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CPC-3-13-02 - Provision of Interference Identification and Resolution Services on a 24/7 Basis for Safety Services
Issue 1
November 2003
Spectrum Management and Telecommunication Policy
Client Procedures Circular
Full Document for Printing, PDF Format, 169.6 KB
Help to Access Documents
Client Procedures Circulars describe the various procedures or
processes to be followed by the public when dealing with Industry
Canada. The information contained in these circulars is subject to
change without notice. It is therefore suggested that interested
persons consult the nearest district office of Industry Canada for
additional details. While every reasonable effort has been made to
ensure accuracy, no warranty is expressed or implied. As well, these
circulars have no status in law.
Comments and suggestions may be directed to the following address:
Industry Canada
Radiocommunications and
Broadcasting Regulatory Branch
300 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C8
Attention: DOSP
via e-mail: spectrum_pubs@ic.gc.ca
All spectrum publications are now available on the Internet at:
http://strategis.gc.ca/spectrum
Table of Contents
Application
This procedure for the Provision of Interference Identification and
Resolution Services on a 24/7 Basis for Safety Services only
applies to NAV CANADA. Industry Canada will pursue similar
arrangements with other Public Safety Services on a case-by-case
basis.
Background
Industry Canada recognizes that both NAV CANADA and itself have
responsibilities in resolving interference to radiocommunication
systems and that support from Industry Canada to assist NAV CANADA in
resolving such interference outside of normal business hours may be
required. After-hours assistance has historically been made available
to public safety organizations and others who are critically dependant
on radiocommunications or are being severely impacted by devices
emitting radio frequency energy.
This procedure clarifies the respective roles of NAV CANADA and
Industry Canada with respect to the Provision of Interference
Identification and Resolution Services on a 24/7 Basis as
outlined in the Agreement Between Her Majesty the Queen in Right
of Canada as Represented by the Minister of Industry Canada and NAV
CANADA Regarding Radio Frequency Spectrum Management.
Disclaimer
If there is a discrepancy between this procedure and the agreement,
the Agreement Between Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as
Represented by the Minister of Industry Canada and NAV CANADA
Regarding Radio Frequency Spectrum Management prevails. You will
find an excerpt of the agreement in Appendix A.
Principle
Industry Canada evaluates all interference complaints to
radiocommunication systems on a case-by-case basis to determine how
best to respond. In doing so, the Department considers the nature of
the service, the severity of the interference, the radiocommunication
options, the impact on the general public and Canada's well being,
and the action taken by the licensee to resolve its own interference
problem.
Mandate
Section 5.(1)(l) of the Radiocommunication Act
authorizes the Minister to make determinations of harmful interference
and
issue "cease or modify" orders to those who are causing the
interference.
Section 5.(1)(n) of the Act authorizes the Minister to do
anything, including the identification and resolution of radio
interference, that permits the effective administration of the Act.
Policy
NAV CANADA must ensure that its radiocommunication systems are
installed and operating as per their authorized parameters and must
collect the information necessary to resolve any interference
situations. Furthermore, NAV CANADA is expected to undertake
reasonable and appropriate actions before contacting the Department
for assistance in the resolution of interference. As a minimum, NAV
CANADA is to have completed the actions outlined below before
requesting assistance either during or outside of normal business
hours.
Should there be a report of interference, NAV CANADA will provide
support to Industry Canada as outlined in Section 4.03 of the
Agreement. In consideration of the above and the Agreement, Industry
Canada (Spectrum Management) will provide interference identification
and resolution services on a 24/7 basis to NAV CANADA.
Procedures and Roles for Requesting Assistance
NAV CANADA
-
NAV CANADA is to identify key personnel or positions within their
organization (up to ten) who will be authorized to request the
assistance of Industry Canada outside of normal office hours. This
list is to be provided to Industry Canada and must be updated on an
ongoing basis.
