprint Nextel. The Guidelines also provide the TA's recommendations regarding the minimum level of detail that should be included in a Cost Estimate for tasks and costs that are applicable to the reconfiguration of a licensee's system. The Cost Estimate is a template outline for use in defining in detail all of the costs required to reconfigure a licensee's system.
Change Notice and Amendment — A Change Notice serves as the mechanism for a licensee to notify Sprint Nextel and the TA of changes to the scope of its planning or reconfiguration activities subsequent to the execution of its TA-approved Planning Funding Agreement (PFA) or FRA. The Change Notice Process Fact Sheet provides structure and guidance to licensees regarding the Change Notice process. A Change Notice Form that can be used by licensees for submitting a Change Notice is available on the TA's website.
Actual Cost Reconciliation and Incumbent Labor Reimbursement Policy — As part of the reconfiguration program, all reconfiguring licensees will be required to submit documentation to Sprint Nextel supporting actual costs incurred prior to contract closing. A true-up payment for any underpayments by Sprint Nextel or a refund for excess payments to a licensee will be made based on the results of the reconciliation. The Actual Cost Reconciliation Fact Sheet provides guidance to licensees regarding the documents required to support the costs they have incurred. The updated Incumbent Labor Reimbursement Policy addresses reimbursement of licensee internal labor costs incurred in planning for or reconfiguring a licensee's existing facilities to operate on its replacement 800 MHz frequencies. The purpose of the policy is to assist licensees in understanding that advance payments made to them for estimated internal labor costs will need to be reconciled with the internal labor costs they have incurred in planning or reconfiguring their system.
For questions regarding any of these reconfiguration policies, please contact the TA by phone at (888) 800-8220, by fax at (888) 701-4380, or via email at comments@800TA.org.
About the 800 MHz Transition Administrator
800 MHz Transition Administrator, LLC ("TA LLC") is the Transition Administrator ("TA") for the reconfiguration of the 800 MHz band mandated by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"). TA LLC has contracted with BearingPoint, Inc., Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. and Baseline Telecom, Inc. to perform the duties of the TA. Among its duties, the TA establishes reconfiguration guidelines, specifies replacement channels, reviews reconfiguration cost estimates, monitors payment of reconfiguration costs, manages the relocation schedule, facilitates issue resolution and administers the alternative dispute resolution process. TA LLC uses information it receives solely for the purposes of administering the 800 MHz reconfiguration process and may disclose such information to the FCC or other authorized parties pursuant to the requirements of the 800 MHz Order or other applicable laws.
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