Federal Register: FCC (Personal Radio & Amateur)

In this document, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to remove the existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band and to relocate incumbent non-federal operations out of the band, in order to prepare the band for possible expanded commercial wireless use. Specifically, the NPRM would eliminate the non-federal radiolocation services allocation in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band and the non-federal amateur allocation in the 3.3-3.5 GHz band. This NPRM also seeks comment on appropriate relocation options for incumbent non-federal users, either to the 3.1- 3.3 GHz band or to other frequencies, on the transition mechanism and process for relocating existing non-federal users, and on potential relocation costs and considerations. The proposals in the NPRM are an initial step toward potential future shared use between federal operations and flexible use commercial services, consistent with the Commission's responsibilities specified in the MOBILE NOW Act to identify spectrum for new mobile and fixed wireless use and to work in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to evaluate the feasibility of allowing commercial wireless services to share use of spectrum between 3.1 and 3.55 GHz.

In this document, the Commission announces auctions of Priority Access Licenses for the 3550-3650 MHz Band, designated as Auction 105. This document proposes and seeks comment on competitive bidding procedures to be used for Auction 105.

In the Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) takes steps to improve the accuracy and reliability of fixed white space device data recorded in the white space databases and assure that the potential for these devices to cause interference to protected services is minimized. In the Order on Reconsideration, the Commission modifies the white space device antenna height rules to allow improved broadband coverage in rural areas, and resolves certain outstanding white space reconsideration issues. White space devices are used to provide a variety of wireless services, including broadband data.

A Petition for Reconsideration (Petition) has been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by John C. Gazzo, on behalf of CallComm.

In this document, the Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) sought comment on updating the Commission's rules and procedures to reflect recent changes to two standards: (1) ANSI C63.4a- 2017 "American National Standard for Methods of Measurement of Radio- Noise Emissions from Low-Voltage Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Range of 9 kHz to 40 GHz, Amendment 1: Test Site Validation;" and (2) ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) proposes to amend its rules related to satellite orbital debris mitigation in order to improve and clarify those rules based on experience gained in the satellite licensing process and on improvements in mitigation guidelines and practices, and to address various market developments.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts limited changes to the rules governing Priority Access Licenses (PALs) that will be issued in the 3500-3700 MHz Band (3.5 GHz band)--including larger license areas, longer license terms, renewability, and performance requirements--as well as changes to the competitive bidding rules for the issuance of PALs and to the ability to partition and disaggregate areas within PALs. These changes are consistent with the rules that helped foster the development of 4G and LTE services in the United States, and adopting similar rules in this band will help promote additional investment in the next generation of wireless services. The Commission also adopts changes to the technical rules to facilitate transmissions over wider bandwidth channels without significant power reduction and changes to the information security requirements to better safeguard commercially sensitive information and protect critical infrastructure. These targeted changes will spur additional investment and broader deployment in the band, promote robust and efficient spectrum use, and help ensure the rapid deployment of advanced wireless technologies--including 5G--in the United States.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission makes non-substantive revisions to authority citations in its regulations. These authority citations are required by the rules of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, and their format is prescribed by the Document Drafting Handbook of the Office of the Federal Register. Certain of the authority citations currently in the Commission's rules may not conform to those specifications.

Petitions for Reconsideration & Clarification (Petitions) have been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by Jeff Chalmers, on behalf of American Messaging Services, LLC; David Alban, on behalf of Sensus USA Inc. and Sensus Spectrum LLC; Kenneth E. Hardman, on behalf of Critical Messaging Association and Mark E. Crosby, on behalf of Enterprise Wireless Alliance.

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) is announcing that three final rules that appeared in the Federal Register as part of the Commission's rulemaking Commercial Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band do not need information collection approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and are effective immediately. This document is consistent with the First Report and Order and Second Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval and the effective date of these rules.

