Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 February 12, 2015 DA 15-201 FCC 13-40 Small Entity Compliance Guide Proposed Amendments to the Service Rules Governing Public Safety Narrowband Operations in the 769-775/799-805 MHz Bands PS Docket No. 13-87, PS Docket No. 06-229, WT Docket No. 96-86, RM-11433, and RM-11577 This Guide is prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. It is intended to help small entities—small businesses, small organizations (non-profits), and small governmental jurisdictions—to comply with the new rule/s adopted in the above-referenced FCC rulemaking docket/s. This Guide is not intended to replace the rule/s and, therefore, final authority rests solely with the rule/s. Although we have attempted to cover all parts of the rule/s that might be especially important to small entities, the coverage may not be exhaustive. As a result, in any civil or administrative action against a small entity for a violation of a rule or rules, the content of the Small Entity Compliance Guide may be considered only as evidence of the reasonableness or appropriateness of proposed fines, penalties or damages. This Guide may not apply in a particular situation based upon the circumstances, and the FCC retains the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that may differ from this Guide, where appropriate. Any decisions regarding a particular small entity will be based on the statute and regulations. Interested parties are free to file comments regarding this Guide and the appropriateness of its application to a particular situation; the FCC will consider whether the recommendations or interpretations in the Guide are appropriate in that situation. The FCC may decide to revise this Guide without public notice to reflect changes in the FCC’s approach to implementing a rule, or to clarify or update the text of the Guide. Direct your comments and recommendations, or calls for further assistance, to the FCC’s Consumer Center: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) Fax: 202-418-0232 Background. On April 1, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) released a Seventh Report and Order in the foregoing dockets. The Seventh Report and Order adopted minor changes to the rules governing the 700 MHz public safety narrowband spectrum (769-775/799-805 MHz). The rule changes eliminate or update outdated technical requirements and offer public safety licensees additional flexibility to operate their 700 MHz narrowband land mobile radio systems. The Seventh Report and Order also adopts a corresponding change to the emission limits of commercial transmitters operating in the Guard Band B Block spectrum (775-776/805- 806 MHz) and addresses recommendations from the National Coordination Committee (NCC) for changes to the 700 MHz narrowband rules. These rule changes became effective on August 11, 2014. Compliance Requirements. The Seventh Report and Order adopts no rule that will entail reporting, recordkeeping, and/or third-party consultation. Furthermore, in formulating rule changes in the Seventh Report and Order, the Commission strived to ensure public safety radio licensees benefit from innovative new services. In each case cited below, the Commission considered the alternative of leaving the rule unchanged but concluded the rule changes it adopted would reduce economic burdens and benefit public safety radio licensees, 700 MHz Guard Band licenses and/or wireless communications equipment manufacturers. Adjacent Channel Power. The Commission revises Sections 27.53(e)(6) and 90.543(a) to relax the Adjacent Channel Power (ACP) requirement for base station transmitters to -85 dBc in the paired receive band, provided that a maximum ACP of -100 dBc is achieved at either the transmitting antenna input port or the output of the transmitter combining network. An ACP emission limit is based upon the absolute and relative levels of coupled power as a function of frequency and ensures that the adjacent channel interference potential of transmitters at various bandwidths is consistent and predictable. The relaxation of the ACP limit in the paired receive band will result in cost savings to manufacturers by reducing the complexity of transmitters with a consequent savings to public safety radio licensees and 700 MHz Guard Band licenses while at the same time maintaining the overall level of ACP protection necessary to guard against interference. Secondary Fixed Operations and Digital Station Identification. The Commission adopts a new Section 90.557 permitting public safety licensees to perform secondary fixed operations on the 700 MHz narrowband General Use License channels (subject to the discretion of the regional planning committee) and State License channels (subject to the discretion of the relevant State licensee), and a new Section 90.559 permitting public safety licensees in the 700 MHz band to transmit their station identifications digitally when their transmitters normally operate in a digital mode. Secondary fixed operations will be subject to the same restrictions contained in Section 90.637(c) that apply to 800 MHz operations. The new rules the Commission adopts regarding secondary fixed operations and digital station identification provide public safety radio licensees increased capability to meet their communications needs, facilitate harmonization between bands to enhance a manufacturer’s ability to develop and offer dual-band radios, and reduce equipment costs. Trunking Requirement. The Commission revises Section 90.537 to make clear that the trunking requirements set forth therein apply to the State License channels and that low power channels are exempt from the trunking requirements. A trunked system uses multiple channel pairs in conjunction with a computer to automatically assign a user the first available channel or place the user in a queue to be served in turn. By enabling users to access any idle channel on an as-needed basis (rather than limiting each user to only one possible channel), a trunked system ensures highly efficient use of available radio spectrum and virtually eliminates the delay traditionally experienced when trying to obtain a clear radio channel using a non-trunked system. By clarifying its trunking requirements, the Commission promotes efficient use of the radio spectrum with respect to State License channels, while providing for an appropriate exemption for low power channels. Encryption and Narrowband Interoperability Standards. The Commission updates Section 90.553 to reference the latest encryption standard for secure communications of sensitive information and Section 90.548 to reference the latest TIA Project 25 interoperability standards. By making these updates, the Commission keeps its rules up to date with the latest industry standards. The Commission ensures a minimum impact on public safety radio licensees and wireless communications equipment manufacturers by grandfathering equipment certified under the old standards, thus obviating the need for previously approved equipment to be recertified. Internet Link. A copy of the Seventh Report and Order is available at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-40A1.docx