Forest Industries Telecommunications (FIT) is a

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

(FCC) certified frequency coordinator and a

non-profit association A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. Established in 1947, its members include those companies or individuals who employ or are eligible to use

Land Mobile Radio Service Land mobile service (short: LMS) is – in line to ITU Radio Regulations – a mobile service between base stations and land mobile stations, or between land mobile stations. In accordance with ''ITU Radio Regulations'' (article 1) variations of ...

(LMRS)

two-way radio A two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive radio waves (a transceiver), unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content. It is an audio (sound) transceiver, a transmitter and receiver in one unit, used for bidirection ...

s. They help manage

radio frequency spectrum Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...

, perform

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

services, and prepare and certify applications for submission to the FCC. In 1997, FIT was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

to coordinate and file applications on behalf of all business and special emergency entities.

History

FIT was organized early in 1947 to represent the needs of the

forest product A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in fo ...

s industry to the Federal Communications Commission. The forest industry operates in remote regions where commercial wireless systems are not available; according to the FCC, this lack of coverage is one of the most commonly cited reasons for having a Private Land Mobile Radio (PLMR) system. Among the forestry industries, private radio service is chiefly used by the lumber and paper industries. In 1982, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

amended the Communications Act of 1934, permitting the FCC to certify private companies as frequency coordinators in order to develop and manage the Land Mobile Radio Service spectrum. FIT was among the pioneers using

computer database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

s to manage LMRS frequencies. Until February 1997, private land mobile radio frequencies below 512 MHz were divided among ten separate radio services: the Industrial Radio Services (Power, Petroleum, Forest Products, Film & Video Production, Relay Press, Special Industrial, Business, Manufacturers, Telephone Maintenance) and the Land Transportation Radio Services (Motor Carrier, Railroad, Taxicab, Automobile Emergency). As part of a "refarming" initiative to use these frequencies more efficiently, the FCC consolidated these services into one Industrial/Business Radio Pool. As a former coordinator for the Forest Products pool, FIT could then coordinate frequencies throughout the Industrial/Business Radio Pool, along with the other former coordinators. In November 2001,

Nextel Communications Nextel Communications, Inc. was an American wireless service operator that merged with and ceased to exist as a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, which would later be bought by T-Mobile US and folded into that company. Nextel in Brazil, and forme ...

proposed that the FCC relocate certain users of the 800 MHz radio band to address interference problems between commercial users and public-safety radio services. Along with the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

, MRFAC (another frequency coordinator), the

American Petroleum Institute The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the ...

, and others, FIT protested Nextel's proposal. FIT endorsed a "consensus plan" alternative. In 2004, the FCC extended FIT's frequency-coordination authority to the 929–930 MHz paging frequencies and the PLMR Special Emergency frequencies below 512 MHz. FIT was the only group to protest a proposal removing the FCC's rule against high-powered mobile repeaters in the Industrial/Business Pool frequencies below 450 MHz in 2010, citing concerns that without the rule, licensees might engage in a "power war", creating interference. The FCC understood, but did not share, FIT's concern.

References

External links

*{{Official, http://www.fcclicense.org Radio organizations in the United States