Despite a huge victory in 2002, the battle against the FCC and its federal government regulatory counterpart, the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) is on-going. Please read below for more information.

BACKGROUND

2002: The GPR Service Providers Coalition, a coalition of dozens of small geophysical and engineering businesses located nationwide, met with senior FCC officials and administrators in May of 2002 in a meeting facilitated by Senator John Kerry's office. The FCC learned from the meeting the role of GPR in Public Safety as well as hundreds of other applications. Data presented by GPR Service Providers Coalition by Co-founders Dr. Kenneth Maser (Infrasense, Inc.) and Ms. Doria Kutrubes of RSI, suggested that over 3,000 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage could be avoided by using GPR for utility locating surveys. GPR was also used by coalition members to find voids beneath highways before vehicles had accidents and assisted, often pro-bono, law enforcement agencies to solve murders and bring closure to victims families.

Thanks to a lot of hard work on everyone's part, we convinced the FCC the need for GPR. The GPR Service Providers Coalition won a huge victory for all GPR service providers across the U.S. in which an industry-wide waiver (for some estimated 350 companies) was granted by the FCC which allows those older, pre FCC 98-153, GPR systems to operate, as long as they were registered by November 15, 2002 with the FCC. This waiver represented a large concession on the FCC's part, especially when the burden to small businesses was assessed. The NTIA opposed and still opposes any use of GPR as they believe that GPR could potentially interfer with communication and navigation systems and with GPS positioning. The NTIA still has no valid evidence suggesting that GPR emissions causes any interference whatsoever.

NOW

With bridges crumbling and not sufficient competition to keep GPR surveying costs reasonable, the FCC/NTIA still maintains that its policies are for the public good. Two attempts on RSI's part to obtain an FCC waiver to operate an air-coupled antenna above current 98-153 emission levels have failed, and other providers' attempts have met similar stone-walling on the part of the NTIA. Use of this type of air-coupled antenna will enable travel at highway speeds, which would keep highway workers and the public safe, enable roll-along closures, and reduce overall survey cost by increasing data efficiently. Currently, only a handful of companies have the "pre-FCC", grandfathered GPR systems that enable travel at highway speeds, compared to older systems which can only operate from 4 to 30 MPH. These firms have limited competition and can not keep up with the demand placed on them by state DOTs and the FHWA.

Moreover, the FAA and its federal regulatory agency, the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) flaunt the very rules that they put in place for the industry. The FAA has spent the last several years working with a Norweigan firm, developing a FREQUENCY SWEPT 3D GPR system, that by definition, cannot meet FCC 98-153 standards. Yet, they continue to out-source American jobs overseas, creating a situation where the FAA, USDOT, and NTIA are competing against American companies, mostly small businesses. To add insult to injury, the only other entities that can operate with new equipment at highway speeds are universities. Under the auspices of "RESEARCH", universities are able to bid for jobs at the expense of American companies.

If you are OUTRAGED and want to change BAD FCC POLICY, please join our GPR Service Providers Coalition. We would like an equal and fair playing field, one that TRULY IS in the best interest of the PUBLIC.

IF INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR GPR-SERVICE PROVIDERS COALITION FOR THE REPEAL OF RESISTRICTIVE FCC/NTIA EMISSION STANDARDS, PLEASE JOIN OUR BLOG!

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