Report No. CI 98-12 COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATION ACTION July 17, 1998
FCC ANNOUNCES JOINT AGREEMENT WITH ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICIALS (APCO) FOR THE RESOLUTION OF INTERFERENCE COMPLAINTS
The MOU is between the FCC's Compliance and Information Bureau (CIB), in conjunction with the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. (APCO). This is the second recent Commission/industry agreement aimed at improving the Commission's compliance and enforcement processes involving public safety radio services. In April, 1998, a similar MOU was signed with the Industrial Telecommunications Association, Inc.
The agreement's main objective is to facilitate the Commission's certified Frequency Advisory Committee's (FAC) work in concert with CIB to protect the technical and regulatory integrity of radio communications. Under the agreement, APCO will follow an FCC technical and administrative standard to collect all information relevant to process a compliance or interference matter. This allows the FCC to rely on APCO to research and verify the substance of a complaint. APCO will only refer a matter to the Commission when it cannot solve an interference problem. The MOU greatly supports the Commission's mandates under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and will conserve the Commission's resources it would otherwise expend in the research and verification of a licensee-filed complaint.
According to CIB Chief Richard D. Lee, this agreement will provide the public safety industry with a sense of confidence that their communications systems will be vigorously protected from interference caused by non-compliant and/or unlicensed operators. The agreement also seeks to educate operators and licensees in the public safety radio industry on compliance with FCC rules, policies and procedures.
News Media Contact: David Fiske at (202) 418-0500
Compliance and Information Bureau Contact: John Winston at (202) 418-1100