Coalition Asks FCC to Develop More Detailed Signal Booster Rules
The Safer Buildings Coalition urged the FCC to launch a rulemaking on guidelines for getting consent from licensees to install signal boosters. “Signal boosters are being installed without required frequency licensee consent and in areas where they are not needed, violating FCC Part 90 rules that require express permission and limit deployment to weak signal areas only,” said an undocketed petition posted Monday.
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A 2013 FCC order established rules for consumer signal boosters “but left significant gaps in Part 90 industrial signal booster regulation,” the coalition said. Commissioners unanimously approved that order, which had been in development for several years, under former Chairman Julius Genachowski (see 1302210066).
Improperly deployed boosters are “interfering with, degrading, and disrupting public safety communications during critical emergency responses, potentially placing first responders and civilians in jeopardy,” the coalition said. An “influx of inexperienced contractors into the signal booster market, combined with insufficient RF engineering expertise, is contributing to increased incidents of technical violations and interference incidents.”