Operation of Wireless Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz Band; Establishment of Rules and Policies for the Digital Audio Radio Satellite Service in the 2310-2360 MHz Frequency Band, 9605-9623 [2013-02907]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 28 / Monday, February 11, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Parts 25 and 27
[WT Docket No. 07–293; IB Docket No. 95–
91; FCC 12–130]
Operation of Wireless
Communications Services in the 2.3
GHz Band; Establishment of Rules and
Policies for the Digital Audio Radio
Satellite Service in the 2310–2360 MHz
Frequency Band
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
In this document, the
Commission affirms, modifies, and
clarifies its actions in response to
various petitions for reconsideration
and/or clarification. The revised rules
are intended to enable Wireless
Communications Service (WCS)
licensees to deploy broadband services
in the 2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360
MHz (2.3 GHz) WCS bands while
continuing to protect Satellite Digital
Audio Radio Service (SDARS) operator
Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Sirius XM) and
aeronautical mobile telemetry (AMT)
operations in adjacent bands and the
deep space network (DSN) earth station
in Goldstone, California from harmful
interference. In addition, the revised
rules will facilitate the flexible
deployment and operation of SDARS
terrestrial repeaters in the 2320–2345
MHz SDARS band, while protecting
adjacent bands WCS licensees from
harmful interference.
DATES: Effective March 13, 2013, except
for §§ 25.263(b), 27.72(b), and 27.73(a),
which contain information collection
requirements that are not effective until
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget. The Commission will
publish a document in the Federal
Register announcing the effective dates
for those sections. The Director of the
Federal Register will approve the
incorporation by reference in § 27.73(a)
concurrently with the published office
of Management and Budget approval of
this section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
WCS technical information: Moslem
Sawez, Moslem.Sawez@fcc.gov,
Mobility Division, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, (202) 418–
8211. WCS legal information: Linda
Chang, Linda.Chang@fcc.gov Mobility
Division, Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau, (202) 418–1339. SDARS
technical information: Chip Fleming,
Chip.Fleming@fcc.gov, Engineering
Branch, Satellite Division, International
Bureau, (202) 418–1247. SDARS legal
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SUMMARY:
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information: Stephen Duall,
Stephen.Duall@fcc.gov, Policy Branch,
Satellite Division, International Bureau,
(202) 418–1103. For additional
information concerning the Paperwork
Reduction Act information collection
requirements contained in this
document, contact Linda Chang at (202)
418–1339, or via the Internet at
Linda.Chang@fcc.gov and Stephen Duall
at (202) 418–1103, or via the Internet at
Stephen.Duall@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Commission’s Order on
Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 07–
293 and IB Docket No. 95–91, FCC 12–
130, adopted and released October 17,
2012. The full text of this document is
available on the Commission’s Internet
site at www.fcc.gov. It is also available
for inspection and copying during
regular business hours in the FCC
Reference Center (Room CY–A257), 445
12th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20554. The Order on Reconsideration
also may be purchased from the
Commission’s duplication contractor,
Best Copy and Printing Inc., Portals II,
445 12th St. SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554; telephone (202)
488–5300; fax (202) 488–5563; email
FCC@BCPIWEB.COM.
Summary
I. Introduction and Executive Summary
1. The Order on Reconsideration in
WT Docket No. 07–293 and IB Docket
No. 95–91 addressed five petitions for
reconsideration of the 2010 WCS R&O
and SDARS 2nd R&O, 75 FR 45058,
August 2, 2010, filed by ARRL, the
national association for Amateur Radio
(ARRL), AT&T Inc. (AT&T), Sirius XM,
Stratos Offshore Services Company
(Stratos), and the WCS Coalition. The
2010 WCS R&O modified the technical
rules and performance (i.e., buildout)
requirements for the WCS in the 2305–
2320 MHz and 2345–2360 MHz bands;
the SDARS 2nd R&O established
technical and licensing rules for SDARS
terrestrial repeaters in the 2320–2345
MHz band. The petitions sought
reconsideration, clarification, or both of
the Commission’s decisions in the 2010
WCS R&O and SDARS 2nd R&O
regarding: (a) WCS base and fixed
stations’ ground level emissions limit,
(b) fixed WCS customer premises
equipment (CPE) power and power
spectral density (PSD) limits, bands of
operation, and outdoor antenna use, (c)
distinction between fixed WCS CPE and
fixed WCS point-to-point stations, (d)
mobile and portable devices’ PSD and
out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limits, (e)
restrictions on WCS frequency division
duplexing (FDD) mobile and portable
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devices’ bands of operation, (f) WCS
mobile and portable devices’ and fixed
WCS CPE duty cycle limits, (g) WCS
protection of Amateur Radio Service
(ARS) operations and WCS base/fixed
stations’ and mobile devices’ OOBE
limits in the 2300–2305 MHz band, (h)
WCS coordination, notification, and
interference mitigation requirements;
base station separation distance, (i) WCS
performance requirements, (j) WCS/
SDARS coordination zones, (k)
interference protection for WCS from
SDARS terrestrial repeaters, and (l) WCS
and SDARS licensees’ duty to cooperate
in sharing information and preventing/
mitigating interference. The revised
rules are consistent with a June 15, 2012
compromise proposal between WCS
licensee AT&T Inc. and Sirius XM
designed to facilitate the efficient
deployment and coexistence of the WCS
and SDARS.
2. For the WCS, the Order on
Reconsideration
• Established maximum design
ground power level targets on roadways
for WCS base and fixed station
operations of –44 dBm in WCS Blocks
A (2305–2310 MHz and 2350–2355
MHz) and B (2310–2315 MHz and 2355–
2360 MHz) and –55 dBm in WCS Blocks
C (2315–2320 MHz) and D (2345–2350
MHz) to serve as triggers for interference
resolution if exceeded on roadways and
harmful interference (i.e., muting) to
SDARS operations occurs;
• Established conditions on roadways
constituting harmful interference to
SDARS operations from WCS operations
requiring WCS and SDARS operators to
work cooperatively to resolve;
• Denied a petition to establish a
specific distance at which an SDARS
subscriber is expected to tolerate muting
of SDARS signals by WCS base station
transmitters;
• Eliminated the frequency band
restrictions on WCS FDD base stations
prohibiting transmissions in the lower
WCS blocks (2305–2320 MHz);
• Clarified that point-to-point and
point-to-multipoint WCS fixed stations
operated and controlled by the WCS
licensee and that comply with the WCS
base and fixed station power and
emissions limits are not considered to
be fixed WCS CPE;
• Denied a petition to establish
reduced power limits for low-power
fixed WCS CPE (i.e., CPE with average
equivalent isotropically radiated power
(EIRP) of 2 Watts or less) operating with
the relaxed OOBE limits applicable to
WCS mobile and portable devices;
• Denied a petition to establish PSD
limits for all fixed WCS CPE;
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• Denied a petition to establish guard
bands in WCS Blocks C and D for fixed
WCS CPE;
• Relaxed the restrictions on outdoor
and outdoor antenna use for low-power
fixed WCS CPE operating with the
OOBE limits applicable to WCS mobile
and portable devices under certain
circumstances;
• Removed the restrictions on
outdoor and outdoor antenna use for
low-power fixed CPE operating with the
more restrictive OOBE limits applicable
to WCS base and fixed stations;
• Eliminated the PSD limits for WCS
mobile and portable devices using
appropriate uplink (user device to base
station) transmission technology (e.g.,
3rd Generation Partnership Project Long
Term Evolution (3GPP LTE);
• Denied a petition requesting further
restrictions on WCS mobile and portable
device OOBE limits;
• Denied a petition requesting
removal of the restriction prohibiting
WCS mobile and portable devices using
FDD technology from transmitting in the
upper WCS spectrum blocks (2345–2360
MHz) adjacent to the AMT spectrum;
• Prohibited WCS mobile and
portable devices from transmitting in all
portions of WCS Blocks C (2315–2320
MHz) and D (2345–2350 MHz);
• Eliminated the duty cycle limits on
fixed WCS CPE and WCS mobile and
portable devices using FDD technology;
• Denied a petition to eliminate the
38 percent duty cycle limit for fixed
WCS CPE and WCS mobile and portable
devices using time division duplexing
(TDD) technology;
• Clarified the bands of applicability
for WCS base, fixed, and fixed CPE
station, and WCS mobile and portable
device OOBE limits;
• Declined to address a petition
regarding the interference protection
rights of secondary Amateur Radio
Service operations in the 2300–2305
MHz band adjacent to primary WCS
operations in the 2305–2320 MHz band;
• Exempted low-power WCS stations
(EIRP less than 2 Watts) from the WCS
licensee notification requirements and
relaxed the WCS licensee notification
requirements for minor WCS station
modifications;
• Clarified that WCS fixed stations
are part of the WCS licensee
coordination and notification processes;
• Lengthened by 6 months and
restarted the WCS construction periods
to enable WCS licensees to respond to
the rule revisions;
• Denied petitions to eliminate the
automatic WCS license forfeiture
provisions for failure to comply with the
WCS performance requirements;
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• Denied petitions to replace the
coverage-based performance
requirements for WCS Blocks C (2315–
2320 MHz) and D (2345–2350 MHz)
with substantial service requirements;
• Encouraged WCS licensees to enter
into coordination agreements with
SDARS licensees for interference
mitigation.
3. For the SDARS, the Order on
Reconsideration
• Denied a petition to modify the siteby-site licensing procedures for high
power SDARS terrestrial repeaters that
are not eligible for blanket licensing
(e.g., repeaters with average EIRP greater
than 12 kilowatts (kW));
• Maintained the option to authorize
SDARS terrestrial repeaters that are not
eligible for blanket licensing;
• Modified the definition of which
WCS licensees would be potentially
affected by SDARS terrestrial repeaters
operating with high power or relaxed
OOBE limits;
• Excepted low-power terrestrial
repeaters (i.e., repeaters with EIRP less
than 2 Watts) from SDARS licensee
notification requirements;
• Relaxed SDARS licensee
notification requirements for minor
modifications to SDARS terrestrial
repeaters;
• Encouraged SDARS licensees to
enter into coordination agreements with
WCS licensees for interference
mitigation.
II. Order on Reconsideration in WT
Docket No. 07–293
A. WCS Base and Fixed Stations
4. Emissions and Circumstances
Requiring Coordination to Resolve
Interference. To foster deployment of
innovative broadband services in the
WCS spectrum and further mitigate the
risk of harmful interference to SDARS
operations, the Order on
Reconsideration adopted AT&T’s and
Sirius XM’s proposed roadway signal
levels and harmful interference
conditions to SDARS operations on
roadways which would trigger
coordinated efforts between WCS and
SDARS licensees to mitigate the
interference. Specifically, WCS and
SDARS operators would work
cooperatively to resolve harmful
interference in a location where a WCS
signal level is present on a roadway at
a level greater than ¥44 dBm in the
WCS A or B Blocks, or ¥55 dBm in the
WCS C or D Blocks, and a test
demonstrates that the SDARS customer
would be muted over a road distance of
greater than 50 meters; or for a mutually
agreeable drive test route, if the ground
signal level on roadways exceeds ¥44
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dBm in the WCS A or B Blocks, or ¥55
dBm in the WCS C or D Blocks, for more
than 1 percent of the cumulative surface
road distance on that drive route, and a
test demonstrates that the SDARS
customer would be muted over a
cumulative road distance of greater than
1⁄2 of 1 percent (incremental to any
muting present prior to use of WCS
frequencies in the area of that drive
test). The Order on Reconsideration
denied Sirius XM’s petition to establish
a specific separation distance at which
an SDARS subscriber is expected to
tolerate muting by WCS base station
operations.
5. Bands of Operation. To provide
WCS licensees with more flexibility to
enhance service to the public and
support FDD downlink carrier
aggregation, in response to AT&T’s
request in its petition for
reconsideration and consistent with
AT&T’s and Sirius XM’s request in their
June 15, 2012 joint submission, the
Commission decided in the Order on
Reconsideration that WCS FDD base
stations may also transmit in the lower
WCS blocks at 2305–2320 MHz in
addition to operating in the upper WCS
bands at 2345–2360 MHz, subject to the
power and OOBE attenuation factors
adopted for WCS base station operations
in those bands. The Commission agreed
with AT&T and Sirius XM that such
operations would not increase the
potential for harmful interference to
adjacent-band services and there is no
need to restrict their operation to the
upper WCS bands (2345–2360 MHz).
6. Point-To-Point/Point-To-Multipoint
Station Description Clarification. In the
Order on Reconsideration, the
Commission agreed with Stratos and the
WCS Coalition that fixed WCS point-topoint stations that are controlled and
operated by the WCS licensee and
comply with the power levels and
spectral mask (i.e., OOBE limits)
applicable to WCS base and fixed
stations are not considered to be fixed
WCS CPE, regardless of where the
transmission equipment is installed. In
addition, because fixed WCS CPE
stations’ operations commenced several
years before the Commission adopted
the 2010 WCS R&O in May 2010, and
the Commission has not received
reports of harmful interference to
SDARS receivers due to their operation,
the Commission decided that testing of
all potential fixed WCS CPE
applications, as suggested by Sirius XM,
was not needed to clarify that fixed
WCS point-to-point and point-tomultipoint stations that are controlled
and operated by the WCS licensee and
comply with the power levels and
spectral mask applicable to WCS base
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and fixed stations are not considered to
be fixed WCS CPE. Therefore, the Order
on Reconsideration clarified that fixed
WCS fixed WCS point-to-point stations
and point-to-multipoint stations that are
controlled and operated by the WCS
licensee and that comply with the more
restrictive OOBE attenuation factors
applicable to WCS base and fixed
stations are not considered to be fixed
WCS CPE, regardless of where the
equipment is installed.
B. Fixed WCS Customer Premises
Equipment
7. Power and Power Spectral Density
Limits. The signal attenuation from the
propagation losses due to the likely
separation distances between low-power
fixed WCS CPE and SDARS receivers,
coupled with the requirement to employ
automatic transmit power control
(ATPC), which is used to prevent intercell interference (i.e., interference to
adjacent cells base stations receiving on
the same frequencies), will help limit
the potential for harmful interference
(i.e., interference which seriously
degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly
interrupts a radiocommunication
service) from fixed WCS CPE to SDARS
receivers receiving unwanted energy in
the adjacent band. Thus, the
Commission disagreed with Sirius XM
that low-power fixed WCS CPE
operating with the OOBE attenuation
factors applicable to WCS mobile
devices should be restricted to a
maximum EIRP of 250 mW. In addition,
although most 2.3 GHz-band fixed WCS
CPE devices have been authorized for
and are operating at 1 to 2 W EIRP, and
some fixed WCS CPE devices have been
authorized for and are operating at up
to 20 W EIRP, which occurred before we
relaxed the OOBE limits for fixed WCS
CPE, SDARS licensees have not reported
any instances of harmful interference
due to this fixed WCS CPE. For these
reasons, the Commission decided that
maintaining the average EIRP at 2 W or
less for low-power fixed WCS CPE
operating with the same OOBE limits as
WCS mobile and portable devices will
not result in harmful interference to
SDARS receivers. Therefore, the Order
on Reconsideration declined to restrict
the maximum allowed power of lowpower fixed WCS CPE operating with
the same OOBE limits as WCS mobile
and portable devices to 250 mW, and
denied that portion of Sirius XM’s
petition.
8. Furthermore, because imposition of
a PSD limit on fixed WCS CPE would
likely preclude the provision of fixed
WCS services by making it
uneconomical to provide the necessary
base station coverage, the Commission
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also declined to impose a PSD limit of
4 W/MHz on fixed WCS CPE, as
requested by Sirius XM. In support of
this decision, the Commission noted
that the 2010 WCS R&O significantly
reduced the potential for fixed WCS
CPE to cause harmful interference to
SDARS receivers by reducing the
maximum allowed EIRP for these
devices from 2 kW over any bandwidth
to 20 W/5 MHz and that Sirius XM had
previously claimed that its receivers,
which were designed prior to adoption
of the 2010 WCS R&O, provide excellent
adjacent band blocking performance. In
addition, because of the likely sources
of blockages—foliage, building walls,
parked and moving vehicles, etc.—that
will attenuate fixed WCS CPE devices’
signals, if fixed WCS CPE were allowed
to continue using up to 20 W/5 MHz
peak EIRP without a specific permegahertz PSD limit, the Commission
determined that SDARS licensees are
not likely to experience harmful
interference from the operation of these
devices. The Commission also affirmed
that if WCS licensees were to aggregate
spectrum for fixed WCS CPE, the power
level in any 5-megahertz bandwidth
would not be permitted to exceed 20 W.
9. The Commission further noted that
the technologies that are being
considered to provide WCS service—
Long Term Evolution (LTE), Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access
(WiMAX), and Wideband-Code Division
Multiple Access (W–CDMA)—spread
user devices’ signals across the channel
bandwidth and control the power of the
RF subcarriers assigned to a particular
device to prevent self-interference.
Thus, even absent a specific PSD limit
for fixed WCS CPE, the Commission
determined that WCS licensees’ efforts
to prevent self-interference would
effectively limit the PSD of fixed WCS
CPE and further mitigate the potential
for harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. Finally, because wireless
networks are typically initially designed
for coverage and subsequently for
capacity, the size of WCS cell sites is
likely to decrease over time, which will
decrease the maximum power
transmitted by WCS CPE and ultimately
lower these devices’ resultant PSD. For
these reasons, the Order on
Reconsideration denied Sirius XM’s
request to impose a PSD limit of 4 W/
MHz on fixed WCS CPE.
10. Bands of Operation. Sirius XM’s
petition regarding the establishment of
guard bands for fixed WCS CPE in the
2.5-megahertz portions of WCS Blocks C
and D nearest the SDARS band (i.e.,
2317.5 MHz–2320 MHz and 2345–
2347.5 MHz) asserted arguments that
Sirius XM raised—and the Commission
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considered and rejected—in the 2010
WCS R&O. The Commission declined to
revisit those contentions in the Order on
Reconsideration. Sirius XM failed to
present any new evidence that would
compel the Commission to reconsider
its previous findings. Moreover, it is
‘‘settled Commission policy that
petitions for reconsideration are not to
be used for the mere re-argument of
points previously advanced and
rejected.’’ Thus, the Order on
Reconsideration denied that portion of
Sirius XM’s petition.
11. Outdoor and Outdoor Antenna
Use. In response to AT&T’s and the
WCS Coalition’s petitions for
reconsideration, the Commission
decided in the Order on
Reconsideration to remove the
restrictions on low-power fixed WCS
CPE operating with the stepped
emission mask applicable to WCS
mobile devices that prohibited such
equipment from being used outdoors or
with outdoor antennas. Consistent with
the request in AT&T’s and Sirius XM’s
June 15, 2012 compromise proposal, if
low-power fixed WCS CPE operating
with the OOBE limits applicable to WCS
mobile devices is professionally
installed in locations that are removed
by 20 meters from roadways or in
locations where it can be shown that the
ground power level of ¥44 dBm in
WCS Blocks A and B or ¥55 dBm in
WCS Blocks C and D will not be
exceeded at the nearest road location,
then such equipment may be used
outdoors and with outdoor antennas.
The Commission also decided to remove
the prohibitions on the use of lowpower fixed WCS CPE outdoors and
with outdoor antennas if the fixed WCS
CPE complies with the more restrictive
OOBE attenuation factors applicable to
WCS base and fixed stations. The
Commission determined that if used
outdoors or with outdoor antennas, lowpower fixed WCS CPE that is
professionally installed or that meets
the more restrictive OOBE attenuation
factors applicable to WCS base and
fixed stations will avert the
discontinuance of existing WCS service,
foster the provision of wireless
broadband services, especially in
unserved and underserved areas, and
enhance user experience without
causing harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. It also determined that the
signal attenuation due to the separation
distances and outdoor blockages (i.e.,
building walls and other structures in
urban settings; trees) that are likely to
exist between low-power fixed WCS
CPE transmitters and SDARS receivers
and the requirement to use ATPC,
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would help limit the potential for
harmful interference to SDARS receivers
from low-power fixed WCS CPE being
used outdoors or with outdoor antennas.
