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Pacific Spectrum Connection

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News

Welcome to our First Issue!

At last year's Client Workshops, you said we could do better at disseminating information to you. As one response to your suggestion, we have created the "Pacific Spectrum Connection" as a quarterly publication. This newsletter is intended to share information with our regional spectrum clients on spectrum issues, policies and regional activities, announce upcoming events and updates on online services and tools, and provide feedback on topics raised by you, our clients.

"Pacific Region Client Guide to VHF/UHF Radio Licensing" is now available. Contact your nearest IC Pacific district office for a copy of this document.

Keep up-to-date on new policy decisions and consultations, proposals, reviews and revisions. See what's "In the News" on the Spectrum Management and Telecommunications web site and also check out the link to "Gazette Notices".

Pacific Region Spectrum Managers Re-organized
Earlier this year, the District Managers re-organized specific processes and responsibilities to more effectively manage work and respond to client services. Following are their revised areas of responsibilities:

Spectrum Authorizations
Lower Mainland & Vancouver Island: Bradley Thompson
BC Interior and Yukon: Gordon Herrmann

Spectrum Operations
Lower Mainland: Michael Krenz
BC interior and Yukon: Morris Bodnar
Vancouver Island and Regional Maritime Services: Jim Laursen

2005 Radio Station Licensing Client Satisfaction Survey.

Highlights of what our clients told us under the national survey:

• Overall, 79% of clients had some measure of satisfaction (46% were fully satisfied) and 3% had some measure of dissatisfaction.
• What they liked most: staff courtesy, staff competence, fairness and equity.
• What they liked least: ease of finding information, and waiting time for a decision.
• Two-thirds of applications were filed via a third party (83% of which were radio equipment suppliers).
• Indirect clients (third party) increased from representing 36% of clients in 2002 to 58% in 2005.
• Six out of ten clients who used a third party expressed "topbox" satisfaction with the third party's performance. This is an increase since the previous survey of 46%.
• Applications sent by mail or presented in person have decreased from 57% to 38%.

Activities

Work Continues on the Resource Road Radio Initiative

The initiative to reduce the number of frequencies used for road safety communications on resource roads in British Columbia continues to progress. In recent weeks and months, most of the focus has been on assembling approximately 40 VHF frequencies to be designated province-wide for the sole purpose of safety communications on resource roads. According to the project leader, Morris Bodnar, the new road frequencies will likely be located in simplex block E (150.050 - 151.880 MHz) of Standard Radio System Plan 500. Upwards of 46 potential frequencies have already been identified and the next step is to complete international coordination with the U.S.A. Once coordination responses have been received, the process of displacing affected users on these frequencies will begin. In the meantime, a moratorium on new frequency assignments in simplex block E remains in force.

On another front, we're continuing our effort to gain a better understanding of road frequencies currently in use and their locations. Industry stakeholders like Canfor and West Fraser Mills are working with Industry Canada to map out existing road frequencies: to define the areas and roads where they are posted. Additionally, a process is being devised to reconcile Appendix 6 (the Interior and Northern B.C. Forestry frequency list) with the frequencies presently used in the various regions of the province. A complete understanding of what is happening in the field is essential to developing a future strategy to migrate all resource road usages to 40 frequencies. That is the ultimate goal of the initiative.

Mobile Station Compliance

Since April, 2005, Industry Canada has performed 7 separate compliance events in the BC interior.

• 172 radio-equipped commercial vehicles were inspected
• 124, or 72% of the vehicles had the necessary radio licensing coverage.
• The remaining 48 units are now licensed.

A handful of critical discrepancies were identified during these checks. Follow-up action has been taken to rectify these discrepancies.

• end-user front programmable radios (5 units)
• uncertified equipment (i.e. Marine/amateur - 4 units)
• unlicensable frequencies installed (e.g. RCMP - 7 units)
• other general discrepancies (9 units)

Future road checks are planned in the Kamloops, Fort St James, and Vernon areas this October, and in areas around Vancouver Island this fall. In addition to our licence and technical checks, we will be collecting information on the source of these discrepancies with a view to remedial action.

Land Fixed Survey Underway

We have started our land-fixed survey program in all districts throughout the Pacific region. 520 stations (130 per district) have been randomly selected for on-site inspections to ensure installed radios meet Industry Canada's minimum technical specifications and to compare each installations technical parameters with those authorized. A summary of inspection results will be provided in a future issue.

