One of our board reports discussed the commercial services moving to narrowbanding, and what this meant for Amateur Radio. Just received the communication below, which may be of some interest. A lot of obsolete gear will most likely be available for amateur radio use soon. '73 de JIM N2ZZ ARRL Vice Director Roanoke Division ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio™ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT December 23, 2010 Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668 Email: robert.kenny@fcc.gov <mailto:robert.kenny%40fcc.gov> FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION TO HOLD WORKSHOP ON JANUARY 26, 2011 ON VHF/UHF NARROWBANDING Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) today announced it will hold a workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding to assist licensees in completing the transition to narrowband radio communications by January 1, 2013. The event will be held on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, from 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305). The Commission's rules have set January 1, 2013 as the deadline for all VHF and UHF Public Safety and Industrial/Business land mobile radio (LMR) systems in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands to migrate from 25 kHz channel bandwidth to 12.5 kHz or narrower technology. Timely completion of narrowbanding will ensure more efficient use of spectrum, relieve congestion, and result in increased channel availability for LMR systems. The workshop will provide Public Safety and Industrial/Business licensees with information regarding the narrowbanding transition path, and will include input from federal agencies, equipment manufacturers, and public safety organizations to help ensure timely compliance with the deadline across the nation. The Commission will release a complete agenda closer to the event date. The workshop will be open to the public; however, admittance will be limited to the seating available. Individuals interested in attending this event must pre-register on-line at http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/event-registration.html, where they will be asked to provide their name, title, organization affiliation, and contact information. Individuals may also contact Deandrea Wilson at Deandrea.Wilson@fcc.gov <mailto:Deandrea.Wilson%40fcc.gov> or via phone at 202-418-0703 regarding pre-registration. The deadline for pre-registration is Monday, January 24, 2011. Audio/video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/live. The FCC's webcast is free to the public. Those who watch the live video stream of the event may email event-related questions to livequestions@fcc.gov <mailto:livequestions%40fcc.gov> <mailto:livequestions@fcc.gov <mailto:livequestions%40fcc.gov> %20\%20mailto:livequestions@fcc.gov <mailto:livequestions%40fcc.gov> > . Depending on the volume of questions and time constraints, the panel moderators will work to respond to as many questions as possible during the workshop. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. Individuals making such requests must include their contact information should FCC staff need to contact them for more information. Requests should be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov <mailto:fcc504%40fcc.gov> or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). For additional information about the meeting, please contact Susan McLean at (202) 418-7868 or by email: Susan.McLean@fcc.gov <mailto:Susan.McLean%40fcc.gov> . For information on narrowbanding please visit: www.fcc.gov/narrowbanding. - FCC - For more news and information about the Federal Communications Commission please visit: www.fcc.gov <http://www.fcc.gov/> <http://www.fcc.gov/>