C. WCS Mobile and Portable Devices
12. Power Spectral Density Limit. In
response to AT&T’s and the WCS
Coalition’s petitions for reconsideration
and consistent with the request in
AT&T’s and Sirius XM’s June 15, 2012
compromise proposal, in the Order on
Reconsideration, the Commission
decided to eliminate the PSD limit for
WCS mobile devices that operate with
bandwidths greater than or equal to 5
megahertz in WCS Blocks A and B and
use an appropriate uplink transmission
technology (e.g., 3GPP LTE). In support
of this decision, the Commission noted
that in cellular systems, mobile device
transmit (i.e., uplink) power control is a
key radio resource management
function for improving system capacity,
coverage, and user quality (data rate or
voice quality), lowering battery
consumption, and controlling
interference to adjacent cells of the same
system, and per-megahertz PSD limits
are not standardized for wideband
wireless technologies such as W–
CDMA, WiMAX, or LTE. Instead of
controlling mobile devices’ transmit
power on a per-megahertz basis, LTE
technology is designed to control mobile
devices’ transmit power by dynamically
allocating spectrum resources, known as
Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs), among
mobile devices and setting the power
levels of these PRBs on a frame-by-frame
basis. Similarly, despite having different
uplink physical layer and transmission
schemes, WiMAX technology controls
mobile devices’ transmit power by
uniformly distributing the uplink
transmissions from a given mobile
device across the operating channel
bandwidth and controlling the power of
the radio frequency (RF) subcarriers
assigned to a particular device. In
Wideband Code Division Multiple
Access (W–CDMA), also known as
Universal Mobile Telecommunication
System (UMTS), networks, to balance
the power received at the base station
from all mobile devices to within a few
decibels (dB) and optimize system
performance, uplink power control
information is transmitted from the base
station in every time slot to control the
power transmitted in each data channel
frame assigned to a particular mobile
device.
13. Therefore, in the same manner
that uplink power control is used in
LTE, WiMAX, and W–CDMA networks
to optimize system performance, the
Commission found that WCS licensees
may use LTE, WiMAX, and W–CDMA
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technologies’ uplink power control
algorithms to effectively limit the PSD
of WCS mobile devices to avoid selfinterference, maximize the capacity and
efficiency of the network, and mitigate
the risk that these devices will cause
harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. Although the PSD of WCS
mobile devices may occasionally exceed
50 mW/MHz, the Commission
concluded that such instances would be
rare and short lived. It also concluded
that WCS licensees could control WCS
mobile devices’ transmitter power via
power control, signal spreading, and/or
other signal modulation techniques to
prevent these devices from
concentrating power greater than 50
mW/MHz in narrow segments of
bandwidth that are near the SDARS
band to avoid causing harmful
interference to SDARS receivers.
14. For these reasons, the Order on
Reconsideration eliminated the 50 mW/
MHz PSD limit for WCS mobile devices
that operate in the WCS A and B Blocks
(2305–2315 MHz and 2350–2360 MHz)
and employ single carrier frequencydivision multiple access (SC FDMA) or
similar technology. However, to address
Sirius XM’s concerns that WCS
licensees’ mobile devices could transmit
more power than they could otherwise
transmit in a 5-megahertz block by
aggregating spectrum blocks and
consistent with the WCS Coalition’s
assertion that a WiMAX or LTE mobile
device’s transmit power is uniformly
distributed across the available channel
bandwidth, the Order on
Reconsideration clarified that WCS
mobile devices are limited to a
maximum EIRP of 250 mW for any
bandwidth greater than or equal to 5
megahertz.
15. Out-of-Band Emissions Limits.
Sirius XM’s petition regarding the
OOBE limits for WCS mobile devices in
the 2320–2345 MHz SDARS band
asserted numerous arguments that
Sirius XM raised—and the Commission
considered and rejected—in the 2010
WCS R&O. The Commission declined to
revisit those contentions in the Order on
Reconsideration. Sirius XM failed to
present any new evidence that would
compel the Commission to reconsider
its previous findings. Moreover, it is
‘‘settled Commission policy that
petitions for reconsideration are not to
be used for the mere re-argument of
points previously advanced and
rejected.’’ Thus, the Order on
Reconsideration denied the portion of
Sirius XM’s petition to further restrict
the OOBE limits for WCS mobile and
portable devices in the 2320–2345 MHz
band.
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16. Bands of Operation. The
Commission declined to remove the
restriction that WCS mobile devices
using FDD technology may not transmit
in the upper WCS A and B Blocks and
the 2.5-megahertz portion of the WCS D
Block furthest removed from the SDARS
band (2347.5–2360 MHz), as requested
by AT&T. The Commission determined
that restricting WCS FDD mobile
devices from transmitting in the upper
WCS blocks at 2347.5–2360 MHz band
would provide added protection from
harmful interference to adjacent-band
AMT receivers that operate in the 2360–
2395 MHz band. Therefore, the Order on
Reconsideration denied the portion of
AT&T’s petition requesting that WCS
mobile devices be allowed to operate in
the upper WCS bands at 2347.5–2360
MHz.
17. However, although the
Commission determined in the 2010
WCS R&O that the potential for harmful
interference to SDARS receivers from
mobile transmitters operating in the 2.5megahertz portions of WCS Blocks C
and D furthest removed from the SDARS
band was negligible, in their June 15,
2012 joint agreement, AT&T and Sirius
XM asserted that mobile operations in
WCS Blocks C and D hold the most
potential to cause harmful interference
to satellite radio consumers. In their
June 15, 2012 compromise proposal,
AT&T and Sirius XM agreed that
expanding the guard bands for WCS
mobile and portable device
transmissions to encompass all of WCS
Blocks C and D would further reduce
the risk that operation of WCS mobile
transmitters in these bands could pose
an unacceptable interference threat to
SDARS reception. Thus, to further
mitigate the potential for harmful
interference to SDARS operations, the
Commission decided to prohibit WCS
mobile and portable transmitters from
operating in all portions of WCS Blocks
C and D. The Commission decided that
this action would, in effect, provide a 5megahertz transition band for SDARS
receivers at each end of the SDARS
band that would further decrease the
potential for harmful interference to
SDARS operations from WCS mobile
devices operating in adjacent spectrum,
while permitting the C and D Blocks
spectrum to be used for WCS base
stations or fixed services. Coupled with
the relaxed PSD and duty cycle limits
that the Commissions adopted in the
Order on Reconsideration for WCS
mobile devices, the Commission
believed that this action would provide
added interference protection to SDARS
operations while advancing the
Commission’s goal of making mobile
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broadband services over the WCS
spectrum widely available.
18. The Commission’s adoption of
this approach also furthered its
resolution of the interference protection
matters raised in Sirius XM’s petition
for reconsideration. The Commission
first provided notice that it was
considering the issue of interference
management between the WCS and
SDARS in the 2001 Public Notice in this
proceeding, in which the Commission
sought comment on requiring SDARS
licensees to operate their repeaters in
frequency bands at least 4 megahertz
away from the edge of their licensed
frequency bands, among other things.
That issue remained in play with the
timely filing of the Sirius XM
Reconsideration Petition challenging the
Commission’s decision in the 2010 WCS
R&O to adopt a different approach.
D. WCS Mobile, Portable, and Fixed CPE
Duty Cycle Limits
19. To facilitate the deployment of
broadband services in WCS spectrum,
the Commission decided in the Order
on Reconsideration to eliminate the
duty cycle requirements for WCS
mobile, portable, and fixed CPE
employing FDD-based technology,
consistent with AT&T’s and Sirius XM’s
request in their June 15, 2012
compromise proposal. The Commission
agreed with AT&T that the activity
factor of a WCS mobile device is not a
factor in determining potential
interference to SDARS receivers that
warrants a 25 percent duty cycle for
WCS mobile and portable devices in
WCS Blocks A and B, as the
Commission determined in the 2010
WCS R&O. It also agreed with AT&T’s
and Sirius XM’s assertions that
adjacent-band WCS FDD operations will
have minimal impact on the SDARS
receivers’ automatic gain control (AGC)
circuitry because they involve no
intermittent pulsing. However, based on
Commission staff’s analysis of the
record and reinforced by the results of
the testing in Ashburn, Virginia, the
Commission decided to maintain the 38
percent duty cycle limit for WCS mobile
devices using TDD-based technologies.
20. Regarding Sirius XM’s argument
that the 38 percent duty cycle limit for
TDD-based devices established in 2010
WCS R&O was not supported by the
record in this proceeding, the
Commission noted that its decision to
adopt a 38 percent duty cycle for TDDbased WCS user devices was a tradeoff
based on its analysis of the record
leading up to adoption of the 2010 WCS
rules and the WCS/SDARS testing in
Ashburn, Virginia. The Commission
decided in 2010 to round up the
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permitted TDD duty cycle from the 35
percent used in the Ashburn, Virginia
testing to 38 percent to allow for the
majority of TDD profiles under an LTE
or WiMAX technology selection,
because the 35 percent duty cycle used
during the testing only resulted in two
isolated instances of negligible
interference to SDARS receivers, not
harmful interference that repeatedly
interrupted the SDARS signal.
21. The Commission also declined to
limit WCS mobile devices’
transmissions to every other 5
millisecond (ms) frame as Sirius XM
requested in its petition. As determined
by the Commission’s analyses and
verified by the WCS/SDARS testing in
Ashburn, Virginia, it found that the
WCS mobile device’s transmissions
need not be limited to every other
transmission frame to limit the potential
for harmful interference to SDARS
receivers, as requested by Sirius XM.
However, to eliminate any uncertainty
about how compliance with the duty
cycle is measured, the Commission
clarified its requirement that WCS
subscriber devices’ duty cycle be
measured in a manner that is referenced
directly to the frame duration for WCS
technology being used. Specifically,
industry standards for WiMAX and LTE
technology specify frame lengths of 5
ms and 10 ms, respectively.
Accordingly, for WCS networks using
WiMAX technology, the duty cycle
should be measured over a 5 ms frame;
for WCS networks using LTE
technology, the duty cycle should be
measured over a 10 ms frame. For TDD
technologies other than LTE and
WiMAX, the duty cycle should be
measured over a frame duration that is
referenced directly to the technology
being used.
E. WCS Out-of-Band Emissions Limit in
the 2300–2305 MHz Amateur Radio
Service Band
22. Regarding ARRL’s petition
requesting that the Commission require
WCS licensees to be responsible for
mitigating harmful interference to
Amateur Radio Service operations in the
2300–2305 MHz band through operation
of § 2.102(f) of the Commission’s rules
and AT&T’s and the WCS Coalition’s
opposition, as a general matter, the
Commission noted that the technical
and operating rules that its adopts for a
particular service are designed to
prevent harmful interference (i.e.,
interference which seriously degrades,
obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunication service) to other
services that operate in adjacent bands
and to establish the RF environment for
adjacent band services to coexist. In the
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case of the WCS, the Commission
initially determined that an attenuation
factor of 43 + 10 log (P) dB (i.e., a fixed
limit of -43 dBW) below the transmitter
output power P in Watts for WCS fixed
and mobile devices’ OOBE in the 2300–
2305 MHz band would prevent
interference to Amateur Radio Service
operations in that band. The 2010 WCS
R&O did not alter WCS fixed and
mobile devices’ OOBE limit of -43 dBW
in the 2300–2305 MHz band and thus
did not reduce or otherwise modify the
interference protection that the
Commission previously established for
ARS operations in that band. For this
reason, the Commission saw no reason
to address the specific arguments that
ARRL, AT&T, and the WCS Coalition
made regarding the operation of
§ 2.102(f) because the FCC’s existing
service and technical rules are already
designed to account for WCS users
operating adjacent to the ARS band. To
the extent that ARRL was asking that the
Commission revisit the attenuation
factor originally established for the WCS
and that was left unmodified in the
2010 WCS R&O, the Commission
concluded that such a request for
reconsideration was not timely filed and
was not appropriate for reconsideration.
23. Clarification of Applicable Bands
for Out-of-Band Emissions Limits. To
eliminate any confusion in the
Commission’s rules about where the
OOBE limits for WCS base and fixed
stations, mobile devices, and fixed WCS
CPE must be met, the Order on
Reconsideration clarified the frequency
bands in which the 43 + 10 log (P) dB
and other OOBE attenuation factors
below the transmitter power P are
applicable. Specifically, WCS base and
fixed stations and fixed WCS CPE
transmitting with an average EIRP
greater than 2 Watts must attenuate their
OOBE below the transmitter power P, as
measured over a 1 megahertz resolution
bandwidth, by a factor of not less than
43 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies
between 2305–2320 MHz and between
2345–2360 MHz that are outside the
licensed band(s) of operation, not less
than 75 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2320–
2345 MHz band, not less than 43 + 10
log (P) dB in the 2300–2305 and 2360–
2362.5 MHz bands, not less than 55 +
10 log (P) dB in the 2362.5–2365 MHz
band, not less than 70 + 10 log (P) dB
in the 2287.5–2300 MHz and 2365–
2367.5 MHz bands, not less than 72 +
10 log (P) dB in the 2285–2287.5 and
2367.5–2370 MHz bands, and not less
than 75 + 10 log (P) dB below 2285 MHz
and above 2370 MHz.
24. WCS mobile and portable devices
operating in the WCS A and B Blocks
and fixed WCS CPE transmitting with
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an average EIRP of 2 Watts or less must
attenuate their OOBE below the
transmitter power P as measured over a
1 megahertz bandwidth, by a factor of
not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2305–2320 MHz
and between 2345–2360 MHz that are
outside the licensed band(s) of
operation, not less than 55 + 10 log (P)
dB in the 2320–2324/2341–2345 MHz
bands, not less than 61 + 10 log (P) dB
in the 2324–2328/2337–2341 MHz
bands, and not less than 67 + 10 log (P)
dB in the 2328–2337 MHz band. In
addition, WCS mobile and portable
devices must attenuate their OOBE
below the transmitter power P by a
factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P)
dB in the 2300–2305 and 2360–2365
MHz bands, not less than 55 + 10 log (P)
dB in the 2296–2300 MHz band, not less
than 61 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2292–
2296 MHz band, not less than 67 + 10
log (P) dB in the 2288–2292 MHz band,
and not less than 70 + 10 log (P) dB
below 2288 MHz and above 2365 MHz.
25. Measurement Procedures. The
Order on Reconsideration clarified that
measurements of the OOBE from WCS
base, fixed, and fixed CPE stations and
WCS mobile and portable devices made
over a narrower resolution bandwidth
than 1 megahertz (e.g., 1 percent of the
emission bandwidth) must be integrated
over the full measurement bandwidth of
1 megahertz to determine compliance
with the relevant out-of-band emissions
limits. Specifically, compliance with the
part 27 WCS emissions limits rules is
based on the use of measurement
instrumentation employing a resolution
bandwidth of 1 MHz or greater.
However, in the 1 MHz bands
immediately outside and adjacent to the
channel blocks at 2305, 2310, 2315,
2320, 2345, 2350, 2355, and 2360 MHz,
a resolution bandwidth of at least 1
percent of the emission bandwidth of
the fundamental emission of the
transmitter may be employed. A
narrower resolution bandwidth is
permitted in all cases to improve
measurement accuracy provided the
measured power is integrated over the
full required measurement bandwidth
(i.e., 1 MHz). The emission bandwidth
is defined as the width of the signal
between two points, one below the
carrier center frequency and one above
the carrier center frequency, outside of
which all emissions are attenuated at
least 26 dB below the transmitter power.
F. WCS Performance Requirements.
26. Extension of WCS Construction
Deadlines. The Order on
Reconsideration also lengthened by 6
months and restarted the WCS
construction periods established in the
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2010 WCS R&O to enable WCS licensees
to respond to the rule revisions while
ensuring significant deployment of
facilities in the near term. For mobile
and point-to-multipoint systems in WCS
Blocks A and B, and point-to-multipoint
systems in WCS Blocks C and D, a
licensee must provide reliable signal
coverage and offer service to at least 40
percent of the license area’s population
within 48 months, and 75 percent
within 78 months. For fixed point-topoint services, except those deployed in
the Gulf of Mexico license area,
licensees must construct and operate 15
point-to-point links per million persons
(one link per 67,000 persons) in a
license area within 48 months, and 30
links (one link per 33,500 persons)
within 78 months. In those license areas
where licensees demonstrate that 25
percent of the license area’s population
for Blocks A, B, or D is within an AMT
coordination zone, alternative
requirements are applicable for mobile
and point-to-multipoint services.
Specifically, affected licensees must
serve 25 (rather than 40) percent of the
population within 48 months, and 50
(rather than 75) percent within 78
months. For point-to-point systems
deployed on any spectrum block in the
Gulf of Mexico license area, a licensee
must construct and operate a minimum
of 15 point-to-point links within 48
months, and a minimum of 15 point-topoint links within 78 months. The
construction periods currently
applicable to existing WCS licensees
will run from the effective date of the
rule revisions adopted in the Order on
Reconsideration.
27. Coverage Requirements Instead of
Substantial Service. The Commission’s
decision in the 2010 WCS R&O to
migrate away from substantial service
requirements was based upon a careful
reading of the record, and a balanced
consideration of the public interest.
Therefore, the Commission disagreed
with the Petitioners of the 2010 WCS
R&O that these judgments were arbitrary
and capricious. Accordingly, it
declined, as it did in the 2010 WCS R&O
after a careful assessment of that record,
to apply substantial service performance
requirements in the 2.3 GHz band for
the C and D Blocks, or to reduce their
quantitative benchmarks. In the 2010
WCS R&O, the Commission stated that
its revised performance requirements
would ‘‘afford WCS licensees bright-line
certainty,’’ and would ‘‘facilitate
Commission review of WCS
performance showings.’’ Petitioners
provided little to support their
arguments that circumstances with
respect to this spectrum are so difficult
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that the Commission must reinstate
substantial service or otherwise reduce
their construction obligations.
28. The Commission disagreed with
petitioners that the more stringent
technical rules for C and D Blocks
relegates them to ‘‘niche services’’ and
it believed that relief that it provided in
other areas will provide licensees with
additional service options. It found that
retaining quantitative benchmarks best
supported its goals for this service; that
is, that licensees will provide
meaningful service in the near term and
continue to use the spectrum
throughout the course of their license
periods. The Commission believed that,
for the WCS, bright-line coverage
requirements at specified thresholds
serve to promote service throughout a
licensed market, because they prevent
licensees from ‘‘cherry picking’’ areas
for service rather than meeting the
benchmarks specified in their license
requirements.
29. The Commission noted that
because of its action to prohibit mobile
operations in WCS Blocks C and D, the
respective requirements for the 40 and
75 percent population coverage
benchmarks would only be applicable to
point-to-multi-point systems. However,
it maintained that quantitative
benchmarks—rather than a return to
substantial service—is still the
appropriate standard for all operations
in the C and D Blocks spectrum.
Accordingly, the service requirement for
the C and D Blocks shall be: 40 and 75
percent population coverage at the 48
and 78 month deadlines, respectively,
for point-to-multipoint operations, with
15 point-to-point links per million
persons in a license area within 48
months, and 30 point-to-point links per
million persons in a license area within
78 months for point-to-point fixed
operations.
30. Finally, the Commission noted
that certain entities had sought guidance
as to the specific performance
requirements that would be applied to
current or potential operations in the C
and D Blocks that do not fall within the
traditional mobile, point-to-multipoint,
or point-to-point fixed models. For
example, Gogo, Inc. sought clarification
as to whether ground-to-air uplinks
could be deployed in the C and D
Blocks, and what coverage requirements
would apply. The Commission noted
that there are hybrid or non-traditional
operations that do not fit precisely in
one category; for example, there may be
WCS point-to-multipoint systems that
could be viewed as functionally
consistent with a WCS point-to-point RF
network, e.g., certain smart grid links to
monitoring stations, maintenance
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instrumentation, automatic metering
collection points, and video
surveillance. However, given the wide
range of deployments and applications
possible, the Commission found that
WCS licensees should seek guidance
from the Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau on a case-by-case basis in
determining whether their service is
permissible within the C and D Blocks,
and which benchmarks apply.
31. Performance Penalties. The
Commission finds basis in the record for
reconsidering the rule that licenses will
automatically terminate if a
performance benchmark is not satisfied.
The parties reiterated many of the same
arguments that were raised throughout
the proceeding, which the Commission
previously considered and rejected.
Despite the parties’ arguments that
applying the automatic termination
policy is counter to prior Commission
practice, the decision to terminate
licenses if performance benchmarks are
not met was consistent with the
Commission’s past practice in most
geographically-licensed wireless
services, including the 800 MHz
Specialized Mobile Radio Service (800
MHz SMR), PCS, and Advanced
Wireless Services (AWS), as well as in
the 1997 WCS Report and Order.
Further, although Petitioners continued
to claim that an automatic termination
rule deters investment and construction
of networks, they provided no support
that licensees have been denied
financing or that deployment of
broadband has been slowed due to this
policy. The Commission remained
unconvinced that automatic termination
of a license for which the performance
requirements are not met itself deters
capital investment or otherwise hinders
the development or deployment of
service. On the contrary, several
wireless services subject to this kind of
performance penalty have thrived.
