Federal Register: FCC (Personal Radio & Amateur)

This document seeks to adopt rules for satellite services concerning orbital debris mitigation. Orbital debris consists of artificial objects orbiting the Earth that are not functional spacecraft. Since human activity in space began, there has been a steady growth in the number and total mass of orbital debris. Growth in the orbital debris population may limit the usefulness of space for communications and other uses in the future by raising the costs and lowering the reliability of space based systems. Accordingly, we seek comment on a range of options for addressing orbital debris issues as a part of spacecraft design and operation in order to preserve access to space for the long term.

This document proposes to amend our rules in order to implement domestically various allocation decisions from International Telecommunication Union ("ITU") World Radiocommunication Conferences concerning the frequency bands below 28000 kilohertz ("kHz"). The most significant of these proposals is to reallocate high frequency ("HF") spectrum from the fixed and mobile services to the broadcasting service. We also propose to make various minor amendments to our U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations ("U.S. Table") and to several of our service rules. In sum, the proposed actions would update our Rules for frequency bands below 28000 kHz so that they better comport with international regulations, would update various rule parts to effectuate the allocation changes, and would otherwise clean-up rules that have not recently been reviewed.

In this document, the Commission proposes to establish new service rules for licensing a total of 27 megahertz of spectrum transferred from Government to non-Government use. The Commission seeks comment on the flexibility that should be afforded new or incumbent licensees, and the technical and other service rules that should govern the range of existing and proposed services. The comments will aid the Commission on how best to utilize these bands to provide valuable services to the public. Additionally, the Commission seeks comments on a petition for rulemaking filed on March 6, 2000, by Data Flow Systems, Inc., requesting amendment of the Commission's rules. The Commission also seeks comments on a proposal filed by Securicor Wireless Holdings, Inc.

This document reallocates spectrum transferred from Federal Government use for non-Government services pursuant to the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Our actions here fulfill our statutory obligation to reallocate this transfer spectrum to non-Government users. We believe that this will lead to the development of new technologies and services and provide spectrum alternatives for users currently operating on heavily encumbered spectrum where operations are constrained due to congestion.

In this Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), the FCC proposes to amend Commission's rules to authorize Family Radio Service (FRS) units to transmit an additional emission type and to revise the permissible communications rule that applies to FRS units. These rule changes could allow a new and incidental use of the FRS, a short-range two-way voice communication service used by small groups of persons.

This document proposes to amend a Commission rule in order to revise the authorized duty cycle for SVRS operations on 173.075 MHz. The rule change was proposed in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by LoJack Corporation. Specifically, we propose to permit a duty cycle for mobile units of 1800 milliseconds every 300 seconds, in addition to the current duty cycle of 200 milliseconds every 10 seconds.

This document denies in part and grants in part various petitions for reconsideration of the Report and Order in this proceeding. It also revises part 13 of the rules to ensure the telegraphy requirements for commercial radio operator licenses remain unchanged and it makes minor editorial changes to certain part 97 rules. This action will allow current Amateur Radio Service licensees to contribute more to the advancement of the radio art; reduce the administrative costs that the Commission incurs in regulating this service and streamline our licensing processes; and promote efficient use of spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio Service.

In this document the Commission denies seven petitions for reconsideration and affirms the 218-219 MHz Order which modified the regulations governing the licensing of the 218-219 MHz Service (formerly known as the Interactive Video and Data Service ("IVDS")) to maximize the efficient and effective use of the band. The petitions fall into four general categories. The first category includes requests to change the options available under the 218-219 MHz service, restructuring plan. The second category includes requests to expand the definition of entities eligible to participate in the 218-219 MHz service, restructuring plan. The third category consists of miscellaneous requests relating to the 218-218 MHz Service restructuring plan. The fourth category consists of requests to expand the remedial bidding credit to all current and former licensees. Additionally, the item makes several technical modifications to conform the rules to the 218-219 MHz Order.

