by CarterB
jgallaway81 wrote:As with the Federal mandate for the conversion of the TV stations to go digital, the time is coming where even teh railroads will be mandated to a conversion to digital. Part of that is the implementation of PTC.Please cite for me any mandates, now or proposed, by the FCC that railroad must go digital. The 'refarming' of the frequencies from 25KHz to 12.5KHz band widths is mandatory by Jan 1, 2013, analog....however I know of NO mandates of any kind by the FCC that would require railroads to also go digital. Now as to PTC, if the ARA or DOT are mandating radio accessability for digital signalling/encryption....that's another story...but pleas cite such a mandate.
The BIGGEST factor for the mandating of digital spectrum is the increased bandwidth capabilities. If more frequencies become available for licensing in the same spectrum range, the FCC gets to make more in licensing fees. Like everythign else, it comes down to the all-mighty dollar.
Bring back the Slumbercoaches!!