32. The Commission remains
unpersuaded that it should revise its
WCS rules to adopt a ‘‘keep-what-youuse’’ policy because the Commission
adopted the approach with respect to
certain 700 MHz licenses. The
Commission found that the
considerations and goals with respect to
WCS are so similar to the circumstances
underlying the 700 MHz Service such
that it was compelled to revise existing
WCS requirements to mirror the 700
MHz performance penalties. While the
2010 WCS R&O did call attention to the
difference between WCS and 700 MHz
rules with respect to submarket
performance requirements, the
Commission noted that the submarket
performance rule is only one
distinction. Differences in the specific
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policy objectives behind the respective
performance requirements and penalties
also supported the application of a
different performance penalty.
33. In adopting the ‘‘keep-what-youuse’’ approach in the 700 MHz
proceeding, the Commission sought to
make available additional mechanisms
to enable access to spectrum by new
entrants after an initial licensee either
fails or chooses not to provide service in
a particular area by the applicable
deadline. Alternatively, the focus of the
performance requirements for the WCS
adopted in the 2010 WCS R&O was to
ensure the rapid and meaningful
provision of service throughout an
entire licensed market. Given the length
of time that currently licensed spectrum
has remained largely unused, the
Commission purposefully imposed
ambitious construction criteria,
including the automatic termination
performance penalty, to ensure that
extensive service coverage occurs in the
near term. The Commission found that
this goal would not be better served by
implementing a ‘‘keep-what-you-use’’
performance penalty that may not
facilitate service coverage in an area
until after a current WCS licensee has
returned unused spectrum to the
Commission. In this context, the
Commission concluded that the
automatic termination approach would
be more effective in accomplishing the
Commission’s objective of intensive,
near term WCS construction.
34. Further, the Commission
disagreed with the argument that the
automatic termination approach is
intrinsically tied to less strict
performance benchmarks. The
automatic termination approach has
historically been applied to geographic
market-based licenses generally. In
adopting performance requirements for
its various wireless services, the
Commission has not as a practice linked
substantial service and the use of the
automatic termination penalty. To the
contrary, the automatic termination
approach has been used as a penalty for
services that did not initially have a
substantial service performance
obligation.
35. Finally, the Commission rejected
arguments that the automatic
termination rule is unfair to licensees
because, according to petitioners, the
rule requires automatic termination of a
license even where failure to meet a
benchmark is due to circumstances out
of the control of a licensee, or even, for
example, if the licensee has covered 74
percent of the population at the final
deadline. Petitioners argued that
application of this policy would cut off
service to customers and strand
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investment. However, § 1.946(e)(1) of
the Commission’s rules provides that
extensions may be granted where failure
to comply with construction
requirements is due to causes beyond
the control of the licensee, and
Commission staff has previously granted
relief from the Commission’s
performance rules in cases where it was
in the public interest to do so. For
example, Commission staff has granted
extensions where it found that a
complete lack of available equipment
for a service presented circumstances
beyond the control of licensees, or
where licensees were able to show a
significant level of diligence and
commitment to construction of
facilities. As noted in the 2010 WCS
R&O, the Commission stated that it
would continue to consider and
evaluate requests for extension or
waiver and grant relief if circumstances
warrant. The Commission emphasized,
however, that any relief sought must be
weighed against the public interest goals
underlying our construction rules,
which is to ensure the efficient use of
spectrum and the expeditious provision
of service to the public. As noted, in
specifying performance rules for this
service, the Commission purposefully
imposed rigorous construction criteria
and retained the automatic termination
policy in order to ensure meaningful
and rapid deployment of service in the
WCS band. The Commission would
grant extension or waiver relief only if
it determines that such action is not
contrary to the goals underlying the
WCS performance requirements, and
otherwise serves the public interest.
G. WCS Information Sharing
Requirements
36. Notification Requirements. The
Commission agreed that it is in the
public interest to allow WCS licensees
the flexibility to respond to market
conditions by making minor
modifications to their facilities as long
as these modifications do not result in
harmful interference to SDARS
operations (i.e., muting). While the
Commission believed that the 2 dB
power flux density (PFD) increase
notification trigger sought by the WCS
Coalition may be problematic, it
nonetheless found it appropriate to
permit WCS licensees to optimize
facilities and correct coverage gaps
without advance notice in
circumstances where such
modifications are unlikely to cause
harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. Therefore, WCS licensees
were allowed to modify their facilities,
other than changes in location, without
prior notice so long as the change does
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not increase the predicted PFD at
ground level by more than 1 dB and
notice of the modification is provided
within 24 hours of deployment. The
Commission saw no empirical evidence
in the record that demonstrates that a 1
dB increase in PFD as a result of a WCS
modification is likely to cause harmful
interference to nearby SDARS receivers.
Rather, it anticipated that in most cases
there will be sufficient margin in the
SDARS link budget such that harmful
interference will be avoided.
37. Moreover, WCS licensees were not
being exempted from their obligation to
provide notice regarding modifications
to their stations; WCS entities must
notify SDARS licensees within 24 hours
of these changes to allow for monitoring
of the effects of the modifications. In
addition, the notification exception for
no more than a 1 dB increase in PFD can
be distinguished from Sirius XM’s prior
proposal for imposition of system-wide
PFD limits on WCS base station
transmissions because it would only
affect the trigger for notification of a
modification to SDARS licensees, and is
not an across the board criteria for
limiting WCS base stations’ groundlevel power. If, after gaining experience
with the 1 dB PFD increase exception to
the notification procedures, there is
harmful interference to SDARS receivers
as a result of such modifications, the
Commission would restore the formal
notification procedure that requires 5business days notice prior to modifying
WCS facilities.
38. However, Sirius XM raised a valid
argument that multiple modifications to
WCS stations could result in a predicted
aggregate PFD increase that may
negatively affect SDARS receivers. To
avoid such a result, although WCS
licensees may make 24 hour post
modification notifications as long as the
predicted PFD increase at ground level
is not greater than 1 dB, if an SDARS
licensee demonstrates to the WCS
licensee that the series of modifications
using post-modification notification
procedures may cause harmful
interference to SDARS receivers, the
WCS licensee must provide the SDARS
licensee with a 5 day notice in advance
of additional modifications to WCS base
and fixed stations. However, the 1 dB
limit will not apply where a
coordination agreement between the
parties specifies otherwise.
39. In addition, in light of the
Commission’s decision to adopt the
maximum design ground power level
targets along roadways of ¥44 dBm for
WCS Blocks A and B and ¥55 dBm for
WCS Blocks C and D, it also permitted
after-the-fact notification where
modifications to WCS base and fixed
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stations do not exceed these limits.
However, it did not adopt Sirius XM’s
suggestion that, if it was unwilling to
adopt WCS PFD limits, interference
mitigation issues must be resolved
through a separate coordination
agreement between Sirius XM and the
WCS licenses or through a
clearinghouse acting on the licensees’
behalf. Requiring such agreements or a
clearinghouse would unnecessarily
increase administrative burdens on all
licensees.
40. Further, the Commission modified
the rules to exclude WCS base and fixed
stations operating under 2 W EIRP from
the inventory and notification
requirements and agreed with Sirius XM
that, to the extent that the parties can
mutually agree on alternative
coordination and notification
procedures, the rules should
accommodate private agreements
between WCS licensees and Sirius XM
that implement such modified
procedures. Although the Commission
did not adopt a list of modifications
unlikely to cause interference where
‘‘after-the-fact-notification’’ would
apply as suggested by Sirius XM, it
recognized that it would be beneficial
for WCS licensees and Sirius XM to
reach agreement on procedures that
would streamline the notification
process.
41. Lastly, the Commission clarified
that the inventory and SDARS licensee
notification requirements in § 27.72
apply to both WCS base and fixed
stations (except fixed WCS CPE). Sirius
XM is correct that the Commission has
during this proceeding used the terms
‘‘WCS base station’’ and ‘‘WCS station’’
interchangeably in the context of
information sharing requirements. It is
discernible from a review of the 2001
Public Notice and 2007 Notice in this
proceeding that the Commission’s use of
‘‘base station’’ also encompassed fixed
stations. Moreover, the 2010 WCS R&O’s
use of language directing WCS licensees
to provide information to SDARS
licensees regarding their ‘‘deployed
infrastructure’’ also demonstrated that
the information sharing obligations are
not limited only to base stations used in
a mobile system. Accordingly, it revised
§ 27.72 to make clear that WCS licensees
must share fixed and base station
information with SDARS licensees.
However, it clarified that fixed WCS
CPE (i.e., fixed equipment operated by
a WCS subscriber) is not subject to this
requirement. Further, to the extent that
WCS licensees have not yet provided
notice for existing fixed stations to
SDARS licensees, WCS licensees must
do so no later than 30 days after the
effective date of this Order.
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42. Duty to Cooperate and
Coordination. Upon review, the
Commission found no basis to revise its
requirements regarding WCS licensees’
duty to cooperate. First, it declined to
adopt the proposals submitted by Sirius
XM as they were considered when they
were initially proposed in this
proceeding and explicitly rejected by
the Commission in the 2010 WCS R&O.
The Commission found that no further
evidence had been introduced into the
record to cause us to reconsider this
decision. Specifically, it rejected as
unnecessary the proposals that WCS
licensees provide a schedule of when
network facilities will be transmitting,
or make pre-sale devices available to
Sirius XM for inspection. Although it
expected the parties to cooperate and
take good faith measures to prevent
harmful interference, it decided it must
balance the need for an exchange of
useful information against requiring the
disclosure of market sensitive
information that is not reasonably
necessary to prevent harmful
interference, such as licensees’
proprietary equipment information and
business or operating plans.
43. For these reasons, the Commission
also declined to require WCS licensees
to enter into a coordination agreement
with Sirius XM with provisions similar
to the June 15, 2012 AT&T/Sirius XM
agreement. It emphasized, however, that
cooperation between WCS and SDARS
licensees is critical to the successful
coexistence between WCS and SDARS
systems, and encouraged WCS licensees
to develop and enter into separate
coordination agreements with SDARS
licensees for interference mitigation.
The Commission therefore revised
§ 27.72 to incorporate the AT&T/Sirius
XM proposed language encouraging the
adoption of coordination agreements by
WCS and SDARS. To the extent any
provision of a coordination agreement
between parties to mutually resolve
harmful interference conflicts with
other information sharing requirements
adopted in this proceeding, the parties
are obligated to follow the procedures
established under the agreement.
44. The Commission also did not
require that a clearinghouse or single
point of contact be created to provide
information from WCS licensees to
Sirius XM. It agreed with the WCS
Coalition that interference issues are
best handled directly by the entities
operating the networks and that an
obligatory intermediary will add an
unnecessary step into the process.
Similarly, the Commission concluded
that de facto spectrum transfer lessees
already assume the notification and
interference obligations pursuant to our
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secondary markets rules and policies.
However, if the number of WCS
providers increases dramatically, the
Commission may reevaluate whether
the burden to SDARS of coordinating
with multiple providers offsets the
inefficiency of introducing a third party
into the process.
45. Although the Commission did not
mandate how information should be
exchanged between WCS and SDARS
licensees, it expected that licensees
would coordinate to ensure the seamless
and successful exchange of information.
WCS and SDARS licensees are able to
enter into agreements, as discussed
above, regarding the logistics of
information exchanges, and the
Commission encouraged parties to
implement measures to streamline the
process to the extent possible.
H. Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry and
Deep Space Network Coordination
46. Upon further review, the
Commission found it necessary to
reconsider and clarify the role of ITU–
R M.1459 in the coordination of WCS
and AMT facilities to promote and bring
certainty to the coordination process. It
required WCS and AMT entities, using
accepted engineering practices, to apply
ITU–R M.1459, as adapted to local
conditions and operating characteristics
of both WCS and AMT systems, in
coordinating their stations, and thus
modified rule § 27.73(a) accordingly.
47. Recommendation ITU–R M.1459
sets forth the recommended framework
for co-channel sharing between AMT
and mobile satellite services operations,
but is not specific to WCS terrestrial
operations. Although the 2010 WCS
R&O did not specifically require that the
parties use the interference protection
mechanism set forth in the
Recommendation in coordinating AMT
and WCS facilities, § 27.73(a) provides
that coordination within 45 km or line
of sight of an AMT facility is necessary
to protect AMT receivers ‘‘consistent
with Recommendation ITU–R M.1459.’’
48. In referencing the
Recommendation in § 27.73(a), the
Commission did not require parties to
apply the recommended protection
values found in the Recommendation.
The reference to ITU–R M.1459 instead
serves as a reference point that WCS
licensees and AMT entities may
consider in the course of determining
how to coordinate their systems. In
setting out general guidelines in the
2010 WCS R&O and § 27.73(a), the
Commission sought to provide parties
with flexibility to reach agreement on an
appropriate mechanism that provides
both adequate protection to AMT
facilities while permitting WCS
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licensees to operate around such
facilities to the greatest extent possible.
49. The Commission continued to
believe that the appropriate approach to
reducing potential interference between
WCS base stations and AMT
installations is for the entities, when
engaged in a coordination process, to
take into account the local conditions
around applicable AMT sites and
specific operating characteristics of the
AMT and WCS facilities. However,
given the continued differences in how
the parties view the basis of such
coordination, it was concerned that the
parties would be unable to reach a
mutually satisfactory agreement
regarding the WCS deployment in a
timely manner—an outcome which
could lead to unacceptable delays in the
deployment of WCS networks.
Therefore, the Commission found it
necessary to provide additional clarity
regarding the WCS/AMT coordination
process.
50. Specifically, the Commission
required that WCS and AMT entities
take into account interference protection
considerations identified in ITU–R
M.1459 as part of the required
coordination process. The
Recommendation sets forth extremely
conservative baseline protection, or PFD
levels, intended to protect AMT
receivers. The Commission believed that
in many cases, the recommended
protection criteria would provide more
protection than required, unnecessarily
restricting areas where WCS licensees
may provide service. The
Recommendation itself notes that AMT
stations have a wide range of
characteristics, and that some facilities
may require less stringent protection
criteria values than those contained in
ITU–R M.1459. Also, ITU–R M.1459
notes that, even in the context of cochannel sharing, the calculation used to
derive the protection values represents
a worst case scenario. This
notwithstanding, the ITU–R M.1459
PFD levels are based on general
telemetry system characteristics that are
applicable in helping to determine AMT
facilities’ vulnerability to interference.
Moreover, given the conditions of
testing and types of deployments in the
AMT band, there may be circumstances
where an AMT facility may require the
level of protection contemplated by
ITU–R M.1459. Accordingly, the
Commission required the parties to use
the ITU–R M.1459 PFD levels as a
baseline from which to conduct
negotiations and interference studies.
51. In doing so, however, the
Commission did not intend for parties
to strictly apply the recommended PFD
level found in ITU–R M.1459. The
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Commission found that strict
application of the Recommendation
could, in many cases, lead to overprotection of the AMT receiver, thereby
unnecessarily restricting the ability of
the WCS licensee to operate. Therefore,
to determine the appropriate protection
level for an AMT facility, the parties
must, using accepted engineering
practices, evaluate local conditions
surrounding an AMT receiver as well as
the specific operating characteristics of
the applicable AMT and WCS systems,
and determine how the baseline PFD
should be adapted and made less
restrictive in light of these factors. The
Commission specified that the local
conditions and operating characteristics
that the parties must consider in their
analysis include (but are not limited to):
line of sight obstructions (e.g.
topography), actual performance
characteristics of the AMT receiver (e.g.
antenna gain, power level, and
modulation), types of AMT antennas
used, field of view of the AMT receiver,
as well as area of operation of the AMT
receiver and the manner in which
telemetry testing is being performed.
The Commission required parties to
adapt the baseline protection criteria for
AMT, i.e. the applicable PFD level, in
light of these and other factors
applicable to the facility in question. It
found that these requirements would
bring greater certainty to the
coordination process, and better enable
AMT and WCS entities to reach
agreement on measures that will protect
AMT receivers and enable WCS
licensees to operate in the surrounding
area to the greatest extent possible.
52. Thus, the Commission declined to
remove the reference to ITU–R M.1459
in § 27.73(a), as the WCS Coalition
requested, but clarified that WCS and
AMT entities, using accepted
engineering practices, are required to
apply ITU–R M.1459, as adapted to
local conditions and operating
characteristics of both WCS and AMT
systems, in coordinating their stations.
In addition, as determined in the 2010
WCS R&O, it clarified in § 27.73(a) that
a coordination agreement to protect
existing AMT receivers from WCS base
station operations is between the WCS
licensee and AMT entity(ies); Aerospace
& Flight Test Radio Coordinating
Council (AFTRCC) will facilitate
achievement of a mutually satisfactory
coordination agreement between the
WCS licensee and AMT entity(ies) for
AMT receiver sites in existence at the
time of the coordination.
53. AFTRCC also requested, by way of
a February 7, 2012 Ex Parte submission,
that the Commission expand § 27.73 to
require WCS licensees to coordinate
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their fixed stations with AMT entities
and NASA’s DSN facility at Goldstone,
California. Although the WCS Coalition
opposed AFTRCC’s request with respect
to coordination with AMT entities,
AT&T did not object to AFTRCC’s
request to include WCS fixed stations
with WCS base stations in the AMT
coordination regime. The WCS Coalition
argued that coordination with AMT
entities of WCS fixed stations should
not be required since there have not
been any reports of harmful interference
to AMT receivers due to WCS fixed
stations’ operations, while AT&T had
committed to coordinate with AMT
entities WCS fixed stations that operate
in the upper WCS bands at 2345–2360
MHz. The National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) supported
coordination of WCS fixed stations that
operate in the 2305–2320 MHz and
2345–2360 MHz bands with NASA and
AMT entities, respectively.
54. To alert AMT entities and NASA
to the location and operation of WCS
fixed stations that will be deployed
within 45 km of AMT receivers and 145
km of the Goldstone, California DSN
facility, we clarify that the AMT and
DSN coordination requirements for
WCS licensees apply to both WCS base
and fixed stations (i.e., except fixed
WCS CPE). It is discernible from a
review of the 2001 Public Notice and
2007 Notice in this proceeding that the
Commission’s use of ‘‘base station’’ also
encompassed fixed stations. Moreover,
the 2010 WCS R&O’s use of language
directing WCS licensees to provide
information to SDARS licensees
regarding their ‘‘deployed
infrastructure’’ also demonstrates that
WCS licensees’ information sharing
obligations with respect to SDARS
licensees are not limited only to base
stations used in a mobile system.
Accordingly, the Commission revised
§ 27.73 to make clear that WCS licensees
must coordinate 2.3 GHz WCS base and
fixed stations with AMT entities and
NASA’s DSN facility in Goldstone, CA.
However, it clarified that fixed WCS
CPE (i.e., fixed equipment operated by
a WCS subscriber) is not subject to this
coordination requirement.
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III. Order on Reconsideration in IB
Docket No. 95–91
A. Operation of SDARS Terrestrial
Repeaters Above 12 Kilowatts Average
EIRP
55. Site-by-Site Licensing. The
Commission declined to adopt the WCS
Coalition’s suggestions that the
Commission clarify the rules governing
site-by-site licensing of terrestrial
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repeaters by requiring that SDARS
licensees seeking to operate a repeater at
a power level greater than 12 kW
average EIRP must request a waiver of
the power limit rule and must serve
such applications on all potentially
affected WCS licensees. In the SDARS
2nd R&O, the Commission found that
operation of SDARS repeaters above 12
kW average EIRP serves the public
interest in areas where WCS facilities
are not providing commercial service or
such commercial service is not
imminent. The Commission’s rules
explicitly allow repeater operations at
power levels greater than 12 kW average
EIRP on a site-by-site licensing basis,
until a potentially affected WCS
licensee notifies the SDARS licensee of
the imminent commencement of
commercial operations. Thus, the
Commission determined that there was
no need for an SDARS applicant to seek
a waiver of the Commission’s rules to
operate repeaters at power levels greater
than 12 kW average EIRP, because the
Commission’s rules already explicitly
allow such operations. The
Commission’s Satellite Division has
authorized the operations of a small
number of SDARS repeaters at power
levels above 12 kW average EIRP on
delegated authority under a site-by-site
licensing regime, without waiving the
12 kW average EIRP power limit set
forth in § 25.214(d). The Commission
has not found any error in the
authorization.
56. The Commission also found in the
SDARS 2nd R&O that the public interest
supports authorizing as many SDARS
repeaters as possible at levels of 12 kW
average EIRP or less through a blanket
licensing process, rather than at higher
power levels through site-by-site
licensing. The Commission reiterated its
intent to authorize the vast majority of
SDARS repeaters at power levels at or
below 12 kW average EIRP under a
blanket license. In addition, however, it
anticipated authorizing repeaters above
12 kW average EIRP mainly in areas
where WCS licensees do not provide
commercial service and do not provide
notice to SDARS licensees of imminent
commercial service.
