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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (857614)	5/16/2015 7:41:36 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 1574732

Blame Congress. As Amtrak officials have set about acquiring spectrum rights, they have long maintained that their safety system requires an exclusive frequency to transmit such data, one that does not have to compete with -- or face interference from -- other transmissions like radio, television or cell phone signals. But when Congress in 2008 mandated that rail companies like Amtrak install PTC on their tracks, lawmakers did not require the FCC to set aside any of those airwaves for this exclusive function. Flush with profits, private railroad firms responded to the mandate byquickly obtaining their own licenses in the 220Mhz frequency range. That spectrum was particularly useful for communications across long distances, making it appropriate for long-haul freight carriers passing through rural areas. With that in mind, a consortium of private rail operators began purchasing blocks of spectrum in that frequency in 2007 -- both in anticipation that they would need it themselves, and also as a potentially sound investment: As Congress required the deployment of PTC the following year, and as the private rail operators pushed to make 220 mhz the accepted standard for those systems, the value of spectrum rights in that band climbed. Faced with competition, budget-strapped Amtrak repeatedly failed to secure its own deals to the airwaves, stymying its efforts to install the PTC technology on its passenger rail service. This gap was especially troubling in the Northeast Corridor running from Washington to Boston, Amtrak’s most congested and most profitable area of operation. Congress did not step in to to set aside spectrum for this purpose, despite warnings from Amtrak and other public transportation officials. ibtimes.com