[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2836-2838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00794]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 15

[ET Docket No. 10-97; DA 14-1189]


Unlicensed Personal Communications Service Devices in the 1920-
1930 MHz Band

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This document modifies the rules governing the operation of 
Unlicensed Personal Communications Service (UPCS) devices in the 1920-
1930 MHz band (UPCS band) to reference the 2013 version of the American 
National Standards Institute (ANSI) C63.17 standard, Methods of 
Measurement of the Electromagnetic and Operational Compatibility of 
Unlicensed Personal Communications Service (UPCS) Devices, ANSI C63.17-
2013, by which UPCS devices must be measured for compliance with the 
technical requirements in the Commission's regulations.

DATES: Effective January 21, 2015. The incorporation by reference 
listed in the rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register 
as of January 21, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Forster, (202) 418-7061, 
Policy and Rules Division, Office of Engineering and Technology, (202) 
418-2290, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Order, 
ET Docket No. 10-97, adopted August 13, 2014, and released August 14, 
2014, DA 14-1189. The full text of this document is available on the 
Commission's Internet site at www.fcc.gov. It is also available for 
inspection and copying during regular business hours in the FCC 
Reference Center (Room CY-A257), 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 
20554. The full text of this document also may be purchased from the 
Commission's duplication contractor, Best Copy and Printing Inc., 
Portals II, 445 12th St. SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554; 
telephone (202) 488-5300; fax (202) 488-5563; email [email protected].

Summary of the Order

    1. The Order modifies the rules in part 15 subpart D governing the 
operation of UPCS devices in the 1920-1930 MHz band (UPCS band) to 
reference the 2013 version of the ANSI C63.17 standard, Methods of 
Measurement of the Electromagnetic and Operational Compatibility of 
Unlicensed Personal Communications Service (UPCS) Devices, ANSI C63.17-
2013. This version of the standard supersedes ANSI C63.17-2006, which 
contains measurement procedures for verifying the compliance of UPCS 
devices (including wideband voice and data devices) that operate in the 
1920-1930 MHz frequency band with applicable requirements regarding 
radiofrequency (RF) emission levels and spectrum access procedures in 
part 15 subpart D of the Commission's rules.

Background

    2. The 1920-1930 MHz band is allocated to Fixed and Mobile services 
on a primary basis and is designated for use by UPCS devices on an 
unlicensed basis. Under the Commission's part 15 rules, the 1920-1930 
MHz band may be used for both asynchronous (generally data) and 
isochronous (generally voice) UPCS devices. Currently, the most 
widespread use of the 1920-1930 MHz band is for unlicensed cordless 
telephones. UPCS devices operating in the 1920-1930 MHz band may not 
cause harmful interference to authorized radio services and must accept 
any interference received. In order to limit the influence of and 
interference potential from UPCS devices to adjacent-channel, co-
channel, and adjacent-band devices, the Commission's rules limit UPCS 
devices' emissions bandwidth, peak power, and in-band and out-of-band 
emissions. To facilitate the sharing of channels in the

[[Page 2837]]

UPCS band, the Commission's rules require use of a ``listen-before-
transmit'' protocol or ``spectrum etiquette.'' This is commonly 
referred to as the ``least-interfered channel access method,'' and 
specifies a process of channel monitoring before a UPCS device selects 
a channel for transmitting. After monitoring the required minimum 
number of channels, UPCS devices may use the combined time and spectrum 
windows with the lowest signal level.
    3. As part of its equipment authorization process, the Commission 
uses measurements of UPCS devices in accordance with the procedures in 
ANSI C63.17-2006 to determine compliance with the technical 
requirements in part 15 subpart D of the rules. Under the Commission's 
equipment authorization rules (47 CFR part 2, subpart J), UPCS devices 
operated in or marketed for use in the United States must be certified. 
Parties making compliance measurements on UPCS devices subject to the 
requirements of part 15 subpart D are required to use the measurement 
procedures in ANSI C63.17-2006, which is incorporated by reference in 
Section 15.38(b)(2) of the Commission's rules. On October 9, 2013, The 
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) published ANSI 
C63.17-2013, which supersedes ANSI C63.17-2006. ANSI Accredited 
Standards Committee C63[supreg] (ASC C63[supreg]) requested that the 
Commission update its rules to replace current references to ANSI 
C63.17-2006 with the updated ANSI C63.17-2013 standard, and incorporate 
by reference the ANSI C63.17-2013 standard into the Commission's rules.