-
When requesting after-hours service from Industry Canada, NAV
CANADA personnel must ensure that the necessary actions outlined
below have been completed before requesting assistance:
-
evaluate the complaint to determine whether it constitutes
harmful interference that endangers the protection of
human life and property;
-
determine whether the incident needs to be resolved
immediately, or whether it can be dealt with the following
business day;
-
consult with their technical experts and confirm that the
radiocommunication system being affected is operating within
its authorized licensing parameters;
-
confirm that the radiocommunication system's performance
as well as other radiocommunication systems under its control
and operating in close proximity are operating within their
authorized licensing parameters;
-
collect and record details on the nature of the interference,
including, but not limited to, whether the interference takes
the form of identifiable words, music, or other electrical
noise, whether it is intermittent or continuous, the time of
day when the interference occurs and any related
patterns;
-
record the actions taken to validate the existence of
interference; and
-
record the measures taken to eliminate the interference (e.g.
additional filtering, squelch adjustments, etc.).
-
During normal business working hours (i.e. 08:30 to
16:30, local time) NAV CANADA will communicate directly with
the appropriate Industry Canada district office as per RIC-66.
-
Outside of normal business working hours (i.e. 16:30 to 08:30,
local time) NAV CANADA will communicate with the Industry Canada
after-hours contact.
Industry Canada
-
Industry Canada will provide NAV CANADA with telephone number(s)
for both normal business hours and after-hours so that identified
personnel/positions are able reach Industry Canada.
-
Upon receipt of a request to assist with interference to a NAV
CANADA radiocommunication system, Industry Canada will make a
determination on the source of the interference in as timely a
manner as possible taking into consideration things such as weather
conditions and proximity to the station experiencing the
interference;
-
Industry Canada will issue orders, as necessary, to persons in
control of radio apparatus or interference-causing equipment, to
cease or modify operation until such time as the radio apparatus or
equipment can be operated without causing interference to the NAV
CANADA radiocommunication system; and
-
Industry Canada will notify NAV CANADA as soon as possible
regarding the source of the interference and the steps taken to
resolve it (subject to confidentiality and privacy issues).
Reference(s)
These and other Spectrum documents can be found on Industry
Canada's Spectrum
Management and Telecommunications Web site at:
http://strategis.gc.ca/spectrum.
Appendix A
Excerpt from the Agreement Between Her Majesty The Queen in Right of
Canada as Represented by the Minister of Industry and NAV CANADA
Regarding RadioFrequency Spectrum Management
Article 4 - Agreement on Radio Frequency Interference Investigation
and Resolution
Section 4.01 - Introduction
-
In order to conduct its business, NAV CANADA is required to operate
safety-related radiocommunication systems.
-
Each party has access to unique resources which may be combined in
order to successfully investigate and Resolve cases of Harmful
Interference.
-
As such, both parties agree that, where required, they will combine
those resources and work together in investigating and resolving
cases of Harmful Interference to NAV CANADA's aeronautical
radiocommunication systems.
Section 4.02 Shared Responsibilities
- The Minister and NAV CANADA shall:
-
undertake to safeguard from Harmful Interference licensed
aeronautical radiocommunication facilities whether operated by NAV
CANADA or published for public use. Recognizing the inherent
difficulties in protecting mobile units from interference, both
Parties will endeavour to provide similar protection to mobile
receivers, operating on the frequencies listed in Appendix B;
-
meet as necessary, upon the request of either party, to discuss
radio frequency interference (RFI) resolution efforts;
-
review and update points of contact periodically;
-
endeavour to resolve any problems or disagreements that may arise
during the term of this Agreement;
-
each provide engineering and management support to field staff, as
necessary, during an investigation;
-
each be responsible for their own operational costs, incurred
during an investigation. (e.g. equipment and vehicle expenses,
overtime wages, cost of airborne operations, etc.); and
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keep confidential, subject to applicable laws:
-
the data provided for the purpose of investigations, and
- the results of the investigations.