57. The Commission also found that
it is unnecessary to require SDARS
applicants to serve applications for siteby-site repeater authorization on WCS
licensees. The Communications Act of
1934, as amended, and Commission
rules generally require 30-days notice to
the public before the Commission can
act on any license application. Thus,
parties potentially affected by the
proposed operations already have an
adequate opportunity to file comments
or petitions to deny in response to any
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application to operate SDARS repeaters.
The WCS Coalition provided no
evidence why additional notice of
proposed SDARS repeaters operations is
necessary, particularly as there is only
one SDARS licensee—Sirius XM—for
WCS licensees to monitor.
58. Definition of ‘‘Potentially
Affected’’ WCS Licensee. The
Commission adopted the alternative
definition of a ‘‘potentially affected
WCS licensee’’ in §§ 25.202(h) and
25.214(d) of the Commission’s rules,
which Sirius XM and WCS licensees
both supported. Accordingly, it
amended §§ 25.202(h)(4) and
25.214(d)(3) to incorporate a 25 km
metric for determining whether a WCS
licensee is ‘‘potentially affected’’ by a
repeater operating above 12 kW EIRP
(average) or with an OOBE attenuation
level less than those specified in
§§ 25.202(h)(1) and (h)(2)). The
Commission recognized in the SDARS
2nd R&O that the use of major economic
areas (MEAs) and regional economic
area groupings (REAGs) may be
overbroad in determining which WCS
licensees would be potentially affected
by a particular SDARS repeater for the
purposes of §§ 25.202(h) and 25.214(d).
There was no basis at the time, however,
to find that the proximity-based
approach favored by Sirius XM would
adequately protect WCS licensees from
harm. The record established since the
release of the SDARS 2nd R&O, as well
as the support of both the WCS
Coalition and Sirius XM, provided a
basis for adopting a 25 km proximitybased definition of a ‘‘potentially
affected WCS licensee’’ for purposes of
§§ 25.202(h) and 25.214(d) of the
Commission’s rules.
59. The Commission did not,
however, determine that a blanket
notification issued by a WCS licensee
for all locations ‘‘potentially affected’’
by repeater deployments—regardless of
the actual predicted risk of
interference—would constitute bad
faith, as requested by Sirius XM. An
SDARS licensee is required to change
the operating parameters of repeaters
under §§ 25.202 and 25.214 only when
a ‘‘potentially affected WCS licensee’’
notifies it that the WCS licensee intends
to commence commercial service within
365 days. Thus, SDARS repeater
operations will be impacted only if a
WCS licensee has either already
commenced commercial service, or
when such service is imminent. The
Commission previously stated that this
discourages a WCS licensee from
sending notices for all areas in which it
has licenses to operate, regardless of
when the licensee actually contemplates
service. Although there may be
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instances where the WCS licensee
provides notice of imminent
commercial service but does not
commence service within the 365-day
period, the Commission stated that it
did not expect bad faith to be the reason
for the delay. It saw no reason to find
differently. To the extent that a WCS
licensee may overstate the potential for
interference from a particular SDARS
repeater, the Commission did not have
reason to find that bad faith would
necessarily be the motivating factor.
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B. Operation of Low-Power SDARS
Terrestrial Repeaters
60. The Commission agreed that
SDARS terrestrial repeaters operating
below 2 W EIRP are unlikely to be
sources of interference, and therefore it
is unnecessary to include these lowpower devices in the inventory and
notification requirements adopted in the
SDARS 2nd R&O for higher-power
devices. Accordingly, it modified
§ 25.263 to exempt such devices from
the inventory and notification
requirements for SDARS terrestrial
repeaters.
C. Notification and Cooperation
Requirements
61. The Commission declined to
revisit the duty to cooperate
requirement imposed on WCS licensees
in § 27.72(e) of the Commission’s rules
and maintained the existing language of
the rule. The existing language requires
WCS licensees to provide SDARS
licensees with ‘‘as much lead time as
practicable to provide ample time to
conduct analyses and opportunity for
prudent base station site selection prior
to WCS licensees entering into real
estate and tower leasing or purchasing
agreements.’’ Although the WCS
Coalition argued that the additional
language is unnecessary where the risk
of interference is small, the purpose of
the rule itself is to allow licensees to
determine the risk of interference as
early as practicable in the site selection
process so that changes can be made if
potential harmful interference is found.
Thus, the Commission decided that it
does not serve the purpose of the rule
to remove requirements that allow
sufficient time to conduct interference
analyses and allow time to modify the
site selection, if necessary.
62. The Commission agreed with the
WCS Coalition, however, that the notice
and duty to cooperate obligations
between SDARS and WCS licensees
should be parallel. To make the
obligations parallel, it modified the duty
to cooperate obligations for SDARS
licensees to match the obligation for
WCS licensees. The Commission
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disagreed with Sirius XM that the
record in this proceeding demonstrates
that risks of interference from WCS
stations to SDARS operations are higher
than the risks of interference from
SDARS repeaters to WCS operations,
and thus impose a greater duty to
cooperate on WCS licensees than on
SDARS licensees. Accordingly, it
amended § 25.263(e) to add a
requirement that SDARS licensees
should provide WCS licensees as much
lead time as practicable to provide
ample time to conduct analyses and
opportunity for prudent repeater site
selection prior to SDARS licensees
entering into real estate and tower
leasing or purchasing agreements.
63. Because the Commission agreed
that the notice and duty to cooperate
obligations between SDARS and WCS
licensees should be parallel, it modified
the notice requirements for SDARS
repeaters to permit SDARS licensees to
modify existing facilities, other than
changes in location, without prior
notice so long as the change does not
increase the predicted PFD at ground
level by more than 1 dB and notice of
the modification is provided within 24
hours of deployment. At the request of
WCS licensees, the Commission also
adopted this revision to the notice
obligations for WCS licensees. It saw no
reason why a parallel revision should
not be made for SDARS repeaters and
amend the notice requirements of
§ 25.263(b) accordingly. However,
multiple modifications to SDARS
terrestrial repeaters could result in a
predicted aggregate PFD increase that
may negatively affect WCS receivers. To
avoid such a result, although an SDARS
licensee may make 24-hour postmodification notifications as long as the
predicted PFD increase at ground level
is not greater than 1 dB, if a WCS
licensee demonstrates to the SDARS
licensee that the series of modifications
using post-modification notification
procedures may cause harmful
interference to WCS receivers, the
SDARS licensee must provide the WCS
licensee with 5-business days notice in
advance of additional modifications to
SDARS terrestrial repeaters. However,
the 1 dB limit will not apply where a
coordination agreement between the
parties specifies otherwise.
64. In addition, the Commission
ordered Sirius XM to provide
potentially affected WCS licensees an
inventory of its terrestrial repeater
infrastructure, including the
information set forth in § 25.263 for
each repeater currently deployed,
within 30 days of the publication of a
summary of this Order on
Reconsideration in the Federal Register.
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It agreed with the WCS Coalition that
such a requirement is consistent with
the intent of the SDARS 2nd R&O. For
the purpose of this requirement, the
definition of ‘‘potentially affected WCS
licensee’’ is the same as that used in
§ 25.263(b)(1) of the Commission’s rules.
65. Finally, the Commission
emphasized that cooperation between
SDARS and WCS licensees is critical to
the successful coexistence between
SDARS and WCS systems, and
encouraged SDARS licensees to develop
and enter into separate coordination
agreements with WCS licensees for
interference mitigation. Therefore, it
revised § 25.263(b)(3) to incorporate the
AT&T/Sirius XM proposed language
encouraging the adoption of
coordination agreements by WCS and
SDARS. To the extent any provision of
a coordination agreement between
parties to mutually resolve harmful
interference conflicts with other
information sharing requirements
adopted in this proceeding, the parties
are obligated to follow the procedures
established under the agreement. The
Commission also added a provision to
§ 25.263(b) to make clear that SDARS
and WCS are able to enter into
agreements regarding the logistics of
information exchanges, and it
encouraged parties to implement
measures to streamline the process to
the extent possible.
IV. Procedural Matters
A. Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis in WT Docket No.
07–293
66. As required by the Regulatory
Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended
(RFA),1 Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analyses (IRFAs) were incorporated in
the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(2007 Notice) 2 and the WCS
Performance Public Notice 3 in WT
Docket No. 07–293. The Commission
sought written public comment on the
1 See 5 U.S.C. 603. The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. 601—
612, has been amended by the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996
(SBREFA), Public Law 104–121, Title II, 110 Stat.
857 (1996).
2 See Amendment of part 27 of the Commission’s
Rules to Govern the Operation of Wireless
Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz Band and
Establishment of Rules and Policies for the Digital
Audio Radio Satellite Service in the 2310–2360
MHz Frequency Band, Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking and Second Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, WT Docket No. 07–293 and IB Docket
No. 95–91, 73 FR 2437 (January 15, 2008) (‘‘2007
Notice’’).
3 See ‘‘Federal Communications Commission
Requests Comment on Revision of Performance
Requirements for 2.3 GHz Wireless
Communications Service,’’ WT Docket No. 07–293,
Public Notice, 75 FR 17349 (April 6, 2010) (‘‘WCS
Performance Public Notice’’).
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proposals in the 2007 Notice and WCS
Performance Public Notice, including
comment on the IRFAs. In addition, a
Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(FRFA) was incorporated in the Report
and Order in WT Docket No. 07–293
(2010 WCS R&O).4 This present
Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis (Supplemental
FRFA) for the Order on Reconsideration
conforms to the RFA.5
67. Need for, and Objectives of, the
Order on Reconsideration. The Order on
Reconsideration responded to petitions
for reconsideration of the Report and
Order adopting service rules for the
Wireless Communications Service
(WCS) in the 2305–2320 MHz and
2345–2360 MHz bands (2.3 GHz WCS
bands). The need for and objectives of
the rules adopted in this Order on
Reconsideration are the same as those
discussed in the FRFA for the Report
and Order. In the Report and Order, the
Commission took a number of steps to
facilitate deployment of mobile
broadband products and services in the
2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360 MHz
Wireless Communications Service
(WCS) bands, while safeguarding from
harmful interference satellite radio
services, which are provided in the
interstitial 2320–2345 MHz Satellite
Digital Radio Service (SDARS) band. In
the 2010 WCS R&O, the Commission
adopted provisions to establish a
permanent regulatory framework for the
co-existence of WCS and SDARS
operations in the 2305–2360 MHz band
while limiting the WCS’s potential to
cause harmful interference (i.e.,
interference which seriously degrades,
obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunication service) to other
adjacent bands services. Specifically,
the Commission revised certain power
and out-of-band emissions (OOBE) rules
applicable to WCS licensees.
68. On reconsideration, the
Commission took the following actions:
(1) Established maximum design ground
power level targets for WCS base and
fixed station operations to define
harmful interference on roadways and
serve as triggers for interference
resolution if exceeded and harmful
interference (i.e., muting) to SDARS
operations occurs; (2) eliminated the
frequency band restrictions on WCS
4 See Amendment of part 27 of the Commission’s
Rules to Govern the Operation of Wireless
Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz Band, WT
Docket No. 07–293, Establishment of Rules and
Policies for the Digital Audio Radio Satellite
Service in the 2310–2360 MHz Band, IB Docket No.
95–91, GEN Docket No. 90–357, RM–8610, Report
and Order and Second Report and Order, 75 FR
45058 (April 2, 2010) (‘‘2010 WCS R&O and SDARS
2nd R&O’’).
5 See 5 U.S.C. 604.
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FDD base station operations; (3) relax
the restrictions on low-power fixed
WCS customer premises equipment
(CPE) (average equivalent isotropically
radiated power (EIRP) less than 2 Watts)
outdoor and outdoor antenna use under
certain circumstances; (3) eliminated
the duty cycle limits for WCS mobile
and portable devices and fixed WCS
CPE using FDD technology; (4)
eliminated the power spectral density
(PSD) limit for WCS mobile and
portable devices using appropriate
uplink protocols (e.g., 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term
Evolution (LTE)); (5) restricted WCS
mobile and portable device
transmissions in all portions of WCS
Blocks C and D; (6) encouraged WCS
licensees to enter into coordination
agreements with SDARS licensees to
facilitate efficient deployment of and
coexistence between each service; (7)
required notification of WCS fixed
stations to SDARS licensees; (8) require
coordination of WCS fixed stations with
aeronautical mobile telemetry (AMT)
entities and NASA’s Deep Space
Network facility in Goldstone,
California; (9) allowed post notification
to SDARS licensees within 24 hours for
minor WCS station modifications (other
than location changes) so long as the
ground level power flux density is not
increased by more than 1 dB; 10)
exclude WCS stations operating under 2
Watts EIRP from the WCS inventory and
notification requirements. The
Commission affirmed its decisions in
the 2010 WCS R&O to not establish
guard bands near the SDARS band for
fixed WCS CPE. It also affirmed its
decision to prohibit FDD WCS mobile
and portable devices from transmitting
in the 2345–2360 MHz band, and
affirmed the OOBE limits for WCS
mobile and portable devices and duty
cycle limit for WCS mobile and portable
devices and fixed WCS CPE using time
division duplexing (TDD) technology
adopted in the 2010 WCS R&O. Finally,
the Commission restarted and extended,
by six months, the period within which
licensees must satisfy the WCS
performance requirements.
69. Summary of Significant Issues
Raised by Public Comments in Response
to the IRFA. No comments were
received in response to the IRFAs in the
2007 Notice and the WCS Performance
Public Notice.
70. Description and Estimate of the
Number of Small Entities to Which the
Rules Will Apply. The RFA directs
agencies to provide a description of and,
where feasible, an estimate of the
number of small entities that may be
affected by the rules adopted. The RFA
generally defines the term ‘‘small
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entity’’ as having the same meaning as
the terms ‘‘small business,’’ ‘‘small
organization,’’ and ‘‘small governmental
jurisdiction.’’ In addition, the term
‘‘small business’’ has the same meaning
as the term ‘‘small business concern’’
under the Small Business Act. A small
business concern is one which: (1) Is
independently owned and operated; (2)
is not dominant in its field of operation;
and (3) satisfies any additional criteria
established by the Small Business
Administration (SBA). A small
organization is generally ‘‘any not-forprofit enterprise which is independently
owned and operated and is not
dominant in its field.’’ Below, the
Commission further describes and
estimates the number of small entity
licensees and regulatees that may be
affected by the rules changes adopted in
the Order on Reconsideration.
71. Wireless Telecommunications
Carriers (except satellite). This industry
comprises establishments engaged in
operating and maintaining switching
and transmission facilities to provide
communications via the airwaves.
Establishments in this industry have
spectrum licenses and provide services
using that spectrum, such as cellular
phone services, paging services,
wireless Internet access, and wireless
video services. The appropriate size
standard under SBA rules is for the
category Wireless Telecommunications
Carriers. The size standard for that
category is that a business is small if it
has 1,500 or fewer employees. Under
the present and prior categories, the
SBA has deemed a wireless business to
be small if it has 1,500 or fewer
employees. For this category, census
data for 2007 show that there were
11,163 firms that operated for the entire
year. Of this total, 10,791 firms had
employment of 999 or fewer employees
and 372 had employment of 1000
employees or more. Thus under this
category and the associated small
business size standard, the Commission
estimates that the majority of wireless
telecommunications carriers (except
satellite) are small entities that may be
affected by our proposed action.
72. WCS Licensees. The Wireless
Communication Service in the 2305–
2320 MHz and 2345–2360 MHz
frequency bands has flexible rules that
permit licensees in this service to
provide fixed, mobile, portable, and
radiolocation services. Licensees are
also permitted to provide satellite
digital audio radio services. The SBA
rules establish a size standard for
‘‘Wireless Telecommunications
Carriers,’’ which encompasses business
entities engaged in radiotelephone
communications employing no more
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than 1,500 persons. There are currently
155 active WCS licenses held by 10
licensees. Of these, 7 licensees qualify
as small entities and hold a total of 50
licenses.
73. Radio and Television
Broadcasting and Wireless
Communications Equipment
Manufacturing. The Census Bureau
defines this category as follows: ‘‘This
industry comprises establishments
primarily engaged in manufacturing
radio and television broadcast and
wireless communications equipment.
Examples of products made by these
establishments are: transmitting and
receiving antennas, cable television
equipment, GPS equipment, pagers,
cellular phones, mobile
communications equipment, and radio
and television studio and broadcasting
equipment.’’ The SBA has developed a
small business size standard for Radio
and Television Broadcasting and
Wireless Communications Equipment
Manufacturing, which is: all such firms
having 750 or fewer employees.
According to Census Bureau data for
2007, there were a total of 939
establishments in this category that
operated for part or all of the entire year.
According to Census bureau data for
2007, there were a total of 939 firms in
this category that operated for the entire
year. Of this total, 912 had less than 500
employees and 17 had more than 1,000
employees. Thus, under that size
standard, the majority of firms can be
considered small.
74. Audio and Video Equipment
Manufacturing. The SBA has classified
the manufacturing of audio and video
equipment under in NAICS Codes
classification scheme as an industry in
which a manufacturer is small if it has
less than 750 employees. Data contained
in the 2007 U.S. Census indicate that
491 establishments operated in that
industry for all or part of that year. In
that year, 456 establishments had 99
employees or less; and 35 had more
than 100 employees. Thus, under the
applicable size standard, a majority of
manufacturers of audio and video
equipment may be considered small.
75. Description of Projected
Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other
Compliance Requirements for Small
Entities. The Order on Reconsideration
imposed certain changes in projected
reporting, record keeping, and other
compliance requirements. These
changes affect small and large
companies equally. With respect to
coordination requirements in
circumstances where WCS licensees are
within certain distances from
aeronautical mobile telemetry (AMT)
and the Deep Space Network (DSN)
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operations in Goldstone, CA, the Order
on Reconsideration clarifies that WCS
licensees are required to coordinate
WCS base and fixed stations (except
fixed WCS CPE) with AMT and DSN
entities. WCS, AMT, and DSN entities
are required to cooperate in good faith
in order to minimize the likelihood of
harmful interference, make the most
effective use of facilities, as well as to
resolve actual instances of harmful
interference. Coordinating parties are
also required to share accurate and
relevant information in a timely and
efficient manner. Parties unable to reach
a mutually acceptable coordination
agreement may approach the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, which, in
cooperation with the Office of
Engineering and Technology and the
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA),
may impose restrictions on operating
parameters such as the transmitter
power, antenna height, or area or hours
of operation of the stations. Deadlines
may also be imposed if it appears that
parties are unable to reach a mutually
acceptable arrangement within a
reasonable time period.
76. In the 2010 WCS R&O, the
Commission also required WCS and
SDARS licensees to share certain
technical information at least 10
business days before operating a new
base station or repeater, and at least five
business days before modifying an
existing facility. The Order on
Reconsideration excludes WCS stations
operating under 2 Watts equivalent
isotropically radiated power (EIRP) from
the inventory and notification
requirements. It also requires WCS
licensees to notify SDARS licensees
within 24 hours of station modifications
that would not increase the predicted
ground level power flux density by
more than 1 dB. To avoid multiple
modifications to WCS stations that
could result in a predicted aggregate
PFD increase that may negatively affect
SDARS receivers, although WCS
licensees may make 24 hour post
modification notifications as long as the
predicted PFD increase at ground level
is not greater than 1 dB, if an SDARS
licensee demonstrates to the WCS
licensee that the series of modifications
using post-modification notification
procedures may cause harmful
interference to SDARS receivers, the
WCS licensee must provide the SDARS
licensee with 5 days notice in advance
of additional modifications to WCS base
and fixed stations. However, the 1 dB
limit will not apply where a
coordination agreement between the
parties specifies otherwise. The Order
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on Reconsideration also clarified that
the WCS licensee inventory and SDARS
licensee notification requirements apply
to both WCS base and fixed stations
(except fixed WCS CPE).
77. The 2010 WCS R&O requires that
WCS licensees demonstrate compliance
with any revised performance
requirements by filing a construction
notification within 15 days of the
relevant benchmark and certifying that
they have met the applicable
performance requirements. The 2010
WCS R&O requires that each
construction notification should include
electronic coverage maps and
supporting documentation, which must
be truthful and accurate and must not
omit material information that is
necessary for the Commission to
determine compliance with its
performance requirements. Further, the
electronic coverage maps must clearly
and accurately depict the boundaries of
each license area (Regional Economic
Area Grouping, REAG, or Major
Economic Area, MEA) in the licensee’s
service territory, with REAG maps
depicting MEA boundaries, and MEA
maps depicting Economic Area
boundaries. The 2010 WCS R&O
provides that if the licensee’s signal
does not provide service to the entire
license area, the map must clearly and
accurately depict the boundaries of the
area or areas within each license area
not being served. These procedures
direct each licensee to file supporting
documentation certifying the type of
service it is providing for each REAG or
MEA within its license service territory
and the type of technology it is utilizing
to provide such service. Further, the
compliance procedures require the
supporting documentation to provide
the assumptions used to create the
coverage maps, including the
propagation model and the signal
strength necessary to provide service
with the licensee’s technology. The
Order on Reconsideration did not
modify any of these requirements.
