Next Meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday, December 8, 1998, 9:30 a.m., at KLSY/KIXI Studios, 12011 N.E. First Street, Bellevue.  Directions.

George Bisso called the meeting to order at 9:30. He announced that the studios will be moving to the new Factoria location in January. The January 12 WWCIC meeting may be held there depending on whether or not they are settled in yet. The minutes of the October 13 meeting were reviewed and approved. Members and guests in attendance:

Checking Account Balance: $4,213.14

800 MHz Cross Border Interference. Dennis Anderson briefed the current status of the interference to Victoria Mobile Radio from Valley Comm. In June, FCC issued a Special Temporary Authority (STA) for Valley Comm to swap four frequencies with Nextel on McDonald Point. That still leaves two problem frequencies; however, consideration is being made for low power, secondary use on non-IX to Canada co-channel operations. The STA test period ended October 29 and revealed that the frequency swap is a feasible solution to the interference problem and does not result in adverse effects to other FCC licensees. Steps are being taken by FCC Headquarters to provide permanent authority on the swapped frequencies.

IX to SMR. Jerry Noe reported that Bellingham SMR customers are still receiving interference from Nextel. Nextel took some steps to correct the problem; however, a high level of noise is still being experienced. Denny Anderson stated that FCC Headquarters is issuing a letter to Nextel requesting cooperation.

Telex Headsets. Dennis Anderson relayed that the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) is examining the wireless headsets that are causing interference to Part 74 licensed users, i.e., if they certified, all requirements are being met, etc.

GPS Interference to Repeaters. The matter of interference to repeater frequencies caused by GPS surveying equipment is being studied by a FCC Headquarters engineering group.

Membership List. Shirley will email the membership list to all members. If there are any corrections, please email back to her. It was requested that phone numbers be included on the attendee list in the minutes.

Meeting with Canada. Spencer Bahner is endeavoring to organize a meeting between 800-900 MHz users from our area and users of the Canadian ECON system. If interested in attending, let Spencer know. Time frame will be November or December in the Everett PUD building.

Cross Border Frequency Coordination. Attendees engaged in a lengthy discussion about the problems that are being encountered in obtaining frequency coordination from Industry Canada for areas near or north of Line A. There is conjecture that they are being automatically denied when forwarded to Ottowa for concurrence. Several examples were cited relating to denials on new applications, as well as modifications to existing operating stations. Further discussion centered on obtaining guidelines from both FCC and Industry Canada as to established criteria that should be followed to ensure application approval. A suggestion was made for a representative from WWCIC to meet with Industry Canada and/or personnel from the FCC Wireless Telecommuncations Bureau (WTB) to discuss these issues. It was decided, for now, that Denny Anderson will contact WTB with a request for guidance.

Pioneer Cab Adjacent Co-Channel IX. Joe Young from Pioneer Cab requested assistance from the Committee on a problem his company has been unable to resolve. They are receiving adjacent channel interference in the form of data transmissions. The offending transmitter belongs to Gray Top Taxi and is only one building away from Pioneer Cab's main transmitter with a 15 KHz separation--which is not sufficient for wideband data transmissions. Mr. Young alleges his problem is the result of an FCC error. Years ago, Pioneer's license showed the correct coordinates of 14th Ave North in Seattle. However, somewhere along the way, the coordinates were changed on the license to 4th Ave East in Bellevue, even though Pioneer has not relocated their transmitter. Dennis Anderson will work with Mr. Young to get this problem resolved.

Radio Frequency Noise. Dennis Anderson sent an email to WWCIC members advising that the FCC OET has formed a team to examine the effects of increased radiofrequency on communications. Members of the "Noise Team" are seeking input from industry regarding their experiences of encountering noise in establishing new communications systems and measures used to engineer around the noise. If you have an input, contact Bernie Stuecker at Room 720, 1919 M Street NW, Washington DC 20554 or email bstuecke@fcc.gov.

Electromagnetic Radiation. Wayne Hardy expressed concern about standards pertaining to protection against biological effects of electromagnetic radiation on communications sites, in particular, sign posting requirements. George recommended that those concerned contact the engineering consulting firm of Hatfield and Dawson who are experts in this field.

FCC Items of Interest. Dennis Anderson briefed on the following topics. Most FCC documents can be found on FCC's web site: http:/www.fcc.gov.

• 220 MHz Service Auction Closes. Auction began on September 15 and closed October 22 after 173 rounds raising $21,650,301 in bids. FCC's flexible rules for 200 MHz will allow companies to provide whatever voice, data, or fixed communications services they believe will serve the needs of consumers in their areas.
• Amateur Enforcement. On September 25, 1998, FCC announced that the Compliance and Information Bureau (CIB) will handle all amateur enforcement actions.
• Land and Mobile Database Access. FCC issued a Public Notice dated October 14 instructing licensees on how to access and review databases for land mobile radio, amateur, ship, aircraft, and general mobile radio service. Licensees may review the database and submit corrections to WTB prior to transfer of data to the new Universal Licensing System (ULS).
• Experimental Radio Service (ERS). FCC has revised ERS rules to encourage experiments, ensure licenses do not result in abuse of FCC processes, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and protect public safety frequencies.
• Wireless 911. FCC is seeking additional comments in the wireless Enhanced 911 rulemaking proceeding with respect to an ex parte filing by Ad Hoc Alliance for Public Access to 911.
• Antenna Registration Software. In response to a petition filed by Air Touch Communications, FCC has reinstated the "flat file" electronic filing option for antenna structure registration.
• NTIA Postion on Frequencies Above 40 GHz. In response to the FCC's proposal to adopt a new frequency allocation plan for the 36.0 - 51.4 GHz band, NTIA submitted a letter suggesting the 42.5 - 43.5 GHz band be reallocated for exclusive government use and the 47.2 - 48.2 GHz band be reallocated for exclusive non-government use. FCC is seeking comments on proposed uses of these bands as outlined in NTIA's letter.
• Experimental Licenses. The Experimental Licensing Branch of OET announced the availability of electronic filing for experimental license forms and requests for STA.

Shirley Perry