FCC Approves Waiver Request by UWB Device Maker
The FCC approved a waiver that will allow device maker UltraVision Security Systems to sell an ultra-wideband device it says can be used to protect nuclear power plants, cell towers, airports, government office buildings and other sensitive sites from intruders. In approving the order, the FCC took steps to address concerns raised by the Association for Maximum Service TV that the device could interfere with TV broadcasts. The devices must still be certified by the agency, but that process is expected to be completed quickly.
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Mitchell Lazarus, attorney for the company, told us Friday that more waiver requests are likely because the FCC’s rules don’t accommodate all potential uses of UWB technology. “The FCC ultra-wideband rules are very detailed and the downside of that is [that] the technology is evolving and it’s evolving in directions that the FCC may not have anticipated,” Lazarus said.
The UltraSensor system relies on sensors that are buried in the ground outside a site, invisible to potential intruders. The sensors can detect the location, speed and mass of an anything that crosses into a protected area, but can be programmed to ignore birds or dogs, or report only vehicles above a certain weight.
The commission approved rules for UWB devices in 2002. So far, only a handful of communications products, such as wireless USB devices and in-home video distribution systems, have hit the market. But products that use UWB for imaging like the UltraSensor system are more common.
UltraVision applied for a waiver in 2006. “Because UltraSensor is installed below the ground level, its signal cannot propagate far,” the company said in its application. “In combination with low emissions from the device, authorizing sales of UltraSensor to a wider range of users does not create an appreciable threat of interference.”
MSTV protested, saying emissions limits in FCC rules that UltraVision agreed to abide by are not now low enough to guarantee against interference to TV broadcasts. “The public interest harms from the UltraVision system would be particularly acute at this time, as broadcasters and the American public are in the midst of an expensive transition to digital television,” MSTV said in a February 2007 filing.
To address MSTV’s concerns, the FCC is requiring that the UltraSensor devices not exceed emissions limits in its rules and that they be installed at least 78 feet from the boundary of the customer’s property. “MSTV alluded to this separation distance with respect to digital television receivers in its comments and UltraVision has voluntarily agreed to comply,” the FCC said. In addition, customers are not allowed to install sensors within 452 feet of an area zoned residential or areas where cable headends are located. Under the waiver, the company can sell devices for up to 350 installations over a two-year period.
“It’s very welcome,” Lazarus said of the order. “We filed this back in October 2006, so it has been over 26 months. The conditions either we proposed to the FCC or we negotiated with the FCC so there were no unpleasant surprises.”