FCC and Amtrak PTC Timeline

VPayne · May 14, 2015, 9:17pm

Adopted:March 4, 2015 FCC WT Docket No. 11-27

…in 2011, Amtrak filed a request for waiver of certain Part 80 rules to implement its planned PTC system in the AMTS bands… Because Amtrak’s 2014 Waiver Request supersedes its 2011Waiver Request, we hereby dismiss the 2011Waiver Request as moot…

Wizlish · May 14, 2015, 9:51pm

Did you not read the document? In paragraphs 11 to 15 the FCC granted Amtrak everything they wanted in the Waiver Request. It literally does not matter that the actual 11-27 has been dismissed … the substance of the requests has been granted, and the reasoning Amtrak gave has been substantiated and accepted…

VPayne · May 15, 2015, 8:38pm

Granted about four years later?

"But the railroad struggled for four years to buy the rights to airwaves in the Northeast Corridor that would have allowed them to turn the system on.

*"*The transponders were on the tracks,” said one person who attended a Thursday morning briefing for congressional staff members. “But they also said they weren’t operational, because of this ongoing spectrum issue.”" Per NY Times Article, though the first link is the FCC source.

Though later, *"*The commission also defended its handling of Amtrak’s petition to acquire wireless frequencies, asserting that it had taken Amtrak three years to negotiate the purchase and that the commission had approved the deal within days."

I do not believe the FAA had to purchase spectrum for ATC from private lease holders.

BaltACD · May 15, 2015, 9:40pm

Granted about four years later?

"But the railroad struggled for four years to buy the rights to airwaves in the Northeast Corridor that would have allowed them to turn the system on.

*"*The transponders were on the tracks,” said one person who attended a Thursday morning briefing for congressional staff members. “But they also said they weren’t operational, because of this ongoing spectrum issue.”" Per NY Times Article, though the first link is the FCC source.

Though later, *"*The commission also defended its handling of Amtrak’s petition to acquire wireless frequencies, asserting that it had taken Amtrak three years to negotiate the purchase and that the commission had approved the deal within days."

I do not believe the FAA had to purchase spectrum for ATC from private lease holders.

FCC is just spouting the ‘Standard DC double talk’ to hold it blameless when it is fully to blame. No wonder the Native Americans said the white man spoke with forked tongues.

Wizlish · May 15, 2015, 9:49pm

Granted about four years later?

"But the railroad struggled for four years to buy the rights to airwaves in the Northeast Corridor that would have allowed them to turn the system on.

*"*The transponders were on the tracks,” said one person who attended a Thursday morning briefing for congressional staff members. “But they also said they weren’t operational, because of this ongoing spectrum issue.”" Per NY Times Article, though the first link is the FCC source.

Though later, *"*The commission also defended its handling of Amtrak’s petition to acquire wireless frequencies, asserting that it had taken Amtrak three years to negotiate the purchase and that the commission had approved the deal within days."

I do not believe the FAA had to purchase spectrum for ATC from private lease holders.

The request here started in December of 2014, with the actual waiver request being filed toward the end of February.

Look at note 16 regarding the history of the public comment period of the 2011 waiver request (which is only circumstantially mentioned here.) See all the private spectrum companies objecting to Amtrak’s wai