78. Steps Taken to Minimize
Significant Economic Impact on Small
Entities, and Significant Alternatives
Considered. The RFA requires an
agency to describe any significant
alternatives that it has considered in
reaching its proposed approach, which
may include the following four
alternatives: (1) The establishment of
differing compliance or reporting
requirements or timetables that take into
account the resources available to small
entities; (2) the clarification,
consolidation, or simplification of
compliance or reporting requirements
under the rule for small entities; (3) the
use of performance, rather than design
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standards; and (4) an exemption from
coverage of the rule, or any part thereof,
for small entities.
79. The Commission’s principal
objective in this proceeding was to
enable the provision of promising
mobile broadband services to the public
in the WCS spectrum to the maximum
extent practicable, while ensuring that
satellite radio operations are not
unreasonably impacted by the
Commission’s actions. Adopting overly
stringent technical rules for WCS to
protect SDARS operations from
interference would preclude WCS
mobile operation, while liberalizing the
WCS rules too much would result in
harmful interference and disruption to
SDARS service. Such results would
cause significant adverse economic
impact on either WCS licensees, which
include small entities, or on SDARS
operations. Accordingly, the
Commission considered various
alternatives, in order to best provide
WCS licensees, including small-entity
WCS licensees, with the flexibility to
provide mobile service, while also
protecting against disruptions to SDARS
operations due to harmful interference.
80. The Order on Reconsideration
adopted a package of compromise
proposals from WCS licensee AT&T Inc.
and SDARS operator Sirius XM Radio
Inc. that were designed to facilitate the
efficient deployment and coexistence of
the WCS and SDARS and protect
adjacent SDARS operator Sirius XM
Radio Inc. and AMT users, and nearby
DSN operations, from harmful
interference.
81. WCS Mobile and Portable
(Handheld) Device Power Spectral
Density (PSD) Limits. The Order on
Reconsideration eliminated the 50
milliwatt per megahertz PSD limit for
WCS mobile and portable devices that
operate with bandwidths greater than or
equal to 5 megahertz and using
appropriate uplink (user device to base
station) transmission technologies.
Because the uplink (user device to base
station) transmission technologies being
considered for mobile broadband
service in the WCS spectrum spread the
signal power across the available
bandwidth, eliminating the PSD limit
for these devices will not increase the
potential for harmful interference to
SDARS receivers. In addition, without a
PSD limit for WCS mobile devices, WCS
licensees will not be forced to increase
the number of cell sites (i.e., base
stations installed) to ensure adequate
service, which would make it
economically unfeasible to deploy a
WCS mobile network.
82. WCS Performance Requirements.
Further, in the 2010 WCS R&O, the
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Commission adopted revised
performance requirements for WCS. The
Commission adopted enhanced
construction rules that replaced the
substantial service requirement
previously placed on WCS licensees
with specific population-based
benchmarks. In recognition of
difficulties that may arise in license
areas where WCS licensees must
coordinate their facilities with AMT
receive sites, the 2010 WCS R&O
reduced the level of construction
required in such markets. The
Commission sought to establish a
buildout requirement that is reasonable
and achievable for WCS licensees,
including small entities, but which
encourages rapid and meaningful
deployment of mobile broadband
services. The Commission considered
alternative performance benchmarks,
including requirements using shorter
timeframes, and lower percentages of
required construction. However, the
Commission concluded that other
alternatives would not strike the
appropriate balance. Further, with
respect to the performance rules, all
WCS entities are required to file
construction notifications to inform the
Commission that they have successfully
met the performance requirements
described above. The Order on
Reconsideration extended the time
period within which licensees must
meet the WCS interim and final
performance requirements to 48- and
78-months, respectively. Further,
because certain technical specifications
established in the 2010 WCS R&O may
have inadvertently hindered the ability
of licensees to deploy mobile broadband
services, the Order on Reconsideration
restarted the construction periods to
provide WCS licensees with the full 48and 78 month construction timeframes
to enable licensees to respond to the
revisions the Commission made to the
2.3 GHz WCS rules.
83. Report to Congress. The
Commission will send a copy of the
Order on Reconsideration, including
this Supplemental FRFA, in a report to
be sent to Congress pursuant to the
Congressional Review Act. In addition,
the Commission will send a copy of the
Order on Reconsideration, including
this Supplemental FRFA, to the Chief
Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA.
B. Supplemental Final Regulatory
Certification in IB Docket No. 95–91
84. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of
1980, as amended (RFA) requires that a
regulatory flexibility analysis be
prepared for rulemaking proceedings,
unless the agency certifies that ‘‘the rule
will not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities.’’ The RFA generally defines
‘‘small entity’’ as having the same
meaning as the terms ‘‘small business,’’
‘‘small organization,’’ and ‘‘small
governmental jurisdiction.’’ In addition,
the term ‘‘small business’’ has the same
meaning as the term ‘‘small business
concern’’ under the Small Business Act.
A small business concern is one which:
(1) Is independently owned and
operated; (2) is not dominant in its field
of operation; and (3) satisfies any
additional criteria established by the
Small Business Administration (SBA).
85. The rules adopted in this Order on
Reconsideration affect providers of
Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service
(SDARS). With respect to providers of
SDARS, i.e. providers of a nationally
distributed subscription radio service,
no small entities are affected by the
rules adopted in this Order on
Reconsideration. SDARS is a satellite
service. The SBA has established a size
standard for ‘‘Satellite
Telecommunications,’’ which is that
any large satellite services provider
must have an annual revenue of $15.0
million. Currently, only a single
operator, Sirius XM Radio Inc. (‘‘Sirius
XM’’), holds licenses to provide SDARS,
which requires a great investment of
capital for operation. Sirius XM has
annual revenues in excess of $15.0
million. Because SDARS requires
significant capital, we believe it is
unlikely that a small entity as defined
by the Small Business Administration
would have the financial wherewithal to
become an SDARS licensee.
86. Therefore, since only one large
entity is affected by the rules adopted in
this Order on Reconsideration, we
certify that the requirements of the
Order on Reconsideration will not have
a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small
entities. The Commission will send a
copy of the Order on Reconsideration,
including a copy of this final
certification, in a report to Congress
pursuant to the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A). In
addition, the Order on Reconsideration
and this certification will be sent to the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration, and will be
published in the Federal Register. See
5 U.S.C. 605(b).
C. Congressional Review Act
87. The Commission will send a copy
of this Order on Reconsideration in a
report to be sent to Congress and the
Government Accountability Office
pursuant to the Congressional Review
Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
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V. Ordering Clauses
88. Pursuant to §§ 4(i), 7(a), 303(c),
303(f), 303(g), and 303(r), and 307 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 157(a),
303(c), 303(f), 303(g), 303(r), 307, the
Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket
No. 07–293 and IB Docket No. 95–91 is
hereby adopted.
89. The rule revisions adopted herein
will become effective March 13, 2013,
except for §§ 25.263(b), 27.72(b), and
27.73(a), which contain new or
modified information collection
requirements that require approval by
the Office of Management and Budget
under the Paperwork Reduction Act and
will become effective after the
Commission publishes a notice in the
Federal Register announcing approval
of the effective date.
90. ARRL’s Petition for Clarification
or Partial Reconsideration, filed
September 1, 2010, is granted in part
and denied in part, to the extent
provided herein.
91. AT&T, Inc.’s Petition for Partial
Reconsideration, filed September 1,
2010, is granted in part and denied in
part, to the extent provided herein.
92. Sirius XM’s Petition for Partial
Reconsideration and Clarification, filed
September 1, 2010, is granted in part
and denied in part, to the extent
provided herein.
93. Stratos’ Petition for Clarification,
filed September 1, 2010, IS GRANTED,
to the extent provided herein.
94. WCS Coalition’s Petition for
Partial Reconsideration, filed September
1, 2010, is granted in part and denied
in part, to the extent provided herein.
95. WCS licensees are hereby directed
to provide Sirius XM with an inventory
of their fixed (except fixed Customer
Premises Equipment) station
infrastructure within March 13, 2013, of
this Order on Reconsideration in the
Federal Register.
96. Sirius XM is hereby directed to
provide potentially affected WCS
licensees with an inventory of its
terrestrial repeater infrastructure,
including the information set forth in
§ 25.263(c)(2) for each repeater currently
deployed, within March 13, 2013, of
this Order on Reconsideration in the
Federal Register.
97. The performance periods for
licensees in the Wireless
Communications Service are hereby
reset and will recommence beginning 30
days after a summary of the Order on
Reconsideration is published in the
Federal Register.
98. Pursuant to §§ 4(i) and 308 of the
Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C.
154, 308, and § 1.946 of the
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Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 1.946, that
to obtain a renewal expectancy at their
July 21, 2017 renewal deadline, each 2.3
GHz Wireless Communications Service
licensee must certify, for each license
area, that they have maintained, or
exceeded, the level of coverage
demonstrated for that license area at the
48-month construction deadline. This
certification requirement and renewal
standard are subject to any superseding
or additional requirements or standards
that the Commission may adopt in its
ongoing rulemaking proceeding to
harmonize the renewal requirements
and standards for Wireless Radio
Services, WT Docket No. 10–112.
99. The Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, Reference Information
Center, shall send a copy of this Order
on Reconsideration, including the
Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis and the
Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Certification, to the Chief
Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration.
100. The Commission SHALL SEND a
copy of this Order on Reconsideration,
including the Supplemental Final
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis and
Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Certification, in a report to be
sent to Congress and the Government
Accountability Office pursuant to the
Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C.
801(a)(1)(A).
List of Subjects
47 CFR Part 25
Communications common carriers,
Communications equipment, Radio,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Satellites,
Telecommunications.
47 CFR Part 27
Communications common carriers,
Communications equipment,
Incorporation by reference, Radio,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Federal Communications Commission.
Gloria J. Miles,
Federal Register Liaison.
Rule Changes
For the reasons discussed, the Federal
Communications Commission amends
47 CFR parts 25 and 27 as follows:
PART 25—SATELLITE
COMMUNICATIONS
1. The authority citation for part 25 is
revised to read as follows:
■
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 701–744. Interprets or
applies sections 4, 301, 302, 303, 307, 309,
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and 332 of the Communications Act, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302a, 303, 307,
309, and 332, unless otherwise noted.
2. Section 25.202 is amended by
revising paragraph (h)(4) introductory
text to read as follows:
■
§ 25.202 Frequencies, frequency tolerance,
and emission limitations.
*
*
*
*
*
(h)* * *
(4) For the purpose of this section, a
WCS licensee is potentially affected if it
is authorized to operate a base station in
the 2305–2315 MHz or 2350–2360 MHz
bands within 25 kilometers of a repeater
seeking to operate with an out of band
emission attenuation factor less than
those prescribed in paragraphs (h)(1) or
(2) of this section.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 3. Section 25.214 is amended by
revising paragraph (d)(3) to read as
follows:
§ 25.214 Technical requirements for space
stations in the satellite digital audio radio
service and associated terrestrial repeaters.
*
*
*
*
*
(d)* * *
(3) For the purpose of this section, a
WCS licensee is potentially affected if it
is authorized to operate a base station in
the 2305–2315 MHz or 2350–2360 MHz
bands within 25 kilometers of a repeater
seeking to operate with a power level
greater than that prescribed in
paragraph (d)(1) of this section.
■ 4. Section 25.263 is amended by
revising the first sentence of paragraph
(b) introductory text, revising paragraph
(b)(1)(ii), adding paragraphs (b)(3)
through (6), and revising paragraph (e)
to read as follows:
§ 25.263 Information sharing requirements
for SDARS terrestrial repeater operators.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) Notice requirements. SDARS
licensees that intend to operate a new
terrestrial repeater must, before
commencing such operation, provide 10
business days prior notice to all
potentially affected Wireless
Communications Service (WCS)
licensees. * * *
(1) * * *
(ii) Is authorized to operate base
station in the 2315–2320 MHz or 2345–
2350 MHz bands in the same Regional
Economic Area Grouping (REAG) as that
in which the terrestrial repeater is to be
located;
*
*
*
*
*
(3) For modifications other than
changes in location, a licensee may
provide notice within 24 hours after the
modified operation if the modification
does not result in a predicted increase
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of the power flux density (PFD) at
ground level by more than 1 dB since
the last advance notice was given. If a
demonstration is made by the WCS
licensee that such modifications may
cause harmful interference to WCS
receivers, SDARS licensees will be
required to provide notice 5 business
days in advance of additional repeater
modifications.
(4) SDARS repeaters operating below
2 watts equivalent isotropically radiated
power (EIRP) are exempt from the notice
requirements set forth in this paragraph.
(5) SDARS licensees are encouraged
to develop separate coordination
agreements with WCS licensees to
facilitate efficient deployment of and
coexistence between each service. To
the extent the provisions of any such
coordination agreement conflict with
the requirements set forth herein, the
procedures established under a
coordination agreement will control.
SDARS licensees must maintain a copy
of any coordination agreement with a
WCS license in their station files and
disclose it to prospective assignees,
transferees, or spectrum lessees and,
upon request, to the Commission.
(6) SDARS and WCS licensees may
enter into agreements regarding
alternative notification procedures.
*
*
*
*
*
(e) Duty to cooperate. SDARS
licensees must cooperate in good faith
in the selection and use of new repeater
sites to reduce interference and make
the most effective use of the authorized
facilities. SDARS licensees should
provide WCS licensees as much lead
time as practicable to provide ample
time to conduct analyses and
opportunity for prudent repeater site
selection prior to SDARS licensees
entering into real estate and tower
leasing or purchasing agreements.
Licensees of stations suffering or
causing harmful interference must
cooperate in good faith and resolve such
problems by mutually satisfactory
arrangements. If the licensees are unable
to do so, the International Bureau, in
consultation with the Office of
Engineering and Technology and the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau,
will consider the actions taken by the
parties to mitigate the risk of and
remedy any alleged interference. In
determining the appropriate action, the
Bureau will take into account the nature
and extent of the interference and act
promptly to remedy the interference.
The Bureau may impose restrictions on
SDARS licensees, including specifying
the transmitter power, antenna height,
or other technical or operational
measures to remedy the interference,
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and will take into account previous
measures by the licensees to mitigate
the risk of interference.
PART 27—MISCELLANEOUS
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS
SERVICES
5. The authority citation for part 27 is
revised to read as follows:
■
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302a, 303,
307, 309, 332, 336, and 337, unless otherwise
noted.
6. Section 27.14 is amended by
revising paragraphs (p)(1), (2), (3), and
(5) to read as follows:
■
§ 27.14 Construction requirements;
Criteria for renewal.
*
*
*
*
*
(p) * * *
(1) For mobile and point-tomultipoint systems in Blocks A and B,
and point-to-multipoint systems in
Blocks C and D, a licensee must provide
reliable signal coverage and offer service
to at least 40 percent of the license
area’s population by March 13, 2017,
and to at least 75 percent of the license
area’s population by September 13,
2019. If, when filing the construction
notification required under § 1.946(d) of
this chapter, a WCS licensee
demonstrates that 25 percent or more of
the license area’s population for Block
A, B or D is within a coordination zone
as defined by § 27.73(a) of the rules, the
foregoing population benchmarks are
reduced to 25 and 50 percent,
respectively. The percentage of a license
area’s population within a coordination
zone equals the sum of the Census Block
Centroid Populations within the area,
divided by the license area’s total
population.
(2) For point-to-point fixed systems,
except those deployed in the Gulf of
Mexico license area, a licensee must
construct and operate a minimum of 15
point-to-point links per million persons
(one link per 67,000 persons) in a
license area by March 13, 2017, and 30
point-to-point links per million persons
(one link per 33,500 persons) in a
licensed area by September 13, 2019.
The exact link requirement is calculated
by dividing a license area’s total
population by 67,000 and 33,500 for the
respective milestones, and then
rounding upwards to the next whole
number. For a link to be counted
towards these benchmarks, both of its
endpoints must be located in the license
area. If only one endpoint of a link is
located in a license area, it can be
counted as a one- half link towards the
benchmarks.
(3) For point-to-point fixed systems
deployed on any spectrum block in the
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Frm 00046
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Gulf of Mexico license area, a licensee
must construct and operate a minimum
of 15 point-to-point links by March 13,
2017, and a minimum of 15 point-topoint links by September 13, 2019.
*
*
*
*
*
(5) If an initial authorization for a
license area is granted after March 13,
2013, then the applicable benchmarks in
paragraphs (p)(1), (2) and (3) of this
section must be met within 48 and 78
months, respectively, of the initial
authorization grant date.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 7. Section 27.50 is amended by
removing paragraph (a)(1)(iii) and
revising paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) to read
as follows:
§ 27.50
Power limits and duty cycle.
(a) * * *
(2) Fixed customer premises
equipment stations. For fixed customer
premises equipment (CPE) stations
transmitting in the 2305–2320 MHz
band or in the 2345–2360 MHz band,
the peak EIRP must not exceed 20 watts
within any 5 megahertz of authorized
bandwidth. Fixed CPE stations
transmitting in the 2305–2320 MHz
band or in the 2345–2360 MHz band
must employ automatic transmit power
control when operating so the stations
operate with the minimum power
necessary for successful
communications. The use of outdoor
antennas for CPE stations or outdoor
CPE station installations operating with
2 watts per 5 megahertz or less average
EIRP using the stepped emissions mask
prescribed in § 27.53(a)(3) is prohibited
except if professionally installed in
locations removed by 20 meters from
roadways or in locations where it can be
shown that the ground power level of
-44 dBm in the A or B blocks or -55 dBm
in the C or D blocks will not be
exceeded at the nearest road location.
The use of outdoor antennas for fixed
CPE stations operating with 2 watts per
5 megahertz or less average EIRP and
the emissions mask prescribed in
§ 27.53(a)(1)(i) through (iii) is permitted
in all locations. For fixed WCS CPE
using TDD technology, the duty cycle
must not exceed 38 percent;
(3) Mobile and portable stations. (i)
For mobile and portable stations
transmitting in the 2305–2315 MHz
band or the 2350–2360 MHz band, the
average EIRP must not exceed 50
milliwatts within any 1 megahertz of
authorized bandwidth, except that for
mobile and portable stations compliant
with 3GPP LTE standards or another
advanced mobile broadband protocol
that avoids concentrating energy at the
edge of the operating band the average
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EIRP must not exceed 250 milliwatts
within any 5 megahertz of authorized
bandwidth but may exceed 50
milliwatts within any 1 megahertz of
authorized bandwidth. For mobile and
portable stations using time division
duplexing (TDD) technology, the duty
cycle must not exceed 38 percent in the
2305–2315 MHz and 2350–2360 MHz
bands. Mobile and portable stations
using FDD technology are restricted to
transmitting in the 2305–2315 MHz
band. Power averaging shall not include
intervals in which the transmitter is off.
(ii) Mobile and portable stations are
not permitted to transmit in the 2315–
2320 MHz and 2345–2350 MHz bands.
(iii) Automatic transmit power
control. Mobile and portable stations
transmitting in the 2305–2315 MHz
band or in the 2350–2360 MHz band
must employ automatic transmit power
control when operating so the stations
operate with the minimum power
necessary for successful
communications.
(iv) Prohibition on external vehiclemounted antennas. The use of external
vehicle-mounted antennas for mobile
and portable stations transmitting in the
2305–2315 MHz band or the 2350–2360
MHz band is prohibited.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 8. Section 27.53 is amended by
revising paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through
(iii), (a)(2)(i) through (iii), and (a)(3)
through (5) to read as follows:
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§ 27.53
Emission limits.
(a) * * *
(1) * * *
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10
log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2305 and 2320 MHz and on all
frequencies between 2345 and 2360
MHz that are outside the licensed
band(s) of operation, and not less than
75 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies
between 2320 and 2345 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2300 and 2305 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB
on all frequencies between 2287.5 and
2300 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2285 and 2287.5
MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB below 2285
MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2360 and 2362.5 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P)
dB on all frequencies between 2362.5
and 2365 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on
all frequencies between 2365 and 2367.5
MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2367.5 and 2370
MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB above 2370
MHz.
(2) * * *
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14:06 Feb 08, 2013
Jkt 229001
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10
log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2305 and 2320 MHz and on all
frequencies between 2345 and 2360
MHz that are outside the licensed
band(s) of operation, and not less than
75 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies
between 2320 and 2345 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2300 and 2305 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB
on all frequencies between 2287.5 and
2300 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2285 and 2287.5
MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB below 2285
MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2360 and 2362.5 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P)
dB on all frequencies between 2362.5
and 2365 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on
all frequencies between 2365 and 2367.5
MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2367.5 and 2370
MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB above 2370
MHz.
