[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 229 (Monday, November 30, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 65726-65727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-31689]



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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 2 and 87

[ET Docket No. 98-197, FCC 98-289]


Radionavigation Service at 31.8-32.3 GHz

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: By this action, we propose to amend the Commission's Rules in 
order to delete the unused non-Government radionavigation service 
allocation at 31.8-32.3 GHz and to also remove this frequency segment 
from the list of available frequencies set forth in the rules for the 
Aviation Services. The adoption of this proposal would protect the 
Federal Government's deep space operations in the 31.8-32.3 GHz band 
from uncoordinated commercial radionavigation usage that may otherwise 
occur in the future, while maintaining adequate spectrum for future 
non-Government radionavigation services in the adjacent 32.3-33.4 GHz 
band.

DATES: Comments are due December 30, 1998, reply comments are due 
January 14, 1999.

ADDRESSES: All filings must be sent to the Commission's Secretary, 
Magalie Roman Salas, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications 
Commission, 445 Twelfth Street, SW, TW-A-325, Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Mooring, Office of Engineering and 
Technology, (202) 418-2450.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking, ET Docket 98-197, FCC 98-289, adopted October 
28, 1998, and released November 6, 1998. The full text of this 
Commission decision is available for inspection and copying during 
normal business hours in the FCC Reference Center (Room CY-C404), 445 
Twelfth Street, SW, Washington, DC, and also may be purchased from the 
Commission's duplication contractor, International Transcription 
Service, (202) 857-3800, 1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    1. National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(``NTIA''), at the request of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (``NASA''), asks that we delete the non-Government 
radionavigation service from the 31.8-32.3 GHz band. NASA bases its 
request on the potential for interference to its deep space receive 
site at Goldstone, California, from uncoordinated commercial 
radionavigation usage of the 31.8-32.3 GHz band. In support of its 
request, NASA cites International Telecommunication Union 
Recommendation ITU-R SA.1061 as documenting that space research (deep 
space) sharing with airborne operations in the radionavigation service 
is not feasible. NASA explains that signals received on Earth from 
spacecraft in deep space are extremely weak, and thus are highly 
susceptible to interference of all kinds. Further, NASA stresses that 
airborne interference sources, if present, would easily overwhelm the 
desired but weak signals from space. In its normal deep space 
operations, to bolster signal reception, NASA points out that it has 
fitted its large earth station antennas with cryogenically-cooled 
preamplifiers and has employed specialized receivers. NASA states that 
it has sited the earth stations in such a way as to provide radio 
shielding from terrestrial radio sources sharing the same frequency 
band, which are potential interferers. But, NASA states, its earth 
stations cannot be shielded from airborne radio sources operating in 
the 31.8-32.3 GHz band, because the potential interfering signals may 
emanate from the same general direction as the desired deep space 
signals.
    2. NASA indicates that currently, the only radionavigation 
operations in the 31.8-32.3 GHz band are from Federal Government 
(military) operations. The coordination of these military operations 
with NASA/Goldstone has been successful, NASA says, largely because 
they occur infrequently. By contrast, NASA does not believe that deep 
space operations can be coordinated successfully with private or 
commercial aircraft using terrain-following or landing-aid radars 
operating on an unrestricted basis within line-of-sight of the Deep 
Space Network site at Goldstone. To avoid causing interference, NASA 
states, such aircraft would have to choose between the impractical 
solutions of either avoiding the airspace in the Goldstone vicinity or 
turning off their transmitters in the 31.8-32.3 GHz band while within 
line-of-sight of Goldstone.
    3. NASA brought this issue before NTIA's Interdepartment Radio 
Advisory Committee (``IRAC''). During these discussions, the Federal 
Aviation Administration indicated that there are no known plans for 
commercial aeronautical radionavigation operations in the 31.8-32.3 GHz 
band. After considering several options, IRAC recommended to NTIA that 
the 31.8-32.3 GHz band be limited to Federal Government operations. 
NTIA endorsed this recommendation, concluding that future demand for 
commercial or private radionavigation services could be adequately 
accommodated in the 1.1 gigahertz of radionavigation spectrum that 
would remain at 32.3-33.4 GHz.
    4. We propose to implement NTIA's proposal to delete the non-
Government radionavigation service allocation at 31.8-32.3 GHz. We 
agree with NTIA that the 32.3-33.4 GHz band appears adequate to 
accommodate commercial and private radionavigation services that may 
develop in the future. By limiting future non-Government 
radionavigation services to the 32.3-33.4 GHz band, we believe that 
adequate spectrum would be preserved for these potential services and 
that NASA's deep space operations in the 31.8-32.3 GHz band would be 
adequately protected from those services. We further propose to remove 
the 31.8-32.3 GHz segment from the list of frequencies that are 
available for use by the aeronautical radionavigation service under 
Sec. 87.173 of the rules for the Aviation Services and to add a rule 
part cross reference to part 87 in the Table of Frequency Allocations 
entry for the 32.3-33.4 GHz band in Sec. 2.106. In addition, as 
suggested in NTIA's letter, we propose to parallel the international 
table by changing the space research service (deep space) (space-to-
Earth) allocation from a footnote allocation to a table entry 
allocation and, as a consequence of that proposal, to modify the text 
of footnote US262 to remove unneeded information. We request comment on 
these proposals.

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Certification

    5. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (``RFA'') 1 requires 
that an initial regulatory flexibility analysis be prepared for notice-
and-comment rulemaking proceedings, unless the agency certifies that 
``the rule will not, if promulgated, have a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities.'' The RFA generally defines 
``small entity'' as having the same meaning as the terms ``small 
business,'' ``small organization,'' and ``small governmental 
jurisdiction.'' In addition, the term ``small business''

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has the same meaning as the term ``small business concern'' under the 
Small Business Act. A small business concern is one which: (1) 
Independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of 
operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the 
Small Business Administration (``SBA'').
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    \1\ The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. 601 et. seq., has been amended by the 
Contract with American Advancement Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-121, 110 
Stat. 847 (1996) (``CWAAA''). Title II of the CWAAA is the Small 
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (``SBREFA'').
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    6. In this Notice of Proposed Rule Making, we propose to delete an 
unused non-Government allocation for the radionavigation service at 
31.8-32.3 GHz in order to protect existing Government operations in 
this band from harmful interference. In addition, we tentatively 
conclude that the remaining portion of the existing non-Government 
radionavigation allocation at 32.3-33.4 GHz will provide sufficient 
spectrum for future non-Government radionavigation services, if and 
when such services develop. Accordingly, we hereby certify that the 
proposed deletion of the non-Government radionavigation allocation at 
31.8-32.3 GHz will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. The Commission's Office of Public 
Affairs, Reference Operations Division, will send a copy of this Notice 
of Proposed Rule Making, including this certification, to the Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Parts 2 and 87

    Communications equipment, Radio.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-31689 Filed 11-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P