FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY WIRELESS NETWORK WEBSITE (courtesy of Mark Raney): http://www.pswn.gov/.

I excerpted portions of the executive summary that seems to make our case quite clearly. Mark

The Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) program commissioned the consulting firm, Booz× Allen & Hamilton Inc. (BAH), to perform an independent study of the relative benefits and shortcomings of public safety land mobile radio (LMR) systems operating in the 800-Megahertz (MHz) frequency band.

-- "Unfortunately, the basis for public safety operation in this frequency range and the associated effect on interoperability has not been formally established. In addition, the costs and operational changes associated with 800 MHz systems have not been systematically assessed."

--"As part of the study, BAH was asked to assess, "Is 800 MHz truly right for public safety?" In comparing 800 MHz signal propagation with other frequency bands typically used by the public safety community, it is concluded that 800 MHz is not universally better or worse than other portions of the spectrum."

--"Many states, counties, and municipalities are replacing aging public safety radio systems with new systems operating in the 800 MHz band. These groups have accurately identified benefits to migrating to the 800 MHz band. The lack of available spectrum in the lower frequency bands and the availability of 800 MHz channels have served as drivers for system planners to migrate to 800 MHz systems. Metropolitan users have, in some cases, achieved better coverage with an 800 MHz system as compared to the older VHF systems. This improvement in coverage may be due in part to the addition of new tower sites throughout the metropolitan area."

--"Although spectrum is presently available in the 800 MHz band, some systems planners are choosing to build new systems using the lower frequency bands. Two of the deciding factors are coverage and system costs. Larger systems, in terms of coverage area, generally operate at lower frequencies, because an inverse relationship exists between frequency and rangeľ as frequency increases, range decreases. Perhaps the most significant factor is cost. Since the range of lower frequency systems is greater, greater coverage area can generally be achieved with less equipment infrastructure."

--"In summary, 800 MHz is in fact "… right for public safety," as is VHF and low-band UHF. LMR system planners, engineers, and users are thoroughly measuring the pros and cons of systems operating in each of these bands against their unique communications needs. They are assessing critical factors such as, spectrum availability, coverage within their environment, interoperability with neighboring systems, and cost. The percentage or number of new 800 MHz systems determined to be superior for public safety use within an area when compared to other systems in public safety bands is not yet known. It is certain, however, that an 800 MHz system "makes sense" in some situations, while a VHF or UHF system would be more efficient and cost-effective in other areas. The challenge for the public safety community is to obtain or maintain sufficient spectrum in each of the bands and create workable interoperability plans that fully integrate spectrum, systems, and system users into an interoperable, nationwide communications network."