*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 18777.doc* PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 445 Twelfth Street, S. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20554 DA 00- 402 News media information 202/ 418- 0500 Fax- On- Demand 202/ 418- 2830 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov ftp. fcc. gov Released: February 29, 2000 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON REQUEST FOR WAIVER BY LOJACK CORPORATION TO PERMIT STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERY SYSTEM OPERATION WITH DIFFERENT DUTY CYCLE Comment Date: March 29, 2000 Reply Date: April 13, 2000 On December 20, 1999, the LoJack Corporation (LoJack) filed a request for waiver of Section 90.20( e)( 6) of the Commission’s Rules, 47 C. F. R. § 90. 20( e)( 6), to permit it to implement a different duty cycle limit for transmissions from mobile units used in stolen vehicle recovery systems. Pursuant to Section 90.20( e)( 6), mobile units are restricted to a duty cycle of no more than 200 milliseconds every ten seconds, or, when a vehicle actively is being tracked, 200 milliseconds every second. LoJack requests a waiver to permit it to utilize a duty cycle of 1800 milliseconds every 300 seconds, with a maximum of six messages in any 30- minute period. LoJack states that this change is needed to enable it to incorporate an “uplink” (i. e., mobile unit to base station) transmission path. This path would be used to incorporate an early warning feature to minimize the lag time between a vehicle’s theft and the report to the police that the vehicle has been stolen. The uplink transmission would also be used by the mobile unit to acknowledge base station instruction messages. LoJack states that this will: (a) result in improved stolen vehicle recovery time; (b) increase stolen vehicle recovery rates; (c) make more efficient use of radio spectrum; and (d) reduce the potential for interference with television reception. In its Request for Waiver, LoJack states that the waiver would be subject to the outcome of a concurrently filed Petition for Rulemaking 1 seeking to amend Section 90.20( e)( 6) accordingly. Interested parties may file comments on the Waiver Request on or before March 29, 2000. Parties interested in submitting reply comments must do so on or before April 13, 2000. All comments should reference the subject waiver request including the DA number of this Public Notice, and should be filed with the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 Twelfth Street, S. W., TW- 325, Washington, D. C. 20054. A copy of each filing should be sent to International Transcription Services, Inc. (ITS), 1231 20 th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036, (202) 857- 3800, and Ghassan Khalek, Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division, Policy and Rules Branch, 445 Twelfth Street, S. W., Room 3- A260, Washington, D. C. 20554. The full text of the Waiver Request, comments and reply comments will be available for inspection and duplication during regular business hours in the Reference Information Center (RIC) of the Consumer Information Bureau (CIB), Federal Communications Commission, 445 Twelfth Street, S. W., Room CY-A257. Copies may also be obtained from ITS. For further information regarding the public reference file for this Waiver Request contact Maria Ringold, Chief, Wireless Branch, RIC, (202) 418- 1350. Unless otherwise provided, requests for waiver of the Commission’s Rules are subject to treatment 1 LoJack Corp. Request Amendment of the Commission’s Rules Regarding Stolen Vehicle Recovery Systems; see Consumer Information Bureau Reference Information Center, Petition for Rulemaking Filed, Report No. 2376 (Jan. 7, 2000). 1 2 by the Commission as restricted proceedings for ex parte purposes under Section 1.1208 of the Commission’s Rules, 47 C. F. R. § 1.1208. Because of the policy implications and potential impact of this proceeding on persons not parties to the waiver request, we believe it would be in the public interest to treat this case as a permit- but- disclose proceeding under the ex parte rules. See Sections 1.1200( a), 1.1206 of the Commission’s Rules. 47 C. F. R.§§ 1.1200( a), 1.1206. Therefore, subsequent to the release of this Public Notice, ex parte presentations that are made with respect to the issues involved in the subject waiver request will be allowed but must be disclosed in accordance with the requirements of Section 1.1206( b) of the Commission’s Rules. 47 C. F. R. § 1.1206( b). For further information, contact Ghassan Khalek of the Policy and Rules Branch of the Public Safety and Private Wireless Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418- 0680 or via email to gkhalek @ fcc. gov. By the Chief, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. - FCC - 2