Section 4.03 - NAV CANADA Responsibilities
NAV CANADA shall:
-
designate a lead person to act as officer of primary interest (the
"OPI") who will receive reports of interference initiated
by NAV CANADA operational staff and evaluate the significance of
each report before determining which cases should be referred to
Industry Canada. After a case is referred to Industry Canada, the
OPI shall continue to function as a facilitator of information and
communication flow between the two organizations and to direct NAV
CANADA resources to assist in the identification and resolution of
the interference;
-
conduct an initial investigation of RFI incidents and rule out both
intrasystem interference and faulty NAV CANADA equipment as the
source of the interference;
- evaluate the urgency of a RFI incident and determine if it warrants contacting
the designated Industry Canada officials and asking them to respond to a problem
outside of normal working hours ;
-
provide Industry Canada with an RFI report that includes:
-
the rationale for designating an RFI incident as Harmful
Interference;
-
the significance of the RFI incident and the urgency of
resolution requested;
-
the type and nature of the interference that was
observed;
-
the frequency, the location, the date(s) and time(s) of
occurrence, type of equipment involved; and
-
where appropriate and available, aircraft position data and
sound recordings of the detected interference;
-
institute policies and procedures, as may be required, to ensure
that suitable and timely RFI documentation is available to Industry
Canada and to NAV CANADA investigators;
-
cooperate as fully as possible with Industry Canada to assist with
their RFI investigation, including but not limited to assisting
with field support; and
-
provide airborne RFI investigation support to Industry Canada, if
appropriate, when Industry Canada ground-based techniques are
insufficient to detect the interference or locate the source.
Section 4.04 - The Minister's Responsibilities
The Minister shall:
-
provide interference identification and resolution services to NAV
CANADA, in accordance with Industry Canada Client Procedure
Circular 3-13-02, "Provision of Interference Identification
and Resolution Services on a 24/7 Basis for Safety
Services";
-
endeavour to consult with NAV CANADA, prior to making any changes
to Client Procedure Circular 3-13-02, "Provision of
Interference Identification and Resolution Services on a 24/7 Basis
for Safety Services", and to provide NAV CANADA with
reasonable notice if those changes will impact on NAV CANADA;
-
evaluate all RFI reports, received from NAV CANADA's OPI, and
assign a high priority to those cases considered to constitute
Harmful Interference;
-
in the event of a disagreement over the designation of Harmful
Interference, provide the rationale for that assessment;
-
assign staff to investigate and Resolve, in a timely manner, those
cases of Harmful Interference reported by NAV CANADA;
-
take action, as quickly as possible, to Resolve reported cases of
Harmful Interference;
-
provide NAV CANADA with timely reports on the status of RFI
investigations, involving NAV CANADA frequency assignments, and
access to all related RFI documentation and data, including but not
limited to databases, reports, studies, maps of field strength
contours and investigation related software;
-
where feasible, provide NAV CANADA technical personnel with access
to Industry Canada technical resources, including necessary
instruction where applicable, to assist NAV CANADA with an on-going
investigation; and
-
provide NAV CANADA with points of contact for obtaining RFI
resolution services after normal office hours.
Section 4.05 - Intellectual Property Rights
The Parties recognize that successful collaboration may involve the
exchange of technical information, which is confidential and
proprietary to one of the Parties. Accordingly, both Parties agree
that, technical information that is disclosed by one Party will be
distributed on a need-to-know basis only and will not be disclosed to
a third party without prior written consent of the disclosing Party.
Section 4.06 - Equipment
The Parties recognize that successful collaboration may involve the
loan of equipment from one Party to the other or the joint acquisition
of equipment by the Parties. In either case, the Parties shall enter
into acceptable written arrangements with respect to such loans or
joint acquisitions which shall address, among other matters,
ownership, costs, use, maintenance and repair, disposal and
termination.
Footnotes
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