FCC ALLOCATES SPECTRUM TRANSFERRED FROM FEDERAL GOVT.
FCC late Fri. reallocated for “new flexible services” 27 MHz of spectrum transferred from federal govt. Spectrum included several small blocks transferred under Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 and Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Spectrum is in 216-220, 1390-1395, 1427-1429, 1429- 1432, 1432-1435, 1670-1675 and 2385-2390 MHz bands transferred to nongovt. uses. Agency said new allocations would permit “new and innovative wireless technologies” while at same time preserving primary status of Wireless Medical Telemetry Services and elevating to primary status Low Power Radio Services in 216-217 MHz band, which include auditory assistance and law enforcement applications. Agency said notice of proposed rulemaking would be released soon that would propose service rules for reallocated frequency bands, some of which must be licensed through auction by Sept. 2002.
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Among actions taken for those spectrum bands: (1) 216- 220 MHz band was allocated to fixed & mobile services on co- primary basis. That elevates Low Power Radio Service from secondary to primary status in 216-217 MHz band and provides existing licensees in Automated Maritime Telecom System with additional flexibility. It doesn’t alter status of 218-219 MHz service, which already operates on primary basis. Also, both govt. and nongovt. telemetry incumbents will be grandfathered on secondary basis in 216-220 MHz band and new secondary telemetry operations will be permitted in 217-220 MHz portion of band. (2) Allocated 1390-1392 MHz band to fixed-satellite service (earth to space) and 1430-1432 MHz band to fixed-satellite (space to earth) on primary basis. Use of those allocations will be limited to feeder links for nonvoice, nongeostationary mobile satellite service, generally known as little LEOs, and is contingent on adoption of similar international allocation.
(3) Allocated 1390-1392 MHz band to fixed and mobile services (except aeronautical mobile) on co-primary basis, having determined that those services could share spectrum with little LEO feeder uplinks. (4) Shifted Wireless Medical Telemetry Service from 1429-1432 MHz to 1427-1429.5 MHz as requested by American Hospital Assn. Shift is expected to provide more separation from high-powered land mobile operations. (5) Allocated 1392-1395 MHz band and 1432-1435 MHz band to fixed and mobile (except aeronautical mobile) on co-primary basis. Those bands will be available on paired basis. (6) Allocated both 1670-1675 band (except aeronautical mobile) and 2385-2390 MHz band to fixed and mobile services on co-primary basis. However those bands will be available on unpaired basis. (7) Deleted primary federal govt. allocations from those transferred bands except in mixed use bands (216-220 and 1670-1675 MHz) where limited number of stations would be grandfathered indefinitely. In some other bands, nongrandfathered federal govt. stations will retain their primary status until relocated “in accordance with the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act” and rules awaiting release by NTIA.