800 MHz Rebanding—Wave 3
The FCC has announced that Wave 3 of the 800 MHz rebanding will begin on January 3, 2006. (Public Notice DA 05-3134) As with the two previous waves, Wave 3 begins with a three-month voluntary negotiation period where identified licensees in the affected regions can reach an agreement with Nextel on the details of relocating. This period during which non-NPSPAC 800 MHz licensees have the option of negotiating on a voluntary basis will end on April 2, 2006. Following this, a three month mandatory negotiation period will begin, if necessary, going until July 2, 2006. The states included in Wave 3 are as follows:
- Region #1—Alabama
- Region #9—Florida
- Region #10—Georgia
- Region #18—Louisiana
- Region #23—Mississippi
- Region #31—North Carolina
- Region #37—South Carolina
Effective as of December 2, 2006, the filing of most 800 MHz applications for non-NPSPAC channels in Wave 3 are frozen. This freeze applies to stations located in the Wave 3 regions and to stations within seventy miles of the borders of these regions. The freeze will be lifted thirty working days after mandatory negotiations have been completed.