(3) For fixed CPE stations operating in
the 2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360
MHz bands transmitting with 2 watts
per 5 megahertz average EIRP or less:
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10
log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2305 and 2320 MHz and on all
frequencies between 2345 and 2360
MHz that are outside the licensed
band(s) of operation, not less than 55 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2320 and 2324 MHz and between 2341
and 2345 MHz, not less than 61 + 10 log
(P) dB on all frequencies between 2324
and 2328 MHz and between 2337 and
2341 MHz, and not less than 67 + 10 log
(P) dB on all frequencies between 2328
and 2337 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2300 and 2305 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB
on all frequencies between 2296 and
2300 MHz, 61 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2292 and 2296
MHz, 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2288 and 2292
MHz, and 70 + 10 log (P) dB below 2288
MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2360 and 2365 MHz, and not less than
70 + 10 log (P) dB above 2365 MHz.
(4) For mobile and portable stations
operating in the 2305–2315 MHz and
2350–2360 MHz bands:
(i) By a factor of not less than: 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2305 and 2320 MHz and on all
frequencies between 2345 and 2360
MHz that are outside the licensed
band(s) of operation, not less than 55 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2320 and 2324 MHz and on all
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
9621
frequencies between 2341 and 2345
MHz, not less than 61 + 10 log (P) dB
on all frequencies between 2324 and
2328 MHz and on all frequencies
between 2337 and 2341 MHz, and not
less than 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2328 and 2337
MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2300 and 2305 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB
on all frequencies between 2296 and
2300 MHz, 61 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2292 and 2296
MHz, 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2288 and 2292
MHz, and 70 + 10 log (P) dB below 2288
MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2360 and 2365 MHz, and not less than
70 + 10 log (P) dB above 2365 MHz.
(5) Measurement procedure.
Compliance with these rules is based on
the use of measurement instrumentation
employing a resolution bandwidth of 1
MHz or greater. However, in the 1 MHz
bands immediately outside and adjacent
to the channel blocks at 2305, 2310,
2315, 2320, 2345, 2350, 2355, and 2360
MHz, a resolution bandwidth of at least
1 percent of the emission bandwidth of
the fundamental emission of the
transmitter may be employed. A
narrower resolution bandwidth is
permitted in all cases to improve
measurement accuracy provided the
measured power is integrated over the
full required measurement bandwidth
(i.e., 1 MHz). The emission bandwidth
is defined as the width of the signal
between two points, one below the
carrier center frequency and one above
the carrier center frequency, outside of
which all emissions are attenuated at
least 26 dB below the transmitter power.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 9. Section 27.64 is amended by adding
paragraph (d) to read as follows:
§ 27.64
Protection from interference.
* * *
(d) Harmful interference to SDARS
operations requiring resolution. The
following conditions will be presumed
to constitute harmful interference to
SDARS operations from WCS operations
in the 2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360
MHz bands and require WCS operators
to work cooperatively with SDARS
operators to address areas where such
power levels are exceeded and harmful
interference occurs:
(1) A WCS ground signal level greater
than -44 dBm in the upper or lower A
or B block, or -55 dBm in the C or D
block, present at a location on a
roadway, where a test demonstrates that
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SDARS service would be muted over a
road distance of greater than 50 meters;
or
(2) A WCS ground signal level
exceeding -44 dBm in the upper or
lower A or B block, or -55 dBm in the
C or D block on a test drive route, which
is mutually agreed upon by the WCS
licensee and the SDARS licensee, for
more than 1 percent of the cumulative
surface road distance on that drive
route, where a test demonstrates that
SDARS service would be muted over a
cumulative road distance of greater than
0.5 percent (incremental to any muting
present prior to use of WCS frequencies
in the area of that drive test).
■ 10. Section 27.72 is amended by
revising the introductory text,
paragraphs (a), (b), (c)(2)(i), (c)(3), and
(e) to read as follows:
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§ 27.72
Information sharing requirements.
This section requires WCS licensees
in the 2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360
MHz bands to share information
regarding the location and operation of
base and fixed stations (except fixed
customer premises equipment) with
Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service
(SDARS) licensees in the 2320–2345
MHz band. Section 25.263 of this
chapter requires SDARS licensees in the
2320–2345 MHz band to share
information regarding the location and
operation of terrestrial repeaters with
WCS licensees in the 2305–2320 MHz
and 2345–2360 MHz bands. WCS
licensees are encouraged to develop
separate coordination agreements with
SDARS licensees to facilitate efficient
deployment of and coexistence between
each service. To the extent the
provisions of any such coordination
agreement conflict with the
requirements set forth herein, the
procedures established under a
coordination agreement will control.
WCS licensees must maintain a copy of
any coordination agreement with an
SDARS licensee in their station files and
disclose it to prospective assignees,
transferees, or spectrum lessees and,
upon request, to the Commission.
(a) Sites and frequency selections.
WCS licensees must select base and
fixed station sites and frequencies, to
the extent practicable, to minimize the
possibility of harmful interference to
operations in the SDARS 2320–2345
MHz band.
(b) Prior notice periods. WCS
licensees that intend to operate a base
or fixed station must, before
commencing such operation, provide 10
business days prior notice to all SDARS
licensees. WCS licensees that intend to
modify an existing station must, before
commencing such modified operation,
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14:06 Feb 08, 2013
Jkt 229001
provide 5 business days prior notice to
all SDARS licensees. For the purposes
of this section, a business day is defined
by § 1.4(e)(2) of this chapter.
(1) For modifications other than
changes in location, a licensee may
provide notice within 24 hours after the
modified operation if the modification
does not result in a predicted increase
of the power flux density (PFD) at
ground level by more than 1 dB since
the last advance notice was given. If a
demonstration is made by the SDARS
licensee that such modifications may
cause harmful interference to SDARS
receivers, WCS licensees will be
required to provide notice 5 business
days in advance of additional station
modifications.
(2) WCS base and fixed stations
operating below 2 watts equivalent
isotropically radiated power (EIRP) are
exempt from the notice requirements set
forth in this paragraph.
(3) WCS and SDARS licensees may
enter into agreements regarding
alternative notification procedures.
(c) * * *
(2) * * *
(i) The coordinates of the proposed
base or fixed stations to an accuracy of
no less than ±1 second latitude and
longitude;
*
*
*
*
*
(3) A WCS licensee operating base or
fixed stations must maintain an accurate
and up-to-date inventory of its stations,
including the information set forth in
§ 27.72(c)(2), which shall be available
upon request by the Commission.
*
*
*
*
*
(e) Duty to cooperate. WCS licensees
must cooperate in good faith in the
selection and use of new station sites
and new frequencies to reduce
interference and make the most effective
use of the authorized facilities. WCS
licensees should provide SDARS
licensees as much lead time as
practicable to provide ample time to
conduct analyses and opportunity for
prudent base station site selection prior
to WCS licensees entering into real
estate and tower leasing or purchasing
agreements. WCS licensees must have
sufficient operational flexibility in their
network design to implement one or
more technical solutions to remedy
harmful interference. Licensees of
stations suffering or causing harmful
interference, as defined in § 27.64(d),
must cooperate in good faith and resolve
such problems by mutually satisfactory
arrangements. If the licensees are unable
to do so, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, in
consultation with the Office of
Engineering and Technology and the
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Frm 00048
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
International Bureau, will consider the
actions taken by the parties to mitigate
the risk of and remedy any alleged
interference. In determining the
appropriate action, the Bureau will take
into account the nature and extent of the
interference and act promptly to remedy
the interference. The Bureau may
impose restrictions on WCS licensees,
including specifying the transmitter
power, antenna height, or other
technical or operational measures to
remedy the interference, and will take
into account previous measures by the
licensees to mitigate the risk of
interference.
■ 11. Section 27.73 is amended by
revising the introductory text and
paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) to read as
follows:
§ 27.73 WCS, AMT, and Goldstone
coordination requirements.
This section requires Wireless
Communications Services (WCS)
licensees in the 2305–2320 MHz and
2345–2360 MHz bands, respectively, to
coordinate the deployment of base and
fixed stations (except fixed customer
premises equipment) with the
Goldstone, CA Deep Space Network
(DSN) facility in the 2290–2300 MHz
band and with Aeronautical Mobile
Telemetry (AMT) facilities in the 2360–
2395 MHz band; and to take all
practicable steps necessary to minimize
the risk of harmful interference to AMT
and DSN facilities.
(a) WCS licensees operating base and
fixed stations in the 2345–2360 MHz
band must, prior to operation of such
stations, achieve a mutually satisfactory
coordination agreement with the AMT
entity(ies) (i.e., FCC licensee(s) and/or
Federal operator(s)) for any AMT
receiver facility within 45 kilometers or
radio line of sight, whichever distance
is larger, of the intended WCS base or
fixed station location. The coordinator
for the assignment of flight test
frequencies in the 2360–2390 MHz
band, Aerospace and Flight Test Radio
Coordination Council (AFTRCC) or
successors of AFTRCC, will facilitate a
mutually satisfactory coordination
agreement between the WCS licensee(s)
and AMT entity(ies) for existing AMT
receiver sites. The locations of current
Federal and non-Federal AMT receiver
sites may be obtained from AFTRCC at
Post Office Box 12822 Wichita, KS
67277–2822, (316) 946–8826, or
successor frequency coordinators of
AFTRCC. Such coordination agreement
shall provide protection to existing
AMT receiver stations consistent with
International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) Recommendation ITU–R M.1459,
‘‘Protection criteria for telemetry
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 28 / Monday, February 11, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
systems in the aeronautical mobile
service and mitigation techniques to
facilitate sharing with geostationary
broadcasting-satellite and mobilesatellite services in the frequency bands
1 452–1 525 MHz and 2 310–2 360 MHz
May 2000 edition,’’ adopted May 2000,
as adjusted using generally accepted
engineering practices and standards to
take into account the local conditions
and operating characteristics of the
applicable AMT and WCS facilities.
This ITU document is incorporated by
reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C.
552(a) and 1 CFR part 51 and approved
by the Director of Federal Register.
Copies of the recommendation may be
obtained from ITU, Place des Nations,
1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, or online
at https://www.itu.int/en/publications/
Pages/default.aspx. You may inspect a
copy at the Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20554, or at the
National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). For
information on the availability of this
material at NARA, call 202–741–6030,
or go to: https://www/archives.gov/
federal_ register/
code_of_federal_regulations/
ibr_locations.html.
(b) WCS licensees operating base and
fixed stations in the 2305–2320 MHz
band must, prior to operation of such
stations, achieve a mutually satisfactory
coordination agreement with the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) within 145
kilometers of the Goldstone, CA earth
station site (35°25′33″ N, 116°53′23″ W).
(c) After base or fixed station
operations commence, upon receipt of a
complaint of harmful interference, the
WCS licensee(s) receiving the
complaint, no matter the distance from
the NASA Goldstone, CA earth station
or from an AMT site, operating in the
2305–2320 or 2345–2360 MHz bands,
respectively, shall take all practicable
steps to immediately eliminate the
interference.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2013–02907 Filed 2–8–13; 8:45 am]
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. NHTSA–2013–0011]
RIN 2127–AL11
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards; Air Brake Systems
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Final rule; response to petition
for reconsideration.
AGENCY:
On July 27, 2009, NHTSA
published a final rule that amended the
Federal motor vehicle safety standard
for air brake systems by requiring
substantial improvements in stopping
distance performance on new truck
tractors. This final rule responds to
petitions for reconsideration of a July
27, 2011 final rule that slightly relaxed
the stopping distance requirement for
typical loaded tractors tested from an
initial speed of 20 mph. NHTSA is
granting the request to remove the
stopping distance requirements for
speeds of 20 mph and 25 mph and
denying the request to relax the
stopping distance requirements for
speeds between 30 mph and 55 mph.
DATES: This final rule is effective
February 11, 2013.
Petitions for reconsideration must be
received not later than March 28, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Petitions for reconsideration
should refer to the docket number and
must be submitted to: Administrator,
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
technical issues, you may contact
George Soodoo, Office of Crash
Avoidance Standards, by telephone at
(202) 366–4931, and by fax at (202) 366–
7002.
For legal issues, you may contact
David Jasinski, Office of the Chief
Counsel, by telephone at (202) 366–
2992, and by fax at (202) 366–3820.
You may send mail to both of these
officials at the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
I. Background of the Stopping Distance
Requirement
II. Petition for Reconsideration
III. Response to Petition
A. Stopping Distance Requirements at
Speeds Between 30 and 55 MPH
14:06 Feb 08, 2013
Jkt 229001
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Fmt 4700
B. Stopping Distance Requirements at
Speeds of 20 and 25 MPH
IV. Administrative Procedure Act
Requirements
V. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices
I. Background of the Stopping Distance
Requirement
On July 27, 2009, NHTSA published
a final rule in the Federal Register
amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) No. 121, Air Brake
Systems, to require improved stopping
distance performance for heavy truck
tractors.1 This rule reduced the
maximum allowable stopping distance,
from 60 mph, from 355 feet to 250 feet
for the vast majority of loaded heavy
truck tractors. For a small minority of
loaded very heavy tractors, the
maximum allowable stopping distance
was reduced from 355 feet to 310 feet.
Having come to the conclusion that
modifications needed for ‘‘typical threeaxle tractors’’ to meet the improved
requirements were relatively
straightforward, NHTSA provided two
years lead time for those vehicles to
comply with the new requirements.
These typical three-axle tractors
comprise approximately 82 percent of
the total fleet of heavy tractors. The
agency concluded that other tractors,
which are produced in far fewer
numbers and may need additional work
to ensure stability and control while
braking, would need more lead time to
meet the requirements. Due to extra
time needed to design, test, and validate
these vehicles, which included two-axle
tractors and severe service tractors, the
agency allowed four years lead time for
these tractors to meet the improved
stopping distance requirements.
Requirements in FMVSS No. 121
provide that if the speed attainable by
a vehicle in two miles is less than 60
mph, the speed at which the vehicle
shall meet the specified stopping
distances is four to eight mph less than
the speed attainable in two miles. In the
July 2009 final rule, the agency used an
equation to derive the required stopping
distances for vehicles with initial
speeds of less than 60 mph.2
St = (1⁄2 Vo tr) + ((1⁄2) Vo2/af)¥((1/24) af
tr 2)
Where:
St = Total stopping distance in feet
Vo = Initial Speed in ft/sec
tr = Air pressure rise time in seconds
af = Steady-state deceleration in ft/sec2
For the final rule, the agency selected an
air pressure rise time of 0.45 seconds,
Table of Contents
VerDate Mar<15>2010
9623
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1 74 FR 37122; Docket No. NHTSA–2009–0083–
0001.
2 The complete derivation for this equation was
included in the docket. See Docket No. NHTSA–
2005–21462–0039, at 18–22.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 9605-9623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02907]
[[Page 9605]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Parts 25 and 27
[WT Docket No. 07-293; IB Docket No. 95-91; FCC 12-130]
Operation of Wireless Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz
Band; Establishment of Rules and Policies for the Digital Audio Radio
Satellite Service in the 2310-2360 MHz Frequency Band
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission affirms, modifies, and
clarifies its actions in response to various petitions for
reconsideration and/or clarification. The revised rules are intended to
enable Wireless Communications Service (WCS) licensees to deploy
broadband services in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-2360 MHz (2.3 GHz) WCS
bands while continuing to protect Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service
(SDARS) operator Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Sirius XM) and aeronautical
mobile telemetry (AMT) operations in adjacent bands and the deep space
network (DSN) earth station in Goldstone, California from harmful
interference. In addition, the revised rules will facilitate the
flexible deployment and operation of SDARS terrestrial repeaters in the
2320-2345 MHz SDARS band, while protecting adjacent bands WCS licensees
from harmful interference.
DATES: Effective March 13, 2013, except for Sec. Sec. 25.263(b),
27.72(b), and 27.73(a), which contain information collection
requirements that are not effective until approved by the Office of
Management and Budget. The Commission will publish a document in the
Federal Register announcing the effective dates for those sections. The
Director of the Federal Register will approve the incorporation by
reference in Sec. 27.73(a) concurrently with the published office of
Management and Budget approval of this section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: WCS technical information: Moslem
Sawez, Moslem.Sawez@fcc.gov, Mobility Division, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, (202) 418-8211. WCS legal information: Linda
Chang, Linda.Chang@fcc.gov Mobility Division, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, (202) 418-1339. SDARS technical information:
Chip Fleming, Chip.Fleming@fcc.gov, Engineering Branch, Satellite
Division, International Bureau, (202) 418-1247. SDARS legal
information: Stephen Duall, Stephen.Duall@fcc.gov, Policy Branch,
Satellite Division, International Bureau, (202) 418-1103. For
additional information concerning the Paperwork Reduction Act
information collection requirements contained in this document, contact
Linda Chang at (202) 418-1339, or via the Internet at
Linda.Chang@fcc.gov and Stephen Duall at (202) 418-1103, or via the
Internet at Stephen.Duall@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Order
on Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 07-293 and IB Docket No. 95-91, FCC
12-130, adopted and released October 17, 2012. The full text of this
document is available on the Commission's Internet site at www.fcc.gov.
It is also available for inspection and copying during regular business
hours in the FCC Reference Center (Room CY-A257), 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554. The Order on Reconsideration also may be
purchased from the Commission's duplication contractor, Best Copy and
Printing Inc., Portals II, 445 12th St. SW., Room CY-B402, Washington,
DC 20554; telephone (202) 488-5300; fax (202) 488-5563; email
FCC@BCPIWEB.COM.
Summary
I. Introduction and Executive Summary
1. The Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 07-293 and IB
Docket No. 95-91 addressed five petitions for reconsideration of the
2010 WCS R&O and SDARS 2nd R&O, 75 FR 45058, August 2, 2010, filed by
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio (ARRL), AT&T Inc.
(AT&T), Sirius XM, Stratos Offshore Services Company (Stratos), and the
WCS Coalition. The 2010 WCS R&O modified the technical rules and
performance (i.e., buildout) requirements for the WCS in the 2305-2320
MHz and 2345-2360 MHz bands; the SDARS 2nd R&O established technical
and licensing rules for SDARS terrestrial repeaters in the 2320-2345
MHz band. The petitions sought reconsideration, clarification, or both
of the Commission's decisions in the 2010 WCS R&O and SDARS 2nd R&O
regarding: (a) WCS base and fixed stations' ground level emissions
limit, (b) fixed WCS customer premises equipment (CPE) power and power
spectral density (PSD) limits, bands of operation, and outdoor antenna
use, (c) distinction between fixed WCS CPE and fixed WCS point-to-point
stations, (d) mobile and portable devices' PSD and out-of-band
emissions (OOBE) limits, (e) restrictions on WCS frequency division
duplexing (FDD) mobile and portable devices' bands of operation, (f)
WCS mobile and portable devices' and fixed WCS CPE duty cycle limits,
(g) WCS protection of Amateur Radio Service (ARS) operations and WCS
base/fixed stations' and mobile devices' OOBE limits in the 2300-2305
MHz band, (h) WCS coordination, notification, and interference
mitigation requirements; base station separation distance, (i) WCS
performance requirements, (j) WCS/SDARS coordination zones, (k)
interference protection for WCS from SDARS terrestrial repeaters, and
(l) WCS and SDARS licensees' duty to cooperate in sharing information
and preventing/mitigating interference. The revised rules are
consistent with a June 15, 2012 compromise proposal between WCS
licensee AT&T Inc. and Sirius XM designed to facilitate the efficient
deployment and coexistence of the WCS and SDARS.
