PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 TTY: 1-888-835-5322 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov DA 14-1508 October 17, 2014 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU REMINDS PAGING AND RADIOTELEPHONE SERVICE LICENSEES OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL RULES AND SEEKS COMMENT ON THE NEED FOR TECHNICAL FLEXIBILITY WT Docket 14-180 Comments Due: December 17, 2014 Reply Comments Due: January 19, 2015 Licensees authorized in the Paging and Radiotelephone Service generally have the authority to operate various voice and data services, and they must comply with all applicable Part 20 and 22 rules. Through this Public Notice, we highlight several rules with which Part 22 Paging and Radiotelephone Service licensees must comply, and seek comment on any technical or operational flexibility that the Commission may provide that might result in more intensive use of the band. Part 22 Rules ? Channel bandwidth. Unless otherwise indicated, all channels have a bandwidth of 20 kHz and are designated by their center frequencies in megahertz. 1 The paging channel spacing may be more than 20 kHz, but the authorized channel bandwidth as specified by the rules is 20 kHz (10 kHz to each side of the center frequency). ? Emission limitations. Under Part 22, the power of any emission outside of the authorized operating frequency ranges must be attenuated below the transmitting power by at least 43 + 10 log (P) dB. 2 Alternative out of band emission limits may be established at specified frequencies (band edges) in specified geographical areas pursuant to a private contractual arrangement among all affected licensees and applicants, and must be disclosed to the FCC, upon request. 3 ? Effective radiated power limits. The effective radiated power (ERP) of transmitters operating on paging channels must not exceed the limits in section 22.535. 4 1 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.531, 22.561. 2 See 47 C.F.R. §22.359(a). Section 22.359 does not apply to the Air-Ground Radiotelephone Service or the Cellular Radiotelephone Service. The applicable emission limits for the Air-Ground Radiotelephone Service and the Cellular Radiotelephone Service are specified in sections 22.861 and 22.917, respectively. See 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.861, 22.917. 3 See 47 C.F.R. §22.359(c). 4 See 47 C.F.R. § 22.535. 2? Permissible operations. The channel assignments listed in section 22.531 are allocated for one- way paging operations. Assignments listed in section 22.561 are for one-way or two-way mobile operations. 5 ? Permissible communications paths. Mobile stations may communicate only with and through base stations. Base stations may communicate only with mobile stations and receivers on land or surface vessels. 6 ? Equipment authorization. The Commission authorizes equipment under rule parts where the applicable technical standards for that equipment are established. Therefore, all the equipment operated in Part 22 paging must have been certified by the Commission under applicable Part 22 paging rules. ? Protection of existing service. Pursuant to section 22.537 or section 22.567, all facilities authorized to operate pursuant to a paging geographic area authorization must provide co-channel interference protection to all authorized site-based co-channel facilities of exclusive licensees within the paging geographic area. 7 ? Licensees planning to operate transmitters north of Line A are first required to obtain Canadian clearance by filing a modification of their license(s), including the technical parameters of the planned site, in order for the Bureau to coordinate planned operations with Industry Canada. 8 Future Flexibility The Bureau reminds licensees that they must comply with these and all other applicable Commission rules unless the licensee obtains a waiver pursuant to section 1.925 of the Commission’s Rules. The Bureau, however, recognizes that additional technical and operational flexibility may promote more intensive use of the licenses and thereby benefit users nationwide. In this light, we seek comment on whether it is appropriate to consider updating the Part 22, Subpart E, Paging and Radiotelephone Service rules to provide flexibility in the types of uses and technologies that can operate on these channels. Such an update could result in licensees deploying innovative technologies, deploying narrowband equipment, or using offset frequencies if they hold adjacent channel blocks. For example, the Commission released a Report and Order on September 21, 2012, in which it modified Part 90 rules to permit the certification and use of TETRA equipment in two bands – the 450-470 MHz portion of the UHF band (421-512 MHz), and Business/Industrial Land Transportation 800 MHz band channels (809-824/854-869 MHz) that are not in the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) portion of the band. 9 However, use of TETRA equipment on Part 22 frequencies may violate channel bandwidth and emission limitations rules. Should the Part 22 rules be updated to permit technologies like TETRA? As a further example, licensees planning to deploy transmitters north of Line A are required to first obtain Canadian clearance. Some licensees, who are unable to get Canadian clearance on the center frequency, 5 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 22.531, 22.561, 20.9(a)(6). 6 See 47 C.F.R. § 22.515. 7 See 47 C.F.R. § 22.503(i). 8 See 47 C.F.R. § 22.169. 9 See Amendment of Part 90 of the Commission’s Rules to Permit Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) Technology, Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd 11569 (WTB 2012). 3may wish to use offset frequencies in order to get Canadian approval. Use of frequency offsets may violate channel bandwidth and emission limitation rules. We seek comment whether flexibility in channel bandwidths would be useful in these instances and under what conditions. We also seek comment generally on updating and streamlining our Part 22 Paging and Radiotelephone rules. Commenters should provide support for their positions including technical analysis if necessary to demonstrate that technical rule changes would not result in increased interference in the band. Procedural Matters Comments on the request are due December 17, 2014. Reply comments are due no later than January 19, 2015. All filings should reference the docket number of this proceeding, WT 14-180. This proceeding has been designated as a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. 10 Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter’s written comments, memoranda or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (1998). Comments filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to http:// www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. If multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, however, commenters must transmit one electronic copy of the comments to each docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and should include the following words in the body of the message, “get form.” A sample form and directions will be sent in reply. Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, commenters must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. 10 See 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1200(a), 1.1206. 4Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. -Effective December 28, 2009, all hand-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12 th St., S.W., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing hours at this location are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: The Commission’s former filing location at 236 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. is permanently closed. -Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. -U.S. Postal Service first-class mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20554. Parties are requested to send one copy of their comments and reply comments to Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, (800) 378-3160, e-mail FCC@BCPIWEB.com. The request, and comments and reply comments filed in response to this Public Notice are available for viewing via the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) by entering the docket number, WT 14-180. The documents also will be available for public inspection and copying during business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street S.W., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from Best Copy and Printing, Inc., telephone (800) 378-3160, facsimile (202) 488-5563, TTY (202) 488-5562, e-mail FCC@BCPIWEB.com. Alternate formats of this Public Notice (computer diskette, large print, audio recording, and Braille) are available to persons with disabilities by contacting the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY), or send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov. For further information, contact Moslem Sawez of the Mobility Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-8211, or via e-mail at moslem.sawez@fcc.gov. Action by the Chief, Mobility Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. - FCC -