Eglin Wireless Letter
The City of Valparaiso and VBCS recently received correspondence from the Department of the Air Force, Eglin Air Force Base, drawing attention to an issue that centers on wireless technology. The wireless technology referenced in the letter, uses the 5.6 – 5.8 Giga-hertz frequency band and would be sold as 802.11a technology. Although the letter references developers, 802.11a technology is available to anyone. Below is an extract of the letter received on January 3, 2005.
“The increase in use of state-of-the-art technologies and consumer demand for wireless and fixed internet services, is leading to many apartments, hotels, and condominiums being designed or retrofitted with high-speed internet service using equipment that operates in the 5.6 to 5.8 Giga-hertz portion of the frequency band. To avoid Electro-magnetic Interference (EMI) with Eglin’s ability to track aircraft with our radars we request your assistance in letting developers know of a problem we have recently experienced with Part 15 devices operating on these frequency bands.”
“Use of this band is approved for non-licensed equipment by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) but operations must not interfere with use by a licensed user of the frequency. The Air Force is the only licensed operator for these frequencies in this area and use of equipment operating in this band that impacts the tracking of aircraft by Eglin’s radars must avoided.”
“When interference on these frequencies is experienced, Eglin works with the FCC to terminate the source of the interference. The FCC may issue severe fines and confiscate equipment with no reimbursement to the owner of the equipment that is causing the problem. As partners with our community, we wish to avoid this type of action.”
Information concerning Wireless Technology can be found at:
http://www.linksys.com/products/wirelessstandards.asp
If you have any questions regarding the provided information, feel free to contact VBCS at 729-5404.
