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 NEWS  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).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT  November  19,  2004  Bruce  Romano  (202)  418-  2124 
 FCC  APPROVES  FIRST  SOFTWARE  DEFINED  RADIO 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  The  FCC  announced  today  it  has  approved,  for  the  first  time,  use  of  a  software  defined  radio  device  in  the  United  States.  This  new  class  of  equipment  allows  users  to  share 
 limited  airspace,  increases  flexibility  and  reduces  interference  concerns. 
 “This  is  the  first  step  in  what  may  prove  to  be  a  radio  technology  revolution,”  said  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell.  “The  industry’s  pioneering  work  to  find  more  creative  and  efficient  use 
 of  our  airwaves  will  continue  to  bring  benefits  to  consumers.” 
 The  Laboratory  Division  of  the  Commission’s  Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology  issued  a  Grant  of  Certification  to  Vanu,  Inc.,  a  software  development  company,  for  a  cellular  base  station 
 transmitter. 
 Software  defined  radios  can  change  the  frequency  range,  modulation  type  or  output  power  of  a  radio  device  without  making  changes  to  hardware  components.  This  programmable  capacity  permits 
 radios  to  be  highly  adaptable  to  changing  needs,  protocols  and  environments. 
 Vanu,  Inc.  has  demonstrated  that  its  device  complies  with  the  Commission’s  rules,  and  has  shown  that  its  software  has  sufficient  controls  so  that  the  device  cannot  be  modified  to  operate  outside 
 its  Commission-  approved  parameters.  The  Commission  currently  has  a  rulemaking  pending  that  will  further  streamline  the  software  defined  radio  requirements,  and  it  is  working  with  each  applicant  on  a 
 case-  by-  case  basis  to  facilitate  compliance  with  the  current  rules. 
 For  questions  regarding  the  SDR  proceeding,  contact  Mr.  Hugh  Van  Tuyl  at  202-  418-  7506.  For  questions  regarding  the  certification  of  SDRs  or  the  Vanu  applications,  contact  Mr.  Joe  Dichoso  at 
 301-  362-  3024. 
 -FCC- 
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