[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 6, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21845]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 6, 1994]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 90

[PR Docket No. 94-94; FCC 94-216]

 

900 MHz Emission Mask

agency: Federal Communications Commission.

action: Final rule.

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summary: This action responds to a request by Geotek Communications, 
Inc. (Geotek) for clarification of the FCC's rules concerning the 900 
MHz emission mask. Geotek brought to our attention that the 900 MHz 
emission mask included in our Rules has the effect of unintentionally 
restricting the use of low power digital equipment in this band. The 
intended effect of this action is to eliminate the anomaly.

effective date: October 6, 1994.

for further information contact: Karen Rackley, Private Radio Bureau, 
(202) 634-2443.

supplementary information: This is a summary of the Commission's order 
in PR Docket No. 94-94, FCC 94-216, adopted August 12, 1994, and 
released August 30, 1994. The full text of this Commission decision is 
available for inspection and copying during normal business hours in 
the FCC Dockets Branch (Room 230), 1919 M Street NW., Washington, DC. 
The complete text of this decision also may be purchased from the 
Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Service, 
Inc., (202) 857-3800, 2100 M Street NW., Suite 140, Washington, DC 
20037.

Summary of the Order

    1. Geotek Communications, Inc. (Geotek) brought to our attention 
that the 900 MHz emission mask included in Section 90.209(h) of our 
Rules has the effect of restricting the use of low power digital 
equipment in this band. Geotek went on to point out that the 
restrictive effect of this rule conflicts with the Commission's intent, 
as stated in our Report and Order in GEN Docket 84-1233, 2 FCC Rcd 1825 
(1986), 51 FR 37398, October 22, 1986, to permit any type of modulation 
in this band, including digital modulation.
    2. The 900 MHz band was allocated for use by the Private Land 
Mobile Services in 1986. The regulatory structure established for this 
new band was designed to provide as much flexibility as possible for 
licensees to use a variety of technologies to satisfy their mobile 
communications requirements. The technology that Geotek proposes to use 
in this band is just the type of new technology that we had intended 
our flexible rules to be able to accommodate. Unfortunately, as pointed 
out in Geotek's letters, the emission mask for the 896-901/935-940 MHz 
bands has the unintended effect of precluding use of Geotek's 
particular technology. Very simply, the current emission mask penalizes 
Geotek's system because of its use of relatively low power (4 watt) 
portable transceivers. The emission mask currently in effect in our 
rules requires various levels of attenuation relative to the actual 
unmodulated carrier power of the transmitter, regardless of how small 
that transmitter power might be. For very low power transmitters, the 
effect of this requirement can be very severe on the design of the 
equipment, with no apparent corresponding benefit with respect to 
interference reduction. This anomaly in our rules was clearly 
unintended. We are, therefore, amending Section 90.209(h) of our Rules 
to eliminate this anomaly in the emissions mask that unintentionally 
restricts the use of low power digital equipment. For example, for a 4 
Watt transmitter on a frequency removed 15 kHz from the channel's 
assigned (center) frequency, the current mask requires a relative 
attenuation of 71 decibels while the new mask requires only 56.
    3. This rule change is being made to conform our rules to the 
intent stated in the text of the Report and Order in Docket 84-1233 at 
paragraph 68:
    We desire to allow as much flexibility as possible for end users to 
choose the equipment that best meets their needs at a cost they can 
afford. We want to establish appropriate incentives for the development 
of new technologies. However, we do not want to adopt a plan that 
essentially requires end users to employ one particular modulation 
method * * *. Furthermore, we want the channeling plan for this 
spectrum to accommodate technologies such as digital that have been 
developed, but require further advances to make them marketable to 
private land mobile users.
    This rule change is noncontroversial because it does not infringe 
on any current or potential licensee's substantive rights. Therefore, 
for the above stated reasons, and because this rule change is clearly 
in the public interest, we find good cause to conclude that notice and 
comment are impracticable, unnecessary, and contrary to the public 
interest. See 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B).
    4. Accordingly, It Is Ordered that, effective 30 days after 
publication in the Federal Register, Section 90.209(h) of the 
Commission's Rules, 47 CFR 90.209(h) is amended as indicated below.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 90

    Communications equipment, Radio.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.

Rule Changes

    Part 90 of Chapter I of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
is amended as follows:

PART 90--PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES

    1. The authority citation for Part 90 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: Secs. 4, 303, 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as amended; 47 
U.S.C. 154, 303, and 332, unless otherwise noted.

    2. Section 90.209 is amended by revising paragraph (h)(3), and by 
removing paragraph (h)(4) to read as follows:


Sec. 90.209  Bandwidth limitations.

    (h) * * *
    (3) On any frequency removed from the center of the authorized 
bandwidth by a displacement frequency (fd in kHz) of more than 9.5 
kHz: At least 157 Log10 (fd/5.3) decibels or 50 plus 10 
Log10 (P) decibels or 70 decibels, whichever is the lesser 
attenuation.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 94-21845 Filed 9-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-M