FCC Issues Public Notice – FCC Initiates Band Manager Selection Process in 4.9 GHz and Invites Band Manager Selection Committee Nominations
On September 28, 2026, the FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (collectively the Bureaus) issued a Public Notice announcing the intent to establish a 4.9 GHz Band Manager Selection Committee on or before December 28, 2026. The Bureaus intend to establish the 4.9GHz Selection Committee for a period of no more than one year with the first meeting expected to be held in January 2027. The notice seeks nominations for membership and a chairperson for the Committee.
The Bureaus are particularly interested in receiving nominations from individuals and organizations in the following categories:
- State, Tribal, territorial and/or local government agencies with experience operating networks in the 4.9 GHz band, including governmental agencies that provide public safety services.
- Organizations representing public safety constituents who have equities in the 4.9 GHz band or are seeking to operate in the 4.9 GHz band in furtherance of their agency’s public safety mission.
- Entities with experience coordinating public safety applications and usage, including FCC certified public safety coordinators.
- Equipment manufacturers and vendors who market or intend to market equipment for the 4.9 GHz band, including 5G equipment.
The notice includes information on the nomination procedure and deadlines. Nominations are due no later than October 28, 2026
The full FCC document can be found here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1041A1.pdf or by searching for FCC DA 26-1041.
FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Provides Guidance on Implementation of Next Generation 911 (NG911) for Multi-Line Telephone Systems (MLTS) and Other Public Safety Stakeholders
On September 28, 2026, the FCC issued a Public Notice providing guidance on the implementation of NG911 for multi-line telephone systems, originating service providers (OSPs), next generation core services (NGCS) providers and other public safety stakeholders.
During connectivity testing for its wireline Phase 1 implementation in Massachusetts, Verizon discovered that 911 calls from MLTS customers that use a Private Switch Automatic Location Identification (PS/ALI) service were being delivered to a national call center rather than directly to Massachusetts’ NGCS provider. Version determined that this issue was associated with Time Division Multiplex (TDM) customers that use third-party PS/ALI services and occurred because Verizon did not have the location information for these customers.
The public notice advises OSPs to communicate challenges early. The public record indicates that some OSPs failed to communicate with the relevant 911 Authorities after learning that they likely would not be able to meet an NG911 deadline. The notice also encourages 911 Authorities and OSPs to negotiate mutual agreements to extend Phase 1 and Phase 2 deadlines on reasonable terms when circumstances warrant.
The full FCC Public Notice can be found here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1043A1.pdf or by searching for FCC DA 26-1043.