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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:  December  15,  2004  Bruce  Romano  at  (202)  418-  2124 
 FCC  AMENDS  RULES  TO  PERMIT  NEW  WIDEBAND  UNLICENSED  DEVICES  AND  AFFIRMS  RULES  TO  AUTHORIZE  THE  DEPLOYMENT  OF 
 ULTRA-  WIDEBAND  TECHNOLOGY 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  The  Federal  Communication  Commission  (FCC)  adopted  a  Second  Report  and  Order  and  Second  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  in  ET  Docket  No.  98-  153  that 
 will  further  facilitate  the  introduction  of  new  unlicensed  wideband  devices  in  the  6  GHz,  17  GHz  and  24  GHz  bands.  These  devices  will  include  radar  systems  to  improve  automotive  safety  and 
 tracking  systems  for  personnel  location,  such  as  hospital  patients  and  emergency  rescue  crews,  as  well  as  for  functions  such  as  inventory  control. 


 The  Commission  previously  established  regulations  that  permit  the  marketing  and  operation  of  certain  types  of  new  products  incorporating  ultra-  wideband  (UWB)  technology. 
 UWB  technology  can  be  employed  for  a  vast  array  of  new  applications  that  have  the  potential  to  provide  significant  benefits  for  public  safety,  businesses  and  consumers.  Partly  in  response  to 
 petitions  for  reconsideration  of  the  First  Report  and  Order  in  this  proceeding,  the  Commission,  proposed  further  changes  to  the  Part  15  regulations  for  wideband  devices. 


 In  today’s  2  nd  Report  and  Order,  the  Commission  amended  its  rules  for  general  Part  15  unlicensed  operations  that  use  wide  bandwidths  but  are  not  classified  as  UWB  devices  under  its 
 rules.  It  increased  the  peak  power  limits  and  reduced  the  unwanted  emission  levels  for  3  frequency  bands  that  were  already  available  for  unlicensed  operation:  5925-  7250  MHz,  16.2- 
 17.2  GHz,  and  23.12-  29  GHz,  and  indicated  that  higher  peak  power  limits  in  these  bands  would  facilitate  wideband  operations  such  as  short  range  communications,  collision  avoidance, 
 inventory  control  and  tracking  systems.  The  Commission  also  amended  its  measurement  procedures  to  permit  frequency  hopped,  swept  frequency,  and  gated  systems  operating  within 
 these  bands  to  be  measured  in  their  normal  operating  mode. 
 In  light  of  these  changes  to  the  general  Part  15  provisions,  the  Commission  did  not  make  any  major  changes  to  the  current  UWB  technical  requirements,  indicating  that  changes  to  these 
 rules  at  this  early  stage  could  be  disruptive  to  current  industry  product  development  efforts.  The  Commission  made  only  a  minor  change  to  the  measurement  procedure  applied  to  gated  UWB 
 vehicular  radar  systems. 
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 In  the  2  nd  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order,  the  Commission  dismissed  the  Petition  for  Reconsideration  filed  by  the  Satellite  Industry  Association,  stating  that  it  would  continue  to 
 monitor  the  situation  in  the  4  GHz  band,  and  denied  the  Petition  for  Reconsideration  filed  by  Cingular,  Inc.  It  reaffirmed  the  decisions  regarding  UWB  adopted  in  the  First  Report  and  Order 
 in  this  proceeding. 
 Action  by  the  Commission  December  15,  2004,  by  Second  Report  and  Order  and  Second  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  in  ET  98-  153  (FCC  04-  285).  Chairman  Powell, 


 Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps,  Martin  and  Adelstein. 
 OET  Contact:  John  Reed,  Telephone:  (202)  418-  2455,  E-  mail:  john.  reed@  fcc.  gov 
 ET  Docket  No.  98-  153 
 -  FCC  – 
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