2. For the WCS, the Order on Reconsideration
Established maximum design ground power level targets on
roadways for WCS base and fixed station operations of -44 dBm in WCS
Blocks A (2305-2310 MHz and 2350-2355 MHz) and B (2310-2315 MHz and
2355-2360 MHz) and -55 dBm in WCS Blocks C (2315-2320 MHz) and D (2345-
2350 MHz) to serve as triggers for interference resolution if exceeded
on roadways and harmful interference (i.e., muting) to SDARS operations
occurs;
Established conditions on roadways constituting harmful
interference to SDARS operations from WCS operations requiring WCS and
SDARS operators to work cooperatively to resolve;
Denied a petition to establish a specific distance at
which an SDARS subscriber is expected to tolerate muting of SDARS
signals by WCS base station transmitters;
Eliminated the frequency band restrictions on WCS FDD base
stations prohibiting transmissions in the lower WCS blocks (2305-2320
MHz);
Clarified that point-to-point and point-to-multipoint WCS
fixed stations operated and controlled by the WCS licensee and that
comply with the WCS base and fixed station power and emissions limits
are not considered to be fixed WCS CPE;
Denied a petition to establish reduced power limits for
low-power fixed WCS CPE (i.e., CPE with average equivalent
isotropically radiated power (EIRP) of 2 Watts or less) operating with
the relaxed OOBE limits applicable to WCS mobile and portable devices;
Denied a petition to establish PSD limits for all fixed
WCS CPE;
[[Page 9606]]
Denied a petition to establish guard bands in WCS Blocks C
and D for fixed WCS CPE;
Relaxed the restrictions on outdoor and outdoor antenna
use for low-power fixed WCS CPE operating with the OOBE limits
applicable to WCS mobile and portable devices under certain
circumstances;
Removed the restrictions on outdoor and outdoor antenna
use for low-power fixed CPE operating with the more restrictive OOBE
limits applicable to WCS base and fixed stations;
Eliminated the PSD limits for WCS mobile and portable
devices using appropriate uplink (user device to base station)
transmission technology (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long
Term Evolution (3GPP LTE);
Denied a petition requesting further restrictions on WCS
mobile and portable device OOBE limits;
Denied a petition requesting removal of the restriction
prohibiting WCS mobile and portable devices using FDD technology from
transmitting in the upper WCS spectrum blocks (2345-2360 MHz) adjacent
to the AMT spectrum;
Prohibited WCS mobile and portable devices from
transmitting in all portions of WCS Blocks C (2315-2320 MHz) and D
(2345-2350 MHz);
Eliminated the duty cycle limits on fixed WCS CPE and WCS
mobile and portable devices using FDD technology;
Denied a petition to eliminate the 38 percent duty cycle
limit for fixed WCS CPE and WCS mobile and portable devices using time
division duplexing (TDD) technology;
Clarified the bands of applicability for WCS base, fixed,
and fixed CPE station, and WCS mobile and portable device OOBE limits;
Declined to address a petition regarding the interference
protection rights of secondary Amateur Radio Service operations in the
2300-2305 MHz band adjacent to primary WCS operations in the 2305-2320
MHz band;
Exempted low-power WCS stations (EIRP less than 2 Watts)
from the WCS licensee notification requirements and relaxed the WCS
licensee notification requirements for minor WCS station modifications;
Clarified that WCS fixed stations are part of the WCS
licensee coordination and notification processes;
Lengthened by 6 months and restarted the WCS construction
periods to enable WCS licensees to respond to the rule revisions;
Denied petitions to eliminate the automatic WCS license
forfeiture provisions for failure to comply with the WCS performance
requirements;
Denied petitions to replace the coverage-based performance
requirements for WCS Blocks C (2315-2320 MHz) and D (2345-2350 MHz)
with substantial service requirements;
Encouraged WCS licensees to enter into coordination
agreements with SDARS licensees for interference mitigation.
3. For the SDARS, the Order on Reconsideration
Denied a petition to modify the site-by-site licensing
procedures for high power SDARS terrestrial repeaters that are not
eligible for blanket licensing (e.g., repeaters with average EIRP
greater than 12 kilowatts (kW));
Maintained the option to authorize SDARS terrestrial
repeaters that are not eligible for blanket licensing;
Modified the definition of which WCS licensees would be
potentially affected by SDARS terrestrial repeaters operating with high
power or relaxed OOBE limits;
Excepted low-power terrestrial repeaters (i.e., repeaters
with EIRP less than 2 Watts) from SDARS licensee notification
requirements;
Relaxed SDARS licensee notification requirements for minor
modifications to SDARS terrestrial repeaters;
Encouraged SDARS licensees to enter into coordination
agreements with WCS licensees for interference mitigation.
II. Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 07-293
A. WCS Base and Fixed Stations
4. Emissions and Circumstances Requiring Coordination to Resolve
Interference. To foster deployment of innovative broadband services in
the WCS spectrum and further mitigate the risk of harmful interference
to SDARS operations, the Order on Reconsideration adopted AT&T's and
Sirius XM's proposed roadway signal levels and harmful interference
conditions to SDARS operations on roadways which would trigger
coordinated efforts between WCS and SDARS licensees to mitigate the
interference. Specifically, WCS and SDARS operators would work
cooperatively to resolve harmful interference in a location where a WCS
signal level is present on a roadway at a level greater than -44 dBm in
the WCS A or B Blocks, or -55 dBm in the WCS C or D Blocks, and a test
demonstrates that the SDARS customer would be muted over a road
distance of greater than 50 meters; or for a mutually agreeable drive
test route, if the ground signal level on roadways exceeds -44 dBm in
the WCS A or B Blocks, or -55 dBm in the WCS C or D Blocks, for more
than 1 percent of the cumulative surface road distance on that drive
route, and a test demonstrates that the SDARS customer would be muted
over a cumulative road distance of greater than \1/2\ of 1 percent
(incremental to any muting present prior to use of WCS frequencies in
the area of that drive test). The Order on Reconsideration denied
Sirius XM's petition to establish a specific separation distance at
which an SDARS subscriber is expected to tolerate muting by WCS base
station operations.
5. Bands of Operation. To provide WCS licensees with more
flexibility to enhance service to the public and support FDD downlink
carrier aggregation, in response to AT&T's request in its petition for
reconsideration and consistent with AT&T's and Sirius XM's request in
their June 15, 2012 joint submission, the Commission decided in the
Order on Reconsideration that WCS FDD base stations may also transmit
in the lower WCS blocks at 2305-2320 MHz in addition to operating in
the upper WCS bands at 2345-2360 MHz, subject to the power and OOBE
attenuation factors adopted for WCS base station operations in those
bands. The Commission agreed with AT&T and Sirius XM that such
operations would not increase the potential for harmful interference to
adjacent-band services and there is no need to restrict their operation
to the upper WCS bands (2345-2360 MHz).
6. Point-To-Point/Point-To-Multipoint Station Description
Clarification. In the Order on Reconsideration, the Commission agreed
with Stratos and the WCS Coalition that fixed WCS point-to-point
stations that are controlled and operated by the WCS licensee and
comply with the power levels and spectral mask (i.e., OOBE limits)
applicable to WCS base and fixed stations are not considered to be
fixed WCS CPE, regardless of where the transmission equipment is
installed. In addition, because fixed WCS CPE stations' operations
commenced several years before the Commission adopted the 2010 WCS R&O
in May 2010, and the Commission has not received reports of harmful
interference to SDARS receivers due to their operation, the Commission
decided that testing of all potential fixed WCS CPE applications, as
suggested by Sirius XM, was not needed to clarify that fixed WCS point-
to-point and point-to-multipoint stations that are controlled and
operated by the WCS licensee and comply with the power levels and
spectral mask applicable to WCS base
[[Page 9607]]
and fixed stations are not considered to be fixed WCS CPE. Therefore,
the Order on Reconsideration clarified that fixed WCS fixed WCS point-
to-point stations and point-to-multipoint stations that are controlled
and operated by the WCS licensee and that comply with the more
restrictive OOBE attenuation factors applicable to WCS base and fixed
stations are not considered to be fixed WCS CPE, regardless of where
the equipment is installed.
B. Fixed WCS Customer Premises Equipment
7. Power and Power Spectral Density Limits. The signal attenuation
from the propagation losses due to the likely separation distances
between low-power fixed WCS CPE and SDARS receivers, coupled with the
requirement to employ automatic transmit power control (ATPC), which is
used to prevent inter-cell interference (i.e., interference to adjacent
cells base stations receiving on the same frequencies), will help limit
the potential for harmful interference (i.e., interference which
seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunication service) from fixed WCS CPE to SDARS receivers
receiving unwanted energy in the adjacent band. Thus, the Commission
disagreed with Sirius XM that low-power fixed WCS CPE operating with
the OOBE attenuation factors applicable to WCS mobile devices should be
restricted to a maximum EIRP of 250 mW. In addition, although most 2.3
GHz-band fixed WCS CPE devices have been authorized for and are
operating at 1 to 2 W EIRP, and some fixed WCS CPE devices have been
authorized for and are operating at up to 20 W EIRP, which occurred
before we relaxed the OOBE limits for fixed WCS CPE, SDARS licensees
have not reported any instances of harmful interference due to this
fixed WCS CPE. For these reasons, the Commission decided that
maintaining the average EIRP at 2 W or less for low-power fixed WCS CPE
operating with the same OOBE limits as WCS mobile and portable devices
will not result in harmful interference to SDARS receivers. Therefore,
the Order on Reconsideration declined to restrict the maximum allowed
power of low-power fixed WCS CPE operating with the same OOBE limits as
WCS mobile and portable devices to 250 mW, and denied that portion of
Sirius XM's petition.
8. Furthermore, because imposition of a PSD limit on fixed WCS CPE
would likely preclude the provision of fixed WCS services by making it
uneconomical to provide the necessary base station coverage, the
Commission also declined to impose a PSD limit of 4 W/MHz on fixed WCS
CPE, as requested by Sirius XM. In support of this decision, the
Commission noted that the 2010 WCS R&O significantly reduced the
potential for fixed WCS CPE to cause harmful interference to SDARS
receivers by reducing the maximum allowed EIRP for these devices from 2
kW over any bandwidth to 20 W/5 MHz and that Sirius XM had previously
claimed that its receivers, which were designed prior to adoption of
the 2010 WCS R&O, provide excellent adjacent band blocking performance.
In addition, because of the likely sources of blockages--foliage,
building walls, parked and moving vehicles, etc.--that will attenuate
fixed WCS CPE devices' signals, if fixed WCS CPE were allowed to
continue using up to 20 W/5 MHz peak EIRP without a specific per-
megahertz PSD limit, the Commission determined that SDARS licensees are
not likely to experience harmful interference from the operation of
these devices. The Commission also affirmed that if WCS licensees were
to aggregate spectrum for fixed WCS CPE, the power level in any 5-
megahertz bandwidth would not be permitted to exceed 20 W.
9. The Commission further noted that the technologies that are
being considered to provide WCS service--Long Term Evolution (LTE),
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), and Wideband-
Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA)--spread user devices' signals
across the channel bandwidth and control the power of the RF
subcarriers assigned to a particular device to prevent self-
interference. Thus, even absent a specific PSD limit for fixed WCS CPE,
the Commission determined that WCS licensees' efforts to prevent self-
interference would effectively limit the PSD of fixed WCS CPE and
further mitigate the potential for harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. Finally, because wireless networks are typically initially
designed for coverage and subsequently for capacity, the size of WCS
cell sites is likely to decrease over time, which will decrease the
maximum power transmitted by WCS CPE and ultimately lower these
devices' resultant PSD. For these reasons, the Order on Reconsideration
denied Sirius XM's request to impose a PSD limit of 4 W/MHz on fixed
WCS CPE.
10. Bands of Operation. Sirius XM's petition regarding the
establishment of guard bands for fixed WCS CPE in the 2.5-megahertz
portions of WCS Blocks C and D nearest the SDARS band (i.e., 2317.5
MHz-2320 MHz and 2345-2347.5 MHz) asserted arguments that Sirius XM
raised--and the Commission considered and rejected--in the 2010 WCS
R&O. The Commission declined to revisit those contentions in the Order
on Reconsideration. Sirius XM failed to present any new evidence that
would compel the Commission to reconsider its previous findings.
Moreover, it is ``settled Commission policy that petitions for
reconsideration are not to be used for the mere re-argument of points
previously advanced and rejected.'' Thus, the Order on Reconsideration
denied that portion of Sirius XM's petition.
11. Outdoor and Outdoor Antenna Use. In response to AT&T's and the
WCS Coalition's petitions for reconsideration, the Commission decided
in the Order on Reconsideration to remove the restrictions on low-power
fixed WCS CPE operating with the stepped emission mask applicable to
WCS mobile devices that prohibited such equipment from being used
outdoors or with outdoor antennas. Consistent with the request in
AT&T's and Sirius XM's June 15, 2012 compromise proposal, if low-power
fixed WCS CPE operating with the OOBE limits applicable to WCS mobile
devices is professionally installed in locations that are removed by 20
meters from roadways or in locations where it can be shown that the
ground power level of -44 dBm in WCS Blocks A and B or -55 dBm in WCS
Blocks C and D will not be exceeded at the nearest road location, then
such equipment may be used outdoors and with outdoor antennas. The
Commission also decided to remove the prohibitions on the use of low-
power fixed WCS CPE outdoors and with outdoor antennas if the fixed WCS
CPE complies with the more restrictive OOBE attenuation factors
applicable to WCS base and fixed stations. The Commission determined
that if used outdoors or with outdoor antennas, low-power fixed WCS CPE
that is professionally installed or that meets the more restrictive
OOBE attenuation factors applicable to WCS base and fixed stations will
avert the discontinuance of existing WCS service, foster the provision
of wireless broadband services, especially in unserved and underserved
areas, and enhance user experience without causing harmful interference
to SDARS receivers. It also determined that the signal attenuation due
to the separation distances and outdoor blockages (i.e., building walls
and other structures in urban settings; trees) that are likely to exist
between low-power fixed WCS CPE transmitters and SDARS receivers and
the requirement to use ATPC,
[[Page 9608]]
would help limit the potential for harmful interference to SDARS
receivers from low-power fixed WCS CPE being used outdoors or with
outdoor antennas.
C. WCS Mobile and Portable Devices
12. Power Spectral Density Limit. In response to AT&T's and the WCS
Coalition's petitions for reconsideration and consistent with the
request in AT&T's and Sirius XM's June 15, 2012 compromise proposal, in
the Order on Reconsideration, the Commission decided to eliminate the
PSD limit for WCS mobile devices that operate with bandwidths greater
than or equal to 5 megahertz in WCS Blocks A and B and use an
appropriate uplink transmission technology (e.g., 3GPP LTE). In support
of this decision, the Commission noted that in cellular systems, mobile
device transmit (i.e., uplink) power control is a key radio resource
management function for improving system capacity, coverage, and user
quality (data rate or voice quality), lowering battery consumption, and
controlling interference to adjacent cells of the same system, and per-
megahertz PSD limits are not standardized for wideband wireless
technologies such as W-CDMA, WiMAX, or LTE. Instead of controlling
mobile devices' transmit power on a per-megahertz basis, LTE technology
is designed to control mobile devices' transmit power by dynamically
allocating spectrum resources, known as Physical Resource Blocks
(PRBs), among mobile devices and setting the power levels of these PRBs
on a frame-by-frame basis. Similarly, despite having different uplink
physical layer and transmission schemes, WiMAX technology controls
mobile devices' transmit power by uniformly distributing the uplink
transmissions from a given mobile device across the operating channel
bandwidth and controlling the power of the radio frequency (RF)
subcarriers assigned to a particular device. In Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access (W-CDMA), also known as Universal Mobile
Telecommunication System (UMTS), networks, to balance the power
received at the base station from all mobile devices to within a few
decibels (dB) and optimize system performance, uplink power control
information is transmitted from the base station in every time slot to
control the power transmitted in each data channel frame assigned to a
particular mobile device.
13. Therefore, in the same manner that uplink power control is used
in LTE, WiMAX, and W-CDMA networks to optimize system performance, the
Commission found that WCS licensees may use LTE, WiMAX, and W-CDMA
technologies' uplink power control algorithms to effectively limit the
PSD of WCS mobile devices to avoid self-interference, maximize the
capacity and efficiency of the network, and mitigate the risk that
these devices will cause harmful interference to SDARS receivers.
Although the PSD of WCS mobile devices may occasionally exceed 50 mW/
MHz, the Commission concluded that such instances would be rare and
short lived. It also concluded that WCS licensees could control WCS
mobile devices' transmitter power via power control, signal spreading,
and/or other signal modulation techniques to prevent these devices from
concentrating power greater than 50 mW/MHz in narrow segments of
bandwidth that are near the SDARS band to avoid causing harmful
interference to SDARS receivers.
14. For these reasons, the Order on Reconsideration eliminated the
50 mW/MHz PSD limit for WCS mobile devices that operate in the WCS A
and B Blocks (2305-2315 MHz and 2350-2360 MHz) and employ single
carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC FDMA) or similar
technology. However, to address Sirius XM's concerns that WCS
licensees' mobile devices could transmit more power than they could
otherwise transmit in a 5-megahertz block by aggregating spectrum
blocks and consistent with the WCS Coalition's assertion that a WiMAX
or LTE mobile device's transmit power is uniformly distributed across
the available channel bandwidth, the Order on Reconsideration clarified
that WCS mobile devices are limited to a maximum EIRP of 250 mW for any
bandwidth greater than or equal to 5 megahertz.
15. Out-of-Band Emissions Limits. Sirius XM's petition regarding
the OOBE limits for WCS mobile devices in the 2320-2345 MHz SDARS band
asserted numerous arguments that Sirius XM raised--and the Commission
considered and rejected--in the 2010 WCS R&O. The Commission declined
to revisit those contentions in the Order on Reconsideration. Sirius XM
failed to present any new evidence that would compel the Commission to
reconsider its previous findings. Moreover, it is ``settled Commission
policy that petitions for reconsideration are not to be used for the
mere re-argument of points previously advanced and rejected.'' Thus,
the Order on Reconsideration denied the portion of Sirius XM's petition
to further restrict the OOBE limits for WCS mobile and portable devices
in the 2320-2345 MHz band.
16. Bands of Operation. The Commission declined to remove the
restriction that WCS mobile devices using FDD technology may not
transmit in the upper WCS A and B Blocks and the 2.5-megahertz portion
of the WCS D Block furthest removed from the SDARS band (2347.5-2360
MHz), as requested by AT&T. The Commission determined that restricting
WCS FDD mobile devices from transmitting in the upper WCS blocks at
2347.5-2360 MHz band would provide added protection from harmful
interference to adjacent-band AMT receivers that operate in the 2360-
2395 MHz band. Therefore, the Order on Reconsideration denied the
portion of AT&T's petition requesting that WCS mobile devices be
allowed to operate in the upper WCS bands at 2347.5-2360 MHz.
17. However, although the Commission determined in the 2010 WCS R&O
that the potential for harmful interference to SDARS receivers from
mobile transmitters operating in the 2.5-megahertz portions of WCS
Blocks C and D furthest removed from the SDARS band was negligible, in
their June 15, 2012 joint agreement, AT&T and Sirius XM asserted that
mobile operations in WCS Blocks C and D hold the most potential to
cause harmful interference to satellite radio consumers. In their June
15, 2012 compromise proposal, AT&T and Sirius XM agreed that expanding
the guard bands for WCS mobile and portable device transmissions to
encompass all of WCS Blocks C and D would further reduce the risk that
operation of WCS mobile transmitters in these bands could pose an
unacceptable interference threat to SDARS reception. Thus, to further
mitigate the potential for harmful interference to SDARS operations,
the Commission decided to prohibit WCS mobile and portable transmitters
from operating in all portions of WCS Blocks C and D. The Commission
decided that this action would, in effect, provide a 5-megahertz
transition band for SDARS receivers at each end of the SDARS band that
would further decrease the potential for harmful interference to SDARS
operations from WCS mobile devices operating in adjacent spectrum,
while permitting the C and D Blocks spectrum to be used for WCS base
stations or fixed services. Coupled with the relaxed PSD and duty cycle
limits that the Commissions adopted in the Order on Reconsideration for
WCS mobile devices, the Commission believed that this action would
provide added interference protection to SDARS operations while
advancing the Commission's goal of making mobile
[[Page 9609]]
broadband services over the WCS spectrum widely available.
18. The Commission's adoption of this approach also furthered its
resolution of the interference protection matters raised in Sirius XM's
petition for reconsideration. The Commission first provided notice that
it was considering the issue of interference management between the WCS
and SDARS in the 2001 Public Notice in this proceeding, in which the
Commission sought comment on requiring SDARS licensees to operate their
repeaters in frequency bands at least 4 megahertz away from the edge of
their licensed frequency bands, among other things. That issue remained
in play with the timely filing of the Sirius XM Reconsideration
Petition challenging the Commission's decision in the 2010 WCS R&O to
adopt a different approach.
D. WCS Mobile, Portable, and Fixed CPE Duty Cycle Limits
19. To facilitate the deployment of broadband services in WCS
spectrum, the Commission decided in the Order on Reconsideration to
eliminate the duty cycle requirements for WCS mobile, portable, and
fixed CPE employing FDD-based technology, consistent with AT&T's and
Sirius XM's request in their June 15, 2012 compromise proposal. The
Commission agreed with AT&T that the activity factor of a WCS mobile
device is not a factor in determining potential interference to SDARS
receivers that warrants a 25 percent duty cycle for WCS mobile and
portable devices in WCS Blocks A and B, as the Commission determined in
the 2010 WCS R&O. It also agreed with AT&T's and Sirius XM's assertions
that adjacent-band WCS FDD operations will have minimal impact on the
SDARS receivers' automatic gain control (AGC) circuitry because they
involve no intermittent pulsing. However, based on Commission staff's
analysis of the record and reinforced by the results of the testing in
Ashburn, Virginia, the Commission decided to maintain the 38 percent
duty cycle limit for WCS mobile devices using TDD-based technologies.
