The annual WWCIC/WCTC Joint Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 8, 2000 at Hazelmere.  More information will be forthcoming when available.

Minutes of  April 11, 2000 Meeting

  Chairman Steve Mayes called the meeting to order at 9:35.  Minutes of the March meeting were reviewed and approved.

FINANCIAL REPORT

Checking Account Balance:                        $2,640.37

Savings Account Balance:                        $1,244.34

OLD BUSINESS

  Washington State Patrol (WSP) Squak Repeater.  Pat Buller provided an update.  The presence of another signal from an amateur repeater on Squak was discovered during testing, and NOAH does not wish to take any further action until the frequency is ruled out as a source of interference.  Denny Anderson will send an agent back up to Squak to test the amateur signal.  NOAH is still contemplating a move back to Gold Mountain.   (OPEN)

  Interference from Nextel.   There is nothing significant to report.  Nextel is in the process of checking each of  the 30 sites in the City of Seattle to resolve those interference issues.  The City of Phoenix is requesting money from U.S. Congress to assist in their interference problems from Nextel. They probably won’t get the funds but perhaps it will gain more attention.   Spencer Bahner worked on a study of several systems around the country and learned that many were experiencing interference from Nextel.  It was stated that the best approach to this problem is to work with industry organizations such as APCO and push for product improvement from manufacturers.   (OPEN)

June 8, Joint Meeting With Canada 

  1)      Discussion centered on whether we wanted to invite a person from FCC headquarters and, if so, who or which bureau in FCC would be the best source of information.  Suggested topics are:  how to avoid cross border frequency coordination denials or other problems with licensing, refarming, update on issues, and growth of wireless—where are we going from here?  Steve Mayes and Dennis Anderson will work together on a recommendation for the best candidate from FCC and report back next month. (OPEN)

  2)      The proposed speakers whom Rich Tiedeman referred were discussed.  It was decided that, since we would like the main discussion in our portion of the meeting to focus on cross-border issues, the presentations from Mr. Romanoski and Mr. Keane would be beneficial for a WWCIC meeting or could be deferred until the 2001 joint meeting with Canada when it is our turn to host the meeting.  (CLOSED)

  Letter of Determination from IRS.   Shirley received an acknowledgement from the IRS in the mail.  It said the process could take up to 120 days depending on the complexity of the application. (OPEN)

  Dues Assessment for 2000.  Members voted to keep dues at $25.00 for 2000.  It was clarified that only one person from each organization needs to pay dues.  (CLOSED)

  Site Standards. Pat Buller has completed the draft rewrite.  He will prepare a final revision based on comments and send out a copy to all members.  (OPEN)

  Suggested Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws.  Rich Tiedeman was not present to discuss his recommendations.  (OPEN)

  Interference Complaint Form.  Alan Robinson presented a draft Interference Report Form.  Several comments were made about the format, purpose, and procedure once an interference complaint form is received.  The complainant must not be lead to believe that WWCIC has an obligation to resolve the interference, only that the complaint has been submitted for informational purposes.  Complainant will be advised to attend one of the meetings if they desire WWCIC’s assistance in resolving their interference problem.  Tami  Bernstein volunteered to assist Alan with a disclaimer as well as installing the form on the website.  Alan will email the draft form to all members and incorporate any comments.  (OPEN)

NEW BUSINESS

  There was no new business.

ITEMS OF INFORMATION

  WSP Items of Interest.  Pat Buller passed on a “lessons learned” about 41 base station radios that WSP purchased for $10,000 each.  They don’t have adequate filtration to prevent interference on adjacent WSP channels .   WSP will find use for these radios in remote areas but will not purchase any more of that type.

  FCC Items of Interest.  Dennis Anderson reported on the following FCC issues.   Most FCC documents can be found on FCC's web site www.fcc.gov.  If you would like a hard copy, please contact Shirley Perry.

  1)      The October 1999 edition of CFR Title 47 is now available.  Changes include:  90.13, rule about requirement  for FCC authorization, has been replaced by 1.903;  Part 94 is deleted; Part 27 is new.

  2)      FCC is asking for more information about software defined radio (SDR) technology that could make mobile phones more interoperable and possibly expand spectrum availability. 

  3)      NAB is lobbying Congress against LPFM but FCC is moving forward with implementation.

  4)      Radio World published an interview with Enforcement Bureau Chief Solomon.  His priorities are spectrum efficiency, local competition in telecommunications (both wired and wireless), and consumer protection.

  5)      Recent fines issued:  $7,000 to Two Way Shop in Tri Cities for CB linear marketing; $7,000 to Cellular Systems Northwest in Enumclaw for CB linear marketing; $6,000 to Western Communications Paging for excessive power; $4,000 to Hoosier Broadcasting in Chicago for operating antenna at unauthorized height; $7,000 to Sunset Car Service of Brooklyn NY for operating on unauthorized frequency and failure to identify.

  6)      Public Notice, March 16, 2000, informed antenna structure owners and licensees of changes in FAA procedures for reporting antenna light outages.  As of 2/25/2000, FCC is notified of outages that haven’t been repaired in 15 days.  In conjunction, antenna registration numbers are required when reporting tower light outages.

  7)      Auction of licenses for 800 MHz SMR frequencies in the lower 80 channels is scheduled for 9/13/2000.

  8)      In regard to rules for geographic partitioning and spectrum disaggregation for the 220-222 MHz service, the petition filed by Rand McNally & Company to remove references to major and basic trading areas in partitioning rules was dismissed.  Petition filed by Intek Global Corp. to amend construction requirements applicable to partitioned and disaggregated licenses was dismissed.  Section 90.1019 of the rules was corrected to make it consistent with the construction rule adopted in the Fifth Report and Order.  

  9)      A recent US Court of Appeals ruling preempted local ordinances against RF interference and upheld FCC’s exclusive authority over RF interference. 

  The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.

Secretary-Treasurer