US court orders Sprint to reconfigure band by June

WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ordered Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to meet a June 26 deadline for band reconfiguration set by the Federal Communications Commission.

The ruling upheld an FCC plan for Sprint Nextel to vacate certain channels on the 800 megahertz band, which the company shares with public safety agencies. That band is plagued by interference problems, and the FCC sought to segregate incompatible systems by placing them in separate blocks of the spectrum.

"The commission's decision to hold Nextel to the June 26, 2008 deadline is reasonable," the court opinion said. "If Nextel completely vacates its general category channels on June 26, there is reason to believe it will immediately reduce interference experienced by public safety licensees already operating in that portion of the band." (Reporting by Julie Vorman)