[WARC] FCC Waiver

[Jim Brown]

FCC Issues First Waiver for Government-Sponsored Disaster Drill


On Tuesday October 27, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB
<http://www.fcc.gov/wtb> ) granted the first waiver
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2302A1.pdf>  that
allows amateurs who participate in a government-sponsored emergency
preparedness and disaster drill to communicate on behalf of their employers
during the drill. The waiver request was made on behalf of the Commonwealth
of Kentucky. That state will be conducting a full-scale exercise on
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 8 AM-5 PM (EDT) to test their emergency
response to the possible release of chemical agents at Blue Grass Army
Depot, located near Richmond, Kentucky.

"The waiver request was what could almost be termed a 'textbook example' of
the process," said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND.
"The waiver request met all of the criteria outlined in the Commission's
recent Public Notice DA 09-2259
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2259A1.pdf> : A
government-sponsored drill, the specifics of when and where the event would
happen, the identification of the amateur licensees that would be providing
communications on behalf of their employers, the identification of the
employers and a brief description of the drill. With all of the requirements
in order, the WTB was able to turn the waiver around promptly, allowing the
amateurs involved to participate in the exercise."

It is important to note that while this particular waiver -- the first
issued under the new guidelines -- could be readily handled within the short
time frame, Henderson suggests that government agencies wishing to request
similar waivers in the future provide sufficient lead-time for their
requests. "I wouldn't recommend that a waiver request be filed at the last
minute," he said. "The Kentucky waiver had the benefit of being the first
one -- meaning there was no lag time in processing. It also had the
advantage of easily meeting all of the requirements, making it an easier
decision. I would encourage government agencies to file the waiver request
as soon as they know which amateurs will need to be included in the waiver.
This will allow the FCC as much lead time as possible. I am not certain they
will be in a position to expedite last-minute requests."

 

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