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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  News  Media  Contact: 
 May  16,  2002  Lisa  Gaisford  at  (202)  418-  7280 
 COMMISSION  AMENDS  PART  15  OF  ITS  RULES  TO  FACILITATE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  HIGH  SPEED  WIRELESS  SERVICES 


 Washington,  DC  –  The  FCC  has  amended  its  rules  to  promote  the  introduction  of  new  digital  transmission  technologies  for  high-  speed  wireless  communications.  Specifically,  the  Commission  has 
 modified  Part  15  of  its  rules  to  permit  new  digital  transmission  technologies  to  operate  in  the  902-  928  MHz  (915  MHz),  2400–  2483.5  MHz  (2.4  GHz)  and  5725–  5850  MHz  (5.7  GHz)  bands  under  the  current 
 rules  for  spread  spectrum  systems.  The  Commission  also  provided  flexibility  in  the  design  and  operation  of  frequency  hopping  spread  spectrum  (FHSS)  systems  in  the  2.4  GHz  band  and  eliminated  the 
 processing  gain  requirement  for  direct  sequence  spread  spectrum  (DSSS)  systems.  These  actions  will  foster  the  development  of  new  products  and  increase  consumer  choice. 


 Currently,  the  Part  15  rules  permit  the  operation  of  DSSS  and  FHSS  systems  on  a  non-  licensed  basis.  In  both  techniques,  the  power  density  of  the  transmitted  signal  is  reduced,  which  lowers  the 
 possibility  that  the  transmitter  will  cause  interference  to  other  devices  operating  in  the  band.  The  Commission  has  determined  that  because  new  digital  modulation  technologies  have  spectrum 
 characteristics  similar  to  DSSS  systems,  they  can  operate  under  the  same  rules  as  DSSS  devices  in  the  915  MHz,  2.4  GHz,  and  5.7  GHz  bands  without  posing  additional  risk  of  interference.  Today’s  decision 
 removes  the  rule  that  limits  systems  in  these  bands  to  only  DSSS  and  FHSS  technology. 
 Additional  actions  taken  today  will  permit  the  use  of  as  few  as  fifteen  hopping  channels  for  FHSS  in  the  2.4  GHz  band.  These  systems  will  be  able  to  use  channel  bandwidth  up  to  5  MHz  wide,  but  they 
 must  reduce  their  output  power  to125  mW  if  fewer  than  75  hopping  channels  are  used.  This  action  will  allow  new  FHSS  systems  to  better  avoid  interference  than  today’s  systems  by  enabling  them  to  avoid 
 occupied  channels.  The  Commission  also  eliminated  the  processing  gain  requirement  for  DSSS  systems,  concluding  that  manufacturers  have  market-  driven  incentives  to  design  products  that  they  can  withstand 
 interference  from  other  radio  frequency  devices. 
 The  rule  changes  adopted  in  this  Second  Report  and  Order  will  provide  manufacturers  flexibility  to  design  and  market  a  more  diverse  set  of  products  which  are  able  to  operate  efficiently  in  the  unlicensed 
 bands.  The  rule  changes  will  also  allow  for  greater  spectrum  sharing  in  the  2.4  GHz  band  by  removing  regulatory  barriers  to  the  introduction  of  new  non-  interfering  technologies. 


 Action  by  the  Commission  May  16,  2002,  by  Second  Report  and  Order  (FCC  02-  151).  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps,  and  Martin,  with  Commissioner  Martin  issuing  a 
 statement. 
 -  FCC  - 
 Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology  Staff  Contact:  Neal  McNeil  at  (202)  418-  2408.  ET  Docket  99-  231 
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