Petitions for Reconsideration (Petition) have been filed in the Commission's rulemaking proceeding by Charles S. Farlow, on behalf of Medtronic, Inc., Chuck Powers on behalf of Motorola Solutions, Inc., and Michael E. Williams, on behalf of Cobra Electronics Corporation.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes and seeks comment on reforms of its licensing rules governing Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in the 3550-3700 MHz band (3.5 GHz Band). Specifically, the Commission proposes extending PAL license terms from three years to 10 years, with the possibility for renewal; seeks comment on increasing the PAL geographic licensing area; proposes to allow portioning and disaggregation of PALs on the secondary market; and proposes to amend the rules governing assignment of PALs. The Commission also proposes to remove a rule requiring public disclosure of device registration information, and seeks comment on changes to the technical rules to allow operation over wider bandwidths.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) amends its rules to permit vehicular radars and certain non-vehicular fixed and mobile radars used at airports to operate in the entire 76-81 GHz band on an interference-protected basis. Access to the entire 76-81 GHz band is intended to provide sufficient spectrum bandwidth to enable the deployment of wideband high-precision short- range vehicular radar (SRR) applications, such as blind spot detectors, that can enhance the safety of drivers and other road users, while continuing to allow the deployment of proven long-range vehicular radar (LRR) applications, such as adaptive cruise control. The amended rules also permit the deployment in airport air operations areas of fixed and mobile radars that detect foreign object debris (FOD) on runways, which could harm aircraft on take-off and landing, and aircraft-mounted radars that can help aircraft avoid colliding with equipment, buildings, and other aircraft while moving on airport grounds. In addition, the amended rules allow for the continued shared use of the 76-81 GHz band by other incumbent users, including amateur radio operators and the scientific research community.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection associated with the Commission's Report and Order, FCC 17-33. The Commission also announces the effective date of the remaining part 97 Amateur Radio Service rules adopted in FCC 17-33 that had not yet been made effective. These rules do not require OMB approval. This document is consistent with the Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval of the information collection requirement and the relevant effective date of the rules.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission adopts rules to streamline and harmonize the Commission's license renewal and service continuity rules for the Wireless Radio Services (WRS). This unified regulatory framework includes: establishing a consistent standard for renewing wireless licenses; setting forth safe harbors providing expedited renewal for licensees that meet their initial term construction requirement and generally remain operating at or above that level; adopting consistent service continuity rules, which provide for automatic termination of any license on which a licensee permanently discontinues service or operation; eliminating unnecessary, legacy "comparative renewal rules"; and requiring that when portions of geographic licenses are sold, both parties to the transaction have a clear construction obligation and penalty in the event of failure, closing a loophole used to avoid the Commission's construction requirements. This action will enhance competition and facilitate robust use of the nation's scarce spectrum resources.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission seeks additional comment on a range of possible actions that may advance the Commission's goal of increasing the number of rural Americans with access to wireless communications services. In order to encourage investment in wireless networks, facilitate access to scarce spectrum resources, and promote the rapid deployment of mobile services to rural Americans, the Commission seeks comment on additional, reasonable construction obligations during renewal terms that are targeted to reach rural areas that lack adequate service.

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a comprehensive reorganization of and update to the rules governing the Personal Radio Services (PRS). PRS provides for a wide variety of wireless devices that are used by the general public for personal communication uses, which include applications like walkie-talkies, radio controlled model toys, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), medical implant devices and other uses. In addition to the comprehensive review and update of the rules to reflect modern practices, the Commission enhanced the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) to allow new digital applications, allot additional interstitial channels and extend the license term from five to ten years. It also allotted additional channels to the Family Radio Service (FRS) and increased the power on certain FRS channels from 0.5 Watts to two Watts. It also updated the CB Radio Service to allow hands-free headsets, removed a restriction on communicating over long distances and removed other outdated requirements. These changes and others outlined below will update PRS rules to be more in line with current public demands for the services and will make the rules easier to read and find information, while also removing outdated requirements and removing unnecessary rules.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, via a non-substantive change request, the information collection requirements associated with Commercial Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band adopted in the Commission's First Report and Order, GN Docket No. 12-354, FCC 15-47. This document is consistent with the First Report and Order, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing OMB approval and the effective date of the requirements.

In this document, the Commission implemented allocation changes from the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 2012) (WRC-12) and updated its service rules. The Commission took this action to conform its rules, to the extent practical, to the decisions that the international community made at WRC-12. This action will promote the advancement of new and expanded services and provide significant benefits to the American public.