US & Canada Agree on New Border Spectrum Sharing Measure

The United States Federal Communications Commission and telecommunications regulator Industry Canada have agreed on three interim spectrum-sharing arrangements covering three types of wireless communications operations along the U.S.-Canada border. The arrangements govern various bands involving air-to-ground communications, fixed operations and specialized mobile radio services.
In the way of fixed services, the FCC, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Industry Canada struck a sharing agreement governing 71 to 76, 81to 86 and 94.1 to 95 GHz. This is intended to facilitate deployment of fixed services within the border area. Such services include backhaul for mobile broadband networks, high-speed wireless local area networks and broadband Internet access over high bandwidth point-to-point links.
At 454.6625 to 454.9875 MHz and 459.6625 to 459.9875 MHz a Statement of Intent allows for creation of a nationwide digital system covering the sharing and coordination of spectrum for general aviation air-to-ground services. It provides for sharing of spectrum when operations are located within distances ranging from roughly 300 to 360 miles of the common border.
With regard to specialized mobile radio services at 896 to 901 and 935 to 940 MHz, the new arrangement governs the sharing and coordination of within roughly 60 miles of the common border and simplifies the criteria for permitting secondary users in the band. This is intended to enable more efficient use of the spectrum while protecting primary users. This particular agreement called Arrangement U may become part of a larger treaty or replacement agreement governing services operating above 30 MHz. The operational provisions of this arrangement will be applied on an interim basis pending further review. (RW, FCC, Industry Canada)

Louisiana Adopts Alert FM Statewide

If there’s ever another disaster like Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana will be in a far better position to advise its residents than back in August of 2005. This with the announcement by Louisiana’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness that it has adopted the Alert FM system as a way of notifying the state’s emergency managers in 64 parishes and 42 institutions of higher learning of an imminent threat to life or property.
According to the release, Louisiana’s Senator Mary Landrieu was an early supporter of the broadcast-based emergency alert systems. She is quoted as saying that with Alert FM, Louisiana has implemented a reliable method of distributing life-saving information to the citizens. She added that the dependability of broadcast transmissions can make the difference between life and death during an emergency.
As previously reported here on Newsline, Alert FM is an emergency notification system that delivers messages from state, local, and private sector officials to citizens, schools, businesses, and first responders using the Radio Data System or R-D-S sub- carrier of local FM radio stations. Messages are originated by designated officials and are then transported from a secure web-based portal to the data sub-carrier via GSS Net which is a secure satellite data delivery system. These alerts and messages are then received by FM stations and re-transmitted to Alert FM equipped receivers or to cell phones that have both active FM chips and properly installed software.
More about the Alert FM system is on line at alertfm.com. (Radio Weekly)

CHANCE OF STORMS

NOAA forecastesrs estimate a 65% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on August 10th when one and perhaps two CMEs are expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The incoming clouds were propelled from the sun by a flurry of erupting magnetic filaments on Aug. 6-7. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. 

Source: SpaceWeather.com

MAGNETIC FIELD REVERSAL ON THE SUN:

 It hasn't happened yet, but it's about to. Data from NASA-supported observatories show that the sun's global magnetic field will flip before the end of 2013. The reversal, which signals the arrival of Solar Maximum, will have ripple effects felt throughout the solar system. Get the full story and a video from Science@NASA.