[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 184 (Thursday, September 23, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51471-51472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24372]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 97
[WT Docket No. 97-12; FCC 99-234]
Greater Use of Spread Spectrum Communication Technologies
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This action revises the Amateur Radio Service rules applicable
to Spread Spectrum (SS) emission types that an amateur station may
transmit. The rule amendments are necessary so that amateur stations
may transmit SS emission types that have been developed and become
available since the original rules permitting amateur stations to
transmit SS emission types were adopted in 1985. The effect of this
action is to allow amateur stations greater flexibility in
experimenting and communicating with SS emission types, to eliminate
unnecessary restrictions in the amateur service rules and to simplify
the rules applicable to stations that choose to transmit SS emission
types.
DATES: Effective November 1, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William T. Cross, Federal
Communications Commission, Washington, DC 20554, (202) 418-0680.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report
and Order, adopted August 31, 1999, and released September 3, 1999. The
complete text of this Commission action, including the rule amendments,
is available for inspection and copying at the Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC. The complete text of
this Report and Order may also be obtained from the Commission's copy
contractor, International Transcription Services, Inc., 2100 M Street,
NW, Suite 140, Washington, DC 20037, telephone (202) 857-3800, and from
the FCC's internet World Wide Web home page, >http://www.fcc.gov<.
Summary of Report and Order
1. By this action, we are amending the amateur service rules to
allow amateur radio stations to transmit additional SS emission types.
We conclude that the public interest would be served by removing the
restriction in the amateur service rules that limit the SS emission
types that amateur stations may transmit. Moreover, we believe that
this change will (1) allow amateur service licensees to experiment with
additional SS emission types; (2) allow amateur radio operators to
develop innovations and improvements to communications products and
develop new communications technologies; and (3) facilitate the ability
of the amateur service to contribute to the development of SS
communications by allowing amateur stations to transmit and experiment
with SS technologies currently used in consumer and commercial
products.
2. Also, by this action, we are also amending the amateur service
rules adopt a requirement that amateur stations use automatic
transmitter power control to limit transmitter power to the minimum
power necessary to maintain communications when an amateur station
transmits an SS emission type with more than 1 watt of power and we
amend our rules to remove now-unnecessary recordkeeping and station
identification requirements that presently apply only to stations
transmitting SS emissions.
3. We also are amending the amateur service rules to insert
numbers, which were inadvertently removed December 14, 1998, in 63 FR
68904, in front of each defined term in Section 97.3, thereby
facilitating use of the rules by licensees.
4. The amended rules are set forth below, effective November 1,
1999.
5. This Report and Order and the rule amendments are issued under
the authority contained in 47 U.S.C. 154(i) and (j), 303(r) and 403.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 97
Radio.
Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
Rule Changes
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR part 97 as follows:
PART 97--AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE
1. The authority citation for part 97 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 154, 303.
Interpret or apply 48 Stat. 1064-1068, 1081-1105, as amended; 47
U.S.C. 151-155, 301-609, unless otherwise noted.
2. Sections 97.3(a), (b), and (c) are amended by adding numbers in
front of each defined term in the definitions, and revising paragraph
(c)(8) to read as follows:
Sec. 97.3 Definitions.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(8) SS. Spread spectrum emissions using bandwidth-expansion
modulation emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R
as the first symbol; X as the second symbol; X as the third symbol.
* * * * *
3. Section 97.119(b)(5) is removed and the semicolon and the word
``or'' is removed from the end of paragraph (b)(4).
4. Section 97.305(b) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 97.305 Authorized emission types.
* * * * *
(b) A station may transmit a test emission on any frequency
authorized to the control operator for brief periods for experimental
purposes, except that no pulse modulation emission may be transmitted
on any frequency where pulse is not specifically authorized and no SS
modulation emission may be transmitted on any frequency where SS is not
specifically authorized.
* * * * *
5. Section 97.311 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 97.311 SS emission types.
(a) SS emission transmissions by an amateur station are authorized
only for communications between points within areas where the amateur
service is regulated by the FCC and between an area where the amateur
service is regulated by the FCC and an amateur station in another
country that permits such communications. SS emission transmissions
must not be used for the
[[Page 51472]]
purpose of obscuring the meaning of any communication.
(b) A station transmitting SS emissions must not cause harmful
interference to stations employing other authorized emissions, and must
accept all interference caused by stations employing other authorized
emissions.
(c) When deemed necessary by a District Director to assure
compliance with this part, a station licensee must:
(1) Cease SS emission transmissions;
(2) Restrict SS emission transmissions to the extent instructed;
and
(3) Maintain a record, convertible to the original information
(voice, text, image, etc.) of all spread spectrum communications
transmitted.
(d) The transmitter power must not exceed 100 W under any
circumstances. If more than 1 W is used, automatic transmitter control
shall limit output power to that which is required for the
communication. This shall be determined by the use of the ratio,
measured at the receiver, of the received energy per user data bit (Eb)
to the sum of the received power spectral densities of noise
(N0) and co-channel interference (I0). Average
transmitter power over 1 W shall be automatically adjusted to maintain
an Eb/ (N0 + I0) ratio of no more than 23 dB at
the intended receiver.
[FR Doc. 99-24372 Filed 9-22-99; 8:45 am]
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