Nokia and Lucent Join Calls for Emissions Limits on Microwave Ovens
Equipment makers Nokia and Lucent joined Motorola in urging the FCC to impose restrictions on power levels of ISM devices, including microwave ovens. The Assn. of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) shot back Fri., saying Nokia and Lucent had been quiet on the issue for more than a year and filed late in the fight “presumably at the urging” of Motorola.
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Sprint Nextel and the Wireless Communications Assn. last year asked the FCC to impose emissions limits under Part 18 of its rules for ISM devices -- including microwave ovens, paint drying equipment and some medical imaging equipment (CD Dec 27 p2). Sprint and WCA said the limits were critical to protecting wireless broadband operators from interference as they're moved from the 2150-2162 MHz band to the 2.5 GHz band under an FCC relocation plan. A WCA official said microwave oven makers are “operating in the Wild West” without controls, and emissions limits shouldn’t pose any hardships.
Lucent said in an ex parte presentation to the FCC it had reviewed data presented by Motorola showing interference concerns and found it accurate. “Current (Part 18) rules… present an uncertain and potentially difficult situation for service within the BRS-1 channel,” Lucent said. “The lack of any emissions limit is especially problematic as ISM devices, particularly microwave ovens, may be located in close physical proximity to BRS customer premises equipment receivers.”
“Given the ubiquitous nature of microwave ovens in both residences and offices, particularly in more densely populated urban environments, and the large distances impacted, even intermittent use of these devices is likely to lead to significant deterioration in the performance of BRS equipment in the 2496-2500 MHz band,” Nokia said.
But AHAM called on the FCC to ignore the filings, saying the objections were based on data “already discredited by AHAM in its previous letters” and give too much weight to an almost 12-year-old NTIA study of emissions from old equipment.