In this document, we open a proceeding to examine ways in which we could remove, relax, or modify Commission rules to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to the development of more robust secondary markets in radio spectrum usage rights. We inquire generally about how best to clarify our rules, and revise them where necessary, to promote the wider use of spectrum leasing, particularly in our Wireless Radio Services in which licensees hold "exclusive" authority to use spectrum in their service areas. We also ask whether the Commission should take additional actions to improve the effectiveness of secondary markets in the context of other terrestrial licenses, as well as satellite licenses. We inquire whether the Commission should revise its rules to increase flexibility in its technical and service rules. Finally, we seek comment on actions the Commission might take to impose the availability of information on the use of wireless radio spectrum.

In this document, the Commission amends its rules to promote operational, technical, and regulatory flexibility for Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS) and high seas public coast stations. These final rules will eliminate the application and engineering study requirements and modify the broadcaster notification requirement for new AMTS stations that qualify as fill-in stations, extend the construction requirement for new AMTS systems from eight months to two years, provide AMTS licensees with much-needed technical flexibility, extend the high seas public coast construction requirement to twelve months, and eliminate the HF channel loading requirement for high seas public coast stations. The Commission believes that this action will increase competition in the provision of telecommunications services, promote more efficient use of maritime spectrum, increase the types of telecommunications services available to vessel operators, allow maritime commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers to respond more quickly to market demand, and reduce regulatory burdens on AMTS and high seas public coast station licensees.

This document consolidates and streamlines the Commission's Rules concerning the private land mobile radio services (PLMRS). Several licensing and operational requirements are modified or eliminated in order to reduce the regulatory burden on PLMR licensees and to promote greater flexibility and more efficient use of the private land mobile radio frequency spectrum.

On July 17, 2000 (65 FR 43995), the Commission published final rules in the Report and Order, which revised the rules governing the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service. This document contains correction to that rules.

This document allocates new spectrum and establishes rules for a Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) that allows potentially life-critical equipment to operate on an interference-protected basis. Medical telemetry equipment is used in hospitals and health care facilities to transmit patient measurement data, such as pulse and respiration rates to a nearby receiver, permitting greater patient mobility and increased comfort. This action will increase the reliability of medical telemetry equipment.

This document revises the Amateur Radio Service rules to simplify the Amateur Radio Service operator license structure; streamlines the number of examination elements; and reduces the emphasis on telegraphy that underlies the current license structure to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the international radio regulations. This action will allow current Amateur Radio Service licensees to contribute more to the advancement of the radio art; reduce the administrative costs that the Commission incurs in regulating this service and streamline our licensing processes; eliminate unnecessary requirements that may discourage or limit individuals from becoming trained operators, technicians, and electronic experts; and promote efficient use of spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio Service.

This document proposes to amend the Commission's rules to establish a new subpart H--Personal Locator Beacons under part 95 of the Commission's rules to permit the use of 406.025 MHz for PLBs. The action will provide individuals in remote areas a means to alert others of an emergency situation and help search and rescue (SAR) personnel locate those in distress.

The Commission modifies the restructuring plan adopted in the 218-219 MHz final rule document. The purpose of the modification is to remove a provision whereby an eligible licensee participating in the restructuring plan can obtain a seventy-percent credit on its down payment and forego, for a period of two years, eligibility to acquire the surrendered licenses. It was not the Commission's intent to adopt the seventy-percent credit and the intended effect is to correct the prior error.

This document establishes a Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) operating in the 402-405 MHz band. MICS operations will consist of high-speed, ultra-low power, non-voice transmissions to and from implanted medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators. The rules will allow use of newly-developed, life- saving medical technology without harming other users of the frequency band.

This document modifies the regulations governing the licensing of the 218-219 MHz Service to maximize the efficient and effective use of the 218-219 MHz band. The Commission amends the rules to redesignate the 218-219 MHz Service from a strictly private radio service to a service that can be used in common carrier and private operations, extend the license term to ten years, adopt a ``substantial service'' analysis to replace the three-and five-year construction benchmarks, and permit partitioning and disaggregation of spectrum. Additionally, the Commission addresses the constitutional issues raised by Graceba Total Communications, Inc. that are before the Commission on remand from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, together with similar issues raised by other commenters in the proceeding.