[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44775-44777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21270]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard
[USCG-1999-6060]


Interference to Maritime Global Positioning System (GPS) 
Navigation by Mobile Satellite System (MSS) Phones and Other Electronic 
Devices

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard requests comments regarding actual or 
potential interference to Global Positioning System (GPS)-based 
maritime navigation systems, caused by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) 
telephones and other electronic devices on vessels. Telephones using 
satellites for transmission (not land-based cellular telephones) and 
other electronic devices may block or interfere with radio wave signals 
provided to GPS and Differential GPS (DGPS) receivers. This 
interference has the potential to adversely affect the safe navigation 
and operation of vessels that use GPS (including DGPS) for positioning, 
autopilot input, or Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders 
that communicate ship position and navigation information to other AIS-
equipped vessels or to shore-based Vessel Traffic Services.

DATES: Comments must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before 
November 15, 1999.

ADDRESSES: You may mail your comments to the Docket Management 
Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington DC 20590-0001, or deliver them to room PL-401 on the Plaza 
Level of the Nassif Building between 9 a.m.

[[Page 44776]]

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
telephone number is 202-366-9329. You may submit comments by fax to the 
docket management facility at 202-493-2251. You may also submit 
comments via the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. To make sure your 
comments and related material are not entered more than once in the 
docket, please submit them by only one of the above-mentioned means.
    The docket management facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and material received from the public will become part 
of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at room 
PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street 
SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. You may also find this docket on the internet 
at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general questions on this notice, 
contact LT Terry Johns, Office of Aids to Navigation, Radio Aids 
Division (G-OPN-3), Coast Guard, telephone 202-267-6538. For technical 
questions relating to this notice, contact, Chief, Spectrum Management 
Division (G-SCT-2) at Commandant (G-SCT-2), Coast Guard at 202-267-2860 
or via e-mail at CGC[email protected]. For questions on GPS/DGPS call 
the Coast Guard's Navigation Information Center at (703) 313-5900, or 
visit the Internet site at http://www.navcen.uscg.mil.
    For questions on viewing the docket, contact Chief, Dockets, 
Department of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast Guard encourages you to respond to 
this notice by submitting comments and related material. If you do so, 
please include your name and address, identify the docket number [USCG-
1999-6060], and the specific section of this notice to which each 
comment applies, and give the reason for each comment. You may submit 
comments by mail, hand-delivery, fax or electronic means to the docket 
management facility at the address under ADDRESSES. If you submit them 
by mail or hand-delivery, please submit all comments and attachments in 
an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing.
    If you submit them by mail and want acknowledgment of receipt of 
your comments at the facility, enclose a stamped, self-addressed 
postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and material 
received during the comment period.
    The Coast Guard is opening a 90-day comment period for response to 
this notice. To ensure widest dissemination of this notice, the Coast 
Guard will publish a summary article in our Marine Safety Newsletter, 
and post it on our Marine Safety Regulations web site at http://
www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/regs/current.html. In addition, this information 
will be provided through Broadcast Notice to Mariners and through the 
Navigation Information Center web site at http://www.navcen.uscg.mil.

Public Meeting

    We do not plan to hold public meeting(s) concerning this notice. 
You may request a public meeting by writing to the Docket Management 
Facility at the address under ADDRESSES. The request should include the 
reasons why a meeting would be beneficial. If we determine that the 
opportunity for oral presentations will be helpful, we will hold a 
public meeting at a time and place announced by a later notice in the 
Federal Register.

Background and Purpose

    The transmitters in handheld telephones using satellite 
communications operate on frequencies adjacent to those for GPS. These 
frequencies are designated for specific use by the International 
Telecommunications Union and the Federal Communications Commission. 
Frequencies used for GPS purposes are also regulated, and are allocated 
the radio frequency band of 1559-1610 MHz. MSS is assigned the radio 
frequency bands on both sides of the GPS band from 1525-1559 MHz and 
1610-1660.5 MHz. The GPS signals from the satellites are of extremely 
low power at the earth's surface. MSS handsets also operate with 
relatively low power levels. However, even with these low power levels, 
MSS handset transmissions are relatively high power when compared to 
the GPS satellite signals arriving on the surface. Even though MSS and 
GPS operate on different frequencies, some energy extends outside the 
allowed satellite telephone frequency band to the GPS frequency band. 
The Federal Communications Commission, in a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, (IB Docket 99-67, Amendment of Parts 2 and 25 to Implement 
the Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite) released March 
5, 1999, proposes to limit wideband emission of MSS mobile earth 
terminals in the bands used by GPS to -70 dBw (decibels above 1 watt 
per MegaHertz), and narrowband emissions to -80 dBw. Even with these 
limitations, interference between GPS and MSS is still possible. In 
addition, the impact of multiple satellite phones may be cumulative, 
resulting in increased effects on GPS receivers. For maritime use, a 
separation as much as 500 feet may be necessary in some cases to 
prevent a single MSS mobile earth terminal from causing interference to 
a shipboard GPS receiver.
    The Coast Guard and the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration (NTIA) are considering testing and documenting 
interference issues relating to MSS phones and GPS. In addition, the 
agencies are working with standards organizations to ensure maritime 
GPS receivers include means limiting their susceptibility to 
interference. However, additional alternatives such as developing 
regulations prohibiting or restricting the use of MSS on certain 
vessels may be necessary. For example, airline regulations currently 
prohibit the use of portable electronic devices, such as personal 
cellular phones, on commercial aircraft because of the potential for 
interference with on-board systems. This ban may eventually be applied 
to MSS phones. Airline regulations may serve as a model for similar 
restrictions needed to protect vessel navigation safety. Feedback 
provided by the maritime community will assist in developing solutions 
to this potential problem.

Comment Issues

    The Coast Guard seeks information that may be useful when it 
considers the impact of actual or potential interference to GPS-based 
maritime navigation systems, caused by MSS or other electronic devices 
on vessels.
    We need feedback from you on the following issues:
    (1) The impact of potential regulations that prohibit or restrict 
the use of portable electronic devices, such as MSS, aboard vessels. 
How would any potential regulations affect you? Any suggestions for the 
content of these regulations?
    (2) What, if any standards, should be established to limit 
susceptibility of GPS receivers to interference?
    (3) We would like to hear about instances of GPS/MSS interference 
or other GPS interference cases. For comments reporting on specific 
instances of GPS (including Differential GPS) interference, please 
describe the incident as completely as possible. Useful information may 
include location of incident (latitude/longitude), type and description 
of vessel, description of equipment involved,

[[Page 44777]]

distances between GPS antenna and MSS/electronic device.

    Dated: August 10, 1999.
Terry M. Cross,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Assistant Commandant for 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 99-21270 Filed 8-16-99; 8:45 am]
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