[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 195 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 54138-54139] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-27187] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [DA-98-1985] Marine Frequencies for Land-Based Services. AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Notice; seeking comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Commission staff seeks comment on a request for waiver to permit land-based use of frequencies normally reserved for marine use. DATES: Comments are due on or before October 14, 1998; reply comments are due on or before October 26, 1998. ADDRESSES: Parties should file the original comments and reply comments with Magalie Roman Salas, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW, Room 222, Washington, D.C. 20554. Copies of each filing must be sent to International Transcription Services, Inc. (ITS), 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036; Michael J. Wilhelm, Attorney-Advisor, Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8337, Washington, D.C. 20554 (or via e-mail to [email protected]); Henry Goldberg, Esq., Goldberg, Godles, Wiener and Wright, 1229 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; Mr. Peter Kierans, Vice President, Globe Wireless, 550 Pilgrim Drive, Foster City, CA 94404; Dalton C. Fauver, Asst. to the President, Mobile Marine Radio, Inc., 7700 Rinla Avenue, Mobile, AL 36619-1199. The full text of the waiver requests, comments and reply comments will be available for public inspection and duplication during regular business hours in the Public Safety and Private Wireless Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8010, Washington, DC 20554. Copies may also be obtained from ITS, 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 857-3800. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael J. Wilhelm, Policy and Rules Branch, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-0860 or by e-mail to [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This public notice was released September 29, 1998. On January 6, 1998, Technology for Communications International (TCI) filed a request for waiver of Sections Secs. 80.207 1 and 80.453 2 of the Commission's Rules to enable it to use maritime frequencies for both maritime communications service and service to fixed and mobile transceivers on land, on a secondary, non- interference basis, using 2K8D1D and 2K8F1D emission. The secondary service would be devoted to a tracking and messaging system for the commercial trucking industry. TCI estimates that 300,000 vehicles would use its proposed service and that 70 High Frequency (HF) channels, each with a 3 kHz bandwidth, would be required to serve those vehicles. The frequencies that TCI has requested are those available to maritime coast stations for facsimile transmission pursuant to Sec. 80.363(a)(2) of the Commission's Rules. According to TCI, the frequencies it has selected are not presently licensed to any U.S. maritime provider. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ Sec. 80.207 deals with classes of emission for maritime ship and coast stations. \2\ Sec. 80.453 deals with the scope of communications of maritime coast and ship stations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TCI requests a waiver of Sec. 80.207 of the Commission's Rules so that its proposed system may use 2K8D1D and 2K8F1D emission with ``modern waveforms'' which, TCI asserts, would not cause objectionable interference to other users of the HF radiotelegraphy-facsimile bands. TCI proposes that each land station associated with the TCI system be provided with a TCI-issued letter acknowledging that the land station may operate under the authority of TCI's coast station license. The land station identifier would consist of the TCI coast station's call sign followed by a unique numeric or alphabetic identifier. The vehicular transceivers would be limited to an effective radiated power of 2 kilowatts, although 100 watts would typically be used, and the transceivers' antenna height above ground would be limited to 6.1 meters. The vehicular transceivers would communicate only with the TCI public coast station and would cease operation upon TCI's being given written notice from the Commission that interference was being caused to marine communications. TCI represents that it will afford priority to marine-originating communications through ``an appropriate electrical or mechanical means.'' The vehicular transceivers proposed by TCI would be tuned remotely, on command from TCI's proposed Promontory, Utah coast station, thereby to select an optimum frequency under varying propagation conditions. The TCI waiver request was accompanied by an application for the proposed Promontory, Utah, public coast station. Mobile Marine Radio (MMR) filed a Petition to Dismiss or Deny the TCI application alleging that the TCI system would cause interference to MMR's operations. Globe Wireless (Globe) filed letter comments contending that TCI's system should employ Part 90 land mobile frequencies and pointed out conflicts with some of the maritime frequencies selected by TCI. However, Globe supports secondary land mobile use of marine frequencies so long as that use is limited to incumbent public coast station licensees. TCI filed an opposition to the MMR petition and a response to the Globe letter comments. Interested parties may file comments on TCI's waiver requests on or before October 15, 1998. Parties wishing to file reply comments must do so before October 26, 1998. All filings must reference TCI's requests for waiver, must bear the DA number contained in the caption of this Public Notice and must be filed with the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW, Room 222, Washington, D.C. 20554. Copies of each filing must be sent to the following: International Transcription Services, Inc., (ITS), 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 Henry Goldberg, Esq., Goldberg, Godles, Wiener and Wright, 1229 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 Dalton C. Fauver, Asst. to the President, Mobile Marine Radio, Inc., 7700 Rinla Avenue, Mobile, AL 36619-1199 Michael J. Wilhelm, Attorney-Advisor, Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public [[Page 54139]] Safety and Private Wireless Division, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8337, Washington, D.C. 20554 (or via e-mail to [email protected]) Mr. Peter Kierans, Vice President, Globe Wireless, 550 Pilgrim Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 The full text of the waiver requests, comments and reply comments will be available for public inspection and duplication during regular business hours in the Public Safety and Private Wireless Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 8010, Washington, DC 20554. Copies may also be obtained from ITS, 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 857-3800. Because disposition of the TCI waiver request may affect other parties, e.g. users of the marine radio bands, other Public Coast station licensees and land mobile radio interests, we find that it would be in the public interest to treat this matter as a ``permit but disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. See Section 1.1206 of the Commission's rules. Therefore, any ex parte communications that are made with respect to the issues herein will be permissible, but must be disclosed in accordance with Section 1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules. Parties making oral presentations are reminded that a memorandum summarizing the substance of the presentation must be filed, in duplicate, with the Commission's Secretary no later than one business day after the presentation. Id. For further information, contact Michael J. Wilhelm of the Policy and Rules Branch, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, (202) 418-0870 or via e-mail to [email protected]. D'wana R. Terry, Chief, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division. [FR Doc. 98-27187 Filed 10-7-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6712-01-P