20. Regarding Sirius XM's argument that the 38 percent duty cycle
limit for TDD-based devices established in 2010 WCS R&O was not
supported by the record in this proceeding, the Commission noted that
its decision to adopt a 38 percent duty cycle for TDD-based WCS user
devices was a tradeoff based on its analysis of the record leading up
to adoption of the 2010 WCS rules and the WCS/SDARS testing in Ashburn,
Virginia. The Commission decided in 2010 to round up the permitted TDD
duty cycle from the 35 percent used in the Ashburn, Virginia testing to
38 percent to allow for the majority of TDD profiles under an LTE or
WiMAX technology selection, because the 35 percent duty cycle used
during the testing only resulted in two isolated instances of
negligible interference to SDARS receivers, not harmful interference
that repeatedly interrupted the SDARS signal.
21. The Commission also declined to limit WCS mobile devices'
transmissions to every other 5 millisecond (ms) frame as Sirius XM
requested in its petition. As determined by the Commission's analyses
and verified by the WCS/SDARS testing in Ashburn, Virginia, it found
that the WCS mobile device's transmissions need not be limited to every
other transmission frame to limit the potential for harmful
interference to SDARS receivers, as requested by Sirius XM. However, to
eliminate any uncertainty about how compliance with the duty cycle is
measured, the Commission clarified its requirement that WCS subscriber
devices' duty cycle be measured in a manner that is referenced directly
to the frame duration for WCS technology being used. Specifically,
industry standards for WiMAX and LTE technology specify frame lengths
of 5 ms and 10 ms, respectively. Accordingly, for WCS networks using
WiMAX technology, the duty cycle should be measured over a 5 ms frame;
for WCS networks using LTE technology, the duty cycle should be
measured over a 10 ms frame. For TDD technologies other than LTE and
WiMAX, the duty cycle should be measured over a frame duration that is
referenced directly to the technology being used.
E. WCS Out-of-Band Emissions Limit in the 2300-2305 MHz Amateur Radio
Service Band
22. Regarding ARRL's petition requesting that the Commission
require WCS licensees to be responsible for mitigating harmful
interference to Amateur Radio Service operations in the 2300-2305 MHz
band through operation of Sec. 2.102(f) of the Commission's rules and
AT&T's and the WCS Coalition's opposition, as a general matter, the
Commission noted that the technical and operating rules that its adopts
for a particular service are designed to prevent harmful interference
(i.e., interference which seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly
interrupts a radiocommunication service) to other services that operate
in adjacent bands and to establish the RF environment for adjacent band
services to coexist. In the case of the WCS, the Commission initially
determined that an attenuation factor of 43 + 10 log (P) dB (i.e., a
fixed limit of -43 dBW) below the transmitter output power P in Watts
for WCS fixed and mobile devices' OOBE in the 2300-2305 MHz band would
prevent interference to Amateur Radio Service operations in that band.
The 2010 WCS R&O did not alter WCS fixed and mobile devices' OOBE limit
of -43 dBW in the 2300-2305 MHz band and thus did not reduce or
otherwise modify the interference protection that the Commission
previously established for ARS operations in that band. For this
reason, the Commission saw no reason to address the specific arguments
that ARRL, AT&T, and the WCS Coalition made regarding the operation of
Sec. 2.102(f) because the FCC's existing service and technical rules
are already designed to account for WCS users operating adjacent to the
ARS band. To the extent that ARRL was asking that the Commission
revisit the attenuation factor originally established for the WCS and
that was left unmodified in the 2010 WCS R&O, the Commission concluded
that such a request for reconsideration was not timely filed and was
not appropriate for reconsideration.
23. Clarification of Applicable Bands for Out-of-Band Emissions
Limits. To eliminate any confusion in the Commission's rules about
where the OOBE limits for WCS base and fixed stations, mobile devices,
and fixed WCS CPE must be met, the Order on Reconsideration clarified
the frequency bands in which the 43 + 10 log (P) dB and other OOBE
attenuation factors below the transmitter power P are applicable.
Specifically, WCS base and fixed stations and fixed WCS CPE
transmitting with an average EIRP greater than 2 Watts must attenuate
their OOBE below the transmitter power P, as measured over a 1
megahertz resolution bandwidth, by a factor of not less than 43 + 10
log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2305-2320 MHz and between 2345-
2360 MHz that are outside the licensed band(s) of operation, not less
than 75 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2320-2345 MHz band, not less than 43 +
10 log (P) dB in the 2300-2305 and 2360-2362.5 MHz bands, not less than
55 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2362.5-2365 MHz band, not less than 70 + 10
log (P) dB in the 2287.5-2300 MHz and 2365-2367.5 MHz bands, not less
than 72 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2285-2287.5 and 2367.5-2370 MHz bands,
and not less than 75 + 10 log (P) dB below 2285 MHz and above 2370 MHz.
24. WCS mobile and portable devices operating in the WCS A and B
Blocks and fixed WCS CPE transmitting with
[[Page 9610]]
an average EIRP of 2 Watts or less must attenuate their OOBE below the
transmitter power P as measured over a 1 megahertz bandwidth, by a
factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between
2305-2320 MHz and between 2345-2360 MHz that are outside the licensed
band(s) of operation, not less than 55 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2320-
2324/2341-2345 MHz bands, not less than 61 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2324-
2328/2337-2341 MHz bands, and not less than 67 + 10 log (P) dB in the
2328-2337 MHz band. In addition, WCS mobile and portable devices must
attenuate their OOBE below the transmitter power P by a factor of not
less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2300-2305 and 2360-2365 MHz bands,
not less than 55 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2296-2300 MHz band, not less
than 61 + 10 log (P) dB in the 2292-2296 MHz band, not less than 67 +
10 log (P) dB in the 2288-2292 MHz band, and not less than 70 + 10 log
(P) dB below 2288 MHz and above 2365 MHz.
25. Measurement Procedures. The Order on Reconsideration clarified
that measurements of the OOBE from WCS base, fixed, and fixed CPE
stations and WCS mobile and portable devices made over a narrower
resolution bandwidth than 1 megahertz (e.g., 1 percent of the emission
bandwidth) must be integrated over the full measurement bandwidth of 1
megahertz to determine compliance with the relevant out-of-band
emissions limits. Specifically, compliance with the part 27 WCS
emissions limits rules is based on the use of measurement
instrumentation employing a resolution bandwidth of 1 MHz or greater.
However, in the 1 MHz bands immediately outside and adjacent to the
channel blocks at 2305, 2310, 2315, 2320, 2345, 2350, 2355, and 2360
MHz, a resolution bandwidth of at least 1 percent of the emission
bandwidth of the fundamental emission of the transmitter may be
employed. A narrower resolution bandwidth is permitted in all cases to
improve measurement accuracy provided the measured power is integrated
over the full required measurement bandwidth (i.e., 1 MHz). The
emission bandwidth is defined as the width of the signal between two
points, one below the carrier center frequency and one above the
carrier center frequency, outside of which all emissions are attenuated
at least 26 dB below the transmitter power.
F. WCS Performance Requirements.
26. Extension of WCS Construction Deadlines. The Order on
Reconsideration also lengthened by 6 months and restarted the WCS
construction periods established in the 2010 WCS R&O to enable WCS
licensees to respond to the rule revisions while ensuring significant
deployment of facilities in the near term. For mobile and point-to-
multipoint systems in WCS Blocks A and B, and point-to-multipoint
systems in WCS Blocks C and D, a licensee must provide reliable signal
coverage and offer service to at least 40 percent of the license area's
population within 48 months, and 75 percent within 78 months. For fixed
point-to-point services, except those deployed in the Gulf of Mexico
license area, licensees must construct and operate 15 point-to-point
links per million persons (one link per 67,000 persons) in a license
area within 48 months, and 30 links (one link per 33,500 persons)
within 78 months. In those license areas where licensees demonstrate
that 25 percent of the license area's population for Blocks A, B, or D
is within an AMT coordination zone, alternative requirements are
applicable for mobile and point-to-multipoint services. Specifically,
affected licensees must serve 25 (rather than 40) percent of the
population within 48 months, and 50 (rather than 75) percent within 78
months. For point-to-point systems deployed on any spectrum block in
the Gulf of Mexico license area, a licensee must construct and operate
a minimum of 15 point-to-point links within 48 months, and a minimum of
15 point-to-point links within 78 months. The construction periods
currently applicable to existing WCS licensees will run from the
effective date of the rule revisions adopted in the Order on
Reconsideration.
27. Coverage Requirements Instead of Substantial Service. The
Commission's decision in the 2010 WCS R&O to migrate away from
substantial service requirements was based upon a careful reading of
the record, and a balanced consideration of the public interest.
Therefore, the Commission disagreed with the Petitioners of the 2010
WCS R&O that these judgments were arbitrary and capricious.
Accordingly, it declined, as it did in the 2010 WCS R&O after a careful
assessment of that record, to apply substantial service performance
requirements in the 2.3 GHz band for the C and D Blocks, or to reduce
their quantitative benchmarks. In the 2010 WCS R&O, the Commission
stated that its revised performance requirements would ``afford WCS
licensees bright-line certainty,'' and would ``facilitate Commission
review of WCS performance showings.'' Petitioners provided little to
support their arguments that circumstances with respect to this
spectrum are so difficult that the Commission must reinstate
substantial service or otherwise reduce their construction obligations.
28. The Commission disagreed with petitioners that the more
stringent technical rules for C and D Blocks relegates them to ``niche
services'' and it believed that relief that it provided in other areas
will provide licensees with additional service options. It found that
retaining quantitative benchmarks best supported its goals for this
service; that is, that licensees will provide meaningful service in the
near term and continue to use the spectrum throughout the course of
their license periods. The Commission believed that, for the WCS,
bright-line coverage requirements at specified thresholds serve to
promote service throughout a licensed market, because they prevent
licensees from ``cherry picking'' areas for service rather than meeting
the benchmarks specified in their license requirements.
29. The Commission noted that because of its action to prohibit
mobile operations in WCS Blocks C and D, the respective requirements
for the 40 and 75 percent population coverage benchmarks would only be
applicable to point-to-multi-point systems. However, it maintained that
quantitative benchmarks--rather than a return to substantial service--
is still the appropriate standard for all operations in the C and D
Blocks spectrum. Accordingly, the service requirement for the C and D
Blocks shall be: 40 and 75 percent population coverage at the 48 and 78
month deadlines, respectively, for point-to-multipoint operations, with
15 point-to-point links per million persons in a license area within 48
months, and 30 point-to-point links per million persons in a license
area within 78 months for point-to-point fixed operations.
30. Finally, the Commission noted that certain entities had sought
guidance as to the specific performance requirements that would be
applied to current or potential operations in the C and D Blocks that
do not fall within the traditional mobile, point-to-multipoint, or
point-to-point fixed models. For example, Gogo, Inc. sought
clarification as to whether ground-to-air uplinks could be deployed in
the C and D Blocks, and what coverage requirements would apply. The
Commission noted that there are hybrid or non-traditional operations
that do not fit precisely in one category; for example, there may be
WCS point-to-multipoint systems that could be viewed as functionally
consistent with a WCS point-to-point RF network, e.g., certain smart
grid links to monitoring stations, maintenance
[[Page 9611]]
instrumentation, automatic metering collection points, and video
surveillance. However, given the wide range of deployments and
applications possible, the Commission found that WCS licensees should
seek guidance from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau on a case-by-
case basis in determining whether their service is permissible within
the C and D Blocks, and which benchmarks apply.
31. Performance Penalties. The Commission finds basis in the record
for reconsidering the rule that licenses will automatically terminate
if a performance benchmark is not satisfied. The parties reiterated
many of the same arguments that were raised throughout the proceeding,
which the Commission previously considered and rejected. Despite the
parties' arguments that applying the automatic termination policy is
counter to prior Commission practice, the decision to terminate
licenses if performance benchmarks are not met was consistent with the
Commission's past practice in most geographically-licensed wireless
services, including the 800 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service (800
MHz SMR), PCS, and Advanced Wireless Services (AWS), as well as in the
1997 WCS Report and Order. Further, although Petitioners continued to
claim that an automatic termination rule deters investment and
construction of networks, they provided no support that licensees have
been denied financing or that deployment of broadband has been slowed
due to this policy. The Commission remained unconvinced that automatic
termination of a license for which the performance requirements are not
met itself deters capital investment or otherwise hinders the
development or deployment of service. On the contrary, several wireless
services subject to this kind of performance penalty have thrived.
32. The Commission remains unpersuaded that it should revise its
WCS rules to adopt a ``keep-what-you-use'' policy because the
Commission adopted the approach with respect to certain 700 MHz
licenses. The Commission found that the considerations and goals with
respect to WCS are so similar to the circumstances underlying the 700
MHz Service such that it was compelled to revise existing WCS
requirements to mirror the 700 MHz performance penalties. While the
2010 WCS R&O did call attention to the difference between WCS and 700
MHz rules with respect to submarket performance requirements, the
Commission noted that the submarket performance rule is only one
distinction. Differences in the specific policy objectives behind the
respective performance requirements and penalties also supported the
application of a different performance penalty.
33. In adopting the ``keep-what-you-use'' approach in the 700 MHz
proceeding, the Commission sought to make available additional
mechanisms to enable access to spectrum by new entrants after an
initial licensee either fails or chooses not to provide service in a
particular area by the applicable deadline. Alternatively, the focus of
the performance requirements for the WCS adopted in the 2010 WCS R&O
was to ensure the rapid and meaningful provision of service throughout
an entire licensed market. Given the length of time that currently
licensed spectrum has remained largely unused, the Commission
purposefully imposed ambitious construction criteria, including the
automatic termination performance penalty, to ensure that extensive
service coverage occurs in the near term. The Commission found that
this goal would not be better served by implementing a ``keep-what-you-
use'' performance penalty that may not facilitate service coverage in
an area until after a current WCS licensee has returned unused spectrum
to the Commission. In this context, the Commission concluded that the
automatic termination approach would be more effective in accomplishing
the Commission's objective of intensive, near term WCS construction.
34. Further, the Commission disagreed with the argument that the
automatic termination approach is intrinsically tied to less strict
performance benchmarks. The automatic termination approach has
historically been applied to geographic market-based licenses
generally. In adopting performance requirements for its various
wireless services, the Commission has not as a practice linked
substantial service and the use of the automatic termination penalty.
To the contrary, the automatic termination approach has been used as a
penalty for services that did not initially have a substantial service
performance obligation.
35. Finally, the Commission rejected arguments that the automatic
termination rule is unfair to licensees because, according to
petitioners, the rule requires automatic termination of a license even
where failure to meet a benchmark is due to circumstances out of the
control of a licensee, or even, for example, if the licensee has
covered 74 percent of the population at the final deadline. Petitioners
argued that application of this policy would cut off service to
customers and strand investment. However, Sec. 1.946(e)(1) of the
Commission's rules provides that extensions may be granted where
failure to comply with construction requirements is due to causes
beyond the control of the licensee, and Commission staff has previously
granted relief from the Commission's performance rules in cases where
it was in the public interest to do so. For example, Commission staff
has granted extensions where it found that a complete lack of available
equipment for a service presented circumstances beyond the control of
licensees, or where licensees were able to show a significant level of
diligence and commitment to construction of facilities. As noted in the
2010 WCS R&O, the Commission stated that it would continue to consider
and evaluate requests for extension or waiver and grant relief if
circumstances warrant. The Commission emphasized, however, that any
relief sought must be weighed against the public interest goals
underlying our construction rules, which is to ensure the efficient use
of spectrum and the expeditious provision of service to the public. As
noted, in specifying performance rules for this service, the Commission
purposefully imposed rigorous construction criteria and retained the
automatic termination policy in order to ensure meaningful and rapid
deployment of service in the WCS band. The Commission would grant
extension or waiver relief only if it determines that such action is
not contrary to the goals underlying the WCS performance requirements,
and otherwise serves the public interest.
G. WCS Information Sharing Requirements
36. Notification Requirements. The Commission agreed that it is in
the public interest to allow WCS licensees the flexibility to respond
to market conditions by making minor modifications to their facilities
as long as these modifications do not result in harmful interference to
SDARS operations (i.e., muting). While the Commission believed that the
2 dB power flux density (PFD) increase notification trigger sought by
the WCS Coalition may be problematic, it nonetheless found it
appropriate to permit WCS licensees to optimize facilities and correct
coverage gaps without advance notice in circumstances where such
modifications are unlikely to cause harmful interference to SDARS
receivers. Therefore, WCS licensees were allowed to modify their
facilities, other than changes in location, without prior notice so
long as the change does
[[Page 9612]]
not increase the predicted PFD at ground level by more than 1 dB and
notice of the modification is provided within 24 hours of deployment.
The Commission saw no empirical evidence in the record that
demonstrates that a 1 dB increase in PFD as a result of a WCS
modification is likely to cause harmful interference to nearby SDARS
receivers. Rather, it anticipated that in most cases there will be
sufficient margin in the SDARS link budget such that harmful
interference will be avoided.
37. Moreover, WCS licensees were not being exempted from their
obligation to provide notice regarding modifications to their stations;
WCS entities must notify SDARS licensees within 24 hours of these
changes to allow for monitoring of the effects of the modifications. In
addition, the notification exception for no more than a 1 dB increase
in PFD can be distinguished from Sirius XM's prior proposal for
imposition of system-wide PFD limits on WCS base station transmissions
because it would only affect the trigger for notification of a
modification to SDARS licensees, and is not an across the board
criteria for limiting WCS base stations' ground-level power. If, after
gaining experience with the 1 dB PFD increase exception to the
notification procedures, there is harmful interference to SDARS
receivers as a result of such modifications, the Commission would
restore the formal notification procedure that requires 5-business days
notice prior to modifying WCS facilities.
38. However, Sirius XM raised a valid argument that multiple
modifications to WCS stations could result in a predicted aggregate PFD
increase that may negatively affect SDARS receivers. To avoid such a
result, although WCS licensees may make 24 hour post modification
notifications as long as the predicted PFD increase at ground level is
not greater than 1 dB, if an SDARS licensee demonstrates to the WCS
licensee that the series of modifications using post-modification
notification procedures may cause harmful interference to SDARS
receivers, the WCS licensee must provide the SDARS licensee with a 5
day notice in advance of additional modifications to WCS base and fixed
stations. However, the 1 dB limit will not apply where a coordination
agreement between the parties specifies otherwise.
39. In addition, in light of the Commission's decision to adopt the
maximum design ground power level targets along roadways of -44 dBm for
WCS Blocks A and B and -55 dBm for WCS Blocks C and D, it also
permitted after-the-fact notification where modifications to WCS base
and fixed stations do not exceed these limits. However, it did not
adopt Sirius XM's suggestion that, if it was unwilling to adopt WCS PFD
limits, interference mitigation issues must be resolved through a
separate coordination agreement between Sirius XM and the WCS licenses
or through a clearinghouse acting on the licensees' behalf. Requiring
such agreements or a clearinghouse would unnecessarily increase
administrative burdens on all licensees.
40. Further, the Commission modified the rules to exclude WCS base
and fixed stations operating under 2 W EIRP from the inventory and
notification requirements and agreed with Sirius XM that, to the extent
that the parties can mutually agree on alternative coordination and
notification procedures, the rules should accommodate private
agreements between WCS licensees and Sirius XM that implement such
modified procedures. Although the Commission did not adopt a list of
modifications unlikely to cause interference where ``after-the-fact-
notification'' would apply as suggested by Sirius XM, it recognized
that it would be beneficial for WCS licensees and Sirius XM to reach
agreement on procedures that would streamline the notification process.
41. Lastly, the Commission clarified that the inventory and SDARS
licensee notification requirements in Sec. 27.72 apply to both WCS
base and fixed stations (except fixed WCS CPE). Sirius XM is correct
that the Commission has during this proceeding used the terms ``WCS
base station'' and ``WCS station'' interchangeably in the context of
information sharing requirements. It is discernible from a review of
the 2001 Public Notice and 2007 Notice in this proceeding that the
Commission's use of ``base station'' also encompassed fixed stations.
Moreover, the 2010 WCS R&O's use of language directing WCS licensees to
provide information to SDARS licensees regarding their ``deployed
infrastructure'' also demonstrated that the information sharing
obligations are not limited only to base stations used in a mobile
system. Accordingly, it revised Sec. 27.72 to make clear that WCS
licensees must share fixed and base station information with SDARS
licensees. However, it clarified that fixed WCS CPE (i.e., fixed
equipment operated by a WCS subscriber) is not subject to this
requirement. Further, to the extent that WCS licensees have not yet
provided notice for existing fixed stations to SDARS licensees, WCS
licensees must do so no