Discussion

    4. To help ensure that the UPCS device rules continue to reflect 
the most appropriate industry standards, in 2012, the Commission 
delegated to the Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), the 
authority to approve for use new versions of the ANSI C63.17 standard 
for methods of measurement of the electromagnetic and operational 
compatibility of UPCS devices to the extent that the changes do not 
raise major compliance issues (ET Docket No. 10-97, FCC 12-33, 27 FCC 
Rcd at 3645). As part of the same decision, the Commission modified the 
least-interfered channel access method to promote increased use and 
efficiency of operations in the 1920-1930 MHz band. These modifications 
eliminated the 50 dB above thermal noise least-interfered channel 
monitoring threshold and reduced the minimum number of channels that 
must be monitored, thereby enabling UPCS devices to access additional 
usable time and spectrum windows. ANSI C63.17-2013 supersedes ANSI 
C63.17-2006 to reflect these changes to the least-interfered channel 
access method. ANSI ASC C63[supreg] asserted that incorporation by 
reference of the 2013 version of ANSI C63.17 into the Commission's 
rules would facilitate the implementation of the improved services that 
the Commission anticipated in its 2012 decision, and thus would serve 
the public interest.
    5. Because the relaxed UPCS device least-interfered channel 
monitoring method that the Commission adopted in 2012 removed a maximum 
signal monitoring threshold and requires that fewer channels be defined 
and monitored, UPCS-band products that have already been authorized 
continue to be in compliance with our technical rules. UPCS device 
manufacturers simply have additional flexibility to produce UPCS 
devices that operate in accordance with the revised criteria. 
Significantly, the Commission made no changes to the UPCS device power 
and emissions limits in its 2012 decision. Because ASNI C63.17-2006 was 
updated in 2013 only to reflect the revised least-interfered channel 
access method the Commission adopted in 2012, but otherwise did not 
alter the methods used to measure compliance with the part 15 subpart D 
technical requirements or the power and emissions limits measured, the 
Commission concluded that updating ANSI C63.17-2006 with the 2013 
version of ANSI C63.17 in the Commission's rules would not raise any 
major compliance issues for UPCS device manufacturers. Thus, consistent 
with its 2012 decision, the Commission amended sections 15.31(a)(2) and 
15.38(b)(2) of the rules to reference the 2013 version of the ANSI 
C63.17 standard, ANSI C63.17-2013, by which UPCS devices must be 
measured for compliance with the technical requirements in part 15 
subpart D of the rules.

Regulatory Flexibility Certification

    6. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) \1\ requires that agencies 
prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis for notice-and-comment 
rulemaking proceedings, unless the agency certifies that ``the rule 
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities.'' \2\ The Commission hereby certifies that these rule 
revisions will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities for the following two reasons: (1) The action 
updates the version of the standard by which UPCS devices must be 
measured for compliance with the technical rules in part 15 subpart D 
of the Commission's rules, and the updated version of the standard only 
reflects the Commission's revision to the UPCS device least-interfered 
channel access method, and does not contain any revised measurement 
procedures or revised power or emissions limits, and (2) UPCS-band 
products that have already been authorized continue to be in compliance 
with our technical rules, and UPCS device manufacturers have the option 
to produce UPCS devices that operate in accordance with the revised 
least-interfered channel access criteria in part 15 subpart D of the 
Commission's rules to access additional available channels. The 
Commission will send a copy of this Order, including this 
certification, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business 
Administration.\3\
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    \1\ See 5 U.S.C. 604. The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., has 
been amended by the Contract With America Advancement Act of 1996, 
Public Law 104-121, 110 Stat. 847 (1996) (CWAAA). Title II of the 
CWAAA is the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996 (SBREFA).
    \2\ See 5 U.S.C. 605(b).
    \3\ Id.
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Paperwork Reduction Analysis

    7. This document does not contain new or modified information 
collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA), Public Law 104-13.

Congressional Review Act

    8. The Commission will send a copy of this Order in a report to be 
sent to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to 
the Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).

Ordering Clauses

    9. Pursuant to Sections 4(i) and 303(r) of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i) and 303(r), this Order in ET 
Docket No. 10-97 is hereby adopted, and part 15 of the Commission's 
rules is amended as set forth in Final Rules effective January 21, 
2015.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 15

    Communications equipment, Incorporation by reference, Radio, 
Reporting and recordkeeping.

Federal Communications Commission.
Mark Settle,
Chief, Policy and Rules Division.
    Office of Engineering and Technology.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications

[[Page 2838]]

Commission amends 47 CFR part 15 to read as follows:

PART 15--RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICES

0
1. The authority citation for part 15 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  47 U.S.C. 154, 302a, 303, 304, 307, 336, 544a, and 
549.


0
2. Section 15.31 is amended by revising paragraph (a)(2) and removing 
the last sentence of paragraph (a)(3). The revision reads as follows:


Sec.  15.31  Measurement standards.

    (a) * * *
    (2) Unlicensed Personal Communications Service (UPCS) devices are 
to be measured for compliance using ANSI C63.17-2013: ``American 
National Standard Methods of Measurement of the Electromagnetic and 
Operational Compatibility of Unlicensed Personal Communications 
Services (UPCS) Devices'' (incorporated by reference, see Sec.  15.38).
* * * * *

0
3. Section 15.38 is amended by revising paragraph (b)(2) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  15.38  Incorporation by reference.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) ANSI C63.17-2013: ``American National Standard Methods of 
Measurement of the Electromagnetic and Operational Compatibility of 
Unlicensed Personal Communications Services (UPCS) Devices,'' approved 
August 12, 2013, IBR approved for Sec.  15.31.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2015-00794 Filed 1-20-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P