Spectrum Issues

Environmental Assessments and Towers

Protecting our fragile environment while building a strong economy is a challenge that Canadians face every day. Environmental assessments help by eliminating or reducing a project's potential impact on the environment before a project begins. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure all projects that it is involved in, approves or licenses, have minimal effects on the environment. To this end, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) applies to all federal decision making. As Industry Canada makes decisions when it issues authorizations such as radio licences, the CEAA applies to each request and must be assessed against the Act.

The purpose of an environmental assessment is to:

• identify possible environmental effects
• propose measures to mitigate adverse effects
• predict whether there will be significant adverse environmental effects, even after the mitigation is implemented.
  

Fortunately, most licence applications don't need detailed assessments and only require a submission of the Preliminary Environmental Attestation with the radio licence application. Detailed assessments are needed for structures that are not specifically exempted. This formal assessment has to be completed before licence authorization can be given. The exemptions for towers and antenna supporting structures are contained in the ‘Exclusion List Regulations' section 13 of the CEAA. Watch for more information on this topic in our next issue.

For further information about the assessment in Canada, see the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency web site.

Responsibility to Obtain a Radio Licence…User or Supplier

The Radio Act states you must not sell or have in your possession any radio apparatus without benefit of a radio authorization. This clearly establishes responsibility to include both the supplier and the user. As dealers and suppliers, you are infinitely more familiar with the policies and procedures associated with licensing than your clients. Therefore, they rely on you, as the expert, for guidance on installation and operation requirements of their radio equipment. Assisting the end user in getting their licensing in order should be seen as a value-added service and goes a long way in preventing interference conflicts that can adversely affect your customers. By ensuring that we are given accurate and up-to-date information of what has been installed and where it is in use, you will help improve spectrum quality and user satisfaction, thus making everyone's day-to-day lives just a little less stressful.

Amateur Equipment and Business Communication

There are three major issues at play here.

1. The Radiocommunication Regulations specifically prohibit the use of amateur radio equipment for commercial or business communications.
2. Amateur radio operators are required to be certified and must take a technical exam to obtain certification.
3. The Amateur Experimental Service operates in designated frequency bands and the equipment is not certified under RSS 119 for use in the Private Commercial bands. Amateur equipment would have to be illegally modified to operate in commercial frequency bands.

Spectrum Direct

Spectrum Direct is our flagship on-line services web site. Watch for hints and updates in every issue of this newsletter.

A Web Profile is required to visit protected areas of Spectrum Direct and submit online radio licence applications. To create a web profile, Spectrum Direct designates the first user (Administrator User) to enter a unique login name and password. Once the initial web profile is created, additional users (Associated Users) may be added to the administrator's web profile by using the Update Web Profile link. This can be used to provide access to employees of your company, or to 3rd parties like radio suppliers, consultants or service providers that may submit applications on your behalf.

User Guides on using XML on Spectrum Direct, and also for several of the online radio licence applications, are available. Contact your nearest IC Pacific district office for a copy of this document.

New functions and features added to Spectrum Direct:

• On-line cancellation of pending and/or invoiced stations and frequency records.
• Frequency Search results now include pending frequency assignments.
• On-line PCS/Cellular Station updates for Cellular/PCS spectrum licence holders.
• On-Line Broadcast Certification Applications.

Client Corner

This section will answer questions posed by clients. Should you have a specific topic or question that you would like to see in a future issue, please send it to one of the email links listed in the "Contact Us" section. For a more immediate response, please phone your nearest district office.

Q. How often is Appendix 6 updated ?
A. Appendix 6 gets an update about once each year. Note that this appendix will be replaced as part of the Resource Road Frequency Project.

Q. Why can't there be some "plug and play " frequencies for general use ?
A. The "LAD" (Logging Admin) channels were created for this purpose. For Handheld radio users, FRS and GMRS channels are available.

Q. What if a client wants to purchase a programming cable and software ?
A. User programmability is restricted to dealers, technicians and equipment suppliers in order to set up radio equipment on authorized frequencies. Do not sell this equipment to the end user. Users with this capability are in violation of the Act and invariably end up using unauthorized frequencies and cause interference to legitimate authorized radio users.

Q. What is the proper power level for a mobile radio ?
A. A mobile radio should not exceed 30 watts. Other power settings may be available on certified equipment, but these are meant for base station installations or special applications.

We need your input on posters. At last year's client workshops you told us it would help if we provided you with posters that inform your customers of Industry Canada requirements. Please let us know what topics are most important to you.

Contact Us

Your feedback is important to us. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions.

E-mail:

Lower Mainland District Office
Vancouver Island District Office
Okanagan Kootenay District Office
Northern B.C. / Yukon District Office

Telephone: 1-800-667-3780 (your call will be routed to the district office in your area)