Attachment Ex Parte

Ex Parte

LETTER submitted by Kendell Poole

letter

2006-08-24

This document pretains to SES-STA-20060316-00454 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESSTA2006031600454_528327

August 24, 2006

Chairman Kevin J. Martin
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

RE: File Nos. SES-LFS-20050826-01175; SES-MFS-20051122-01614;
SES-STA-20060307-00374; SES-STA-20060310-00419; SES-LFS-20050930-01352;
SES-MFS-20060118-00050; SES-STA-20060308-00388; SES-STA-20060313-00430;
SES-LFS-20051011-01396; SES-STA-20060314-00438; SES-MFS-20051207-01709;
SES-STA-20060307-00372; SES-LFS-20051123-01634; SES-STA-20060316-00454;
SES-MFS-20051202-01665; SES-STA-20060307-00373; SES-LFS-20060303-00343;
SES-STA-20060315-00445

Dear Chairman Martin,

As Director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety in Tennessee, I am charged with
the job of making sure that our state's highways are as safe as possible. One of the most
important parts of that effort is working to preserve life on our highways no matter the
circumstances.

To that end, we are not only concerned with the physical safety of our highways, but also
the ability of our first responders to respond quickly to emergencies and save lives. As
you likely know, one of the best ways we can ensure efficient response times to accidents
on our highways is to ensure that our first responders are equipped with the technology
they need to react quickly and offer assistance in any emergency situation.

Tennessee has seen firsthand, the destruction brought by tornados and other powerful
storms. Our highway safety offices know that dangerous weather conditions and
highway safety do not go hand in hand. Making matters worse, in some cases, our ability
to communicate via standard cell phone technology is undone by these storms, making
the job of saving lives on our highways and getting to people in need all the more
difficult.

As is the case with most states, Tennessee's highways run through some remote and rural
areas where communications can be a challenge at any time, especially in the event of a
natural disaster. Satellite technologies can give our first responders the reassurance that
no matter where they are on our state's highways or the conditions outside, they can do
their jobs effectively.

Our ability to use the latest satellite technology for communications, however, is faced
with several obstacles that I believe the FCC should address. The satellite spectrum that
communications companies use, the L-Band, is allocated inefficiently. This means that
the spectrum blocks needed for newer technologies are not available and that these
technologies cannot be implemented without danger of creating interference. Also, I


understand that a dispute between companies over loaned spectrum space has also
delayed the introduction of new satellite services.

By addressing these critical issues, the FCC can help us accomplish our goal of saving
lives on the highways of Tennessee. Please review the spectrum assignments for satellite
communications companies, reallocate the spectrum more efficiently and help these
companies resolve disputes over loaned spectrum. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Kendell Poole


CC: Commissioners Michael J. Copps, Jonathan S. Adelstein, Deborah
Taylor Tate, Robert M. McDowell; Governor Phil Bredesen; Senator Bill Frist; Senator
Lamar Alexander



Document Created: 2006-09-15 09:09:57
Document Modified: 2006-09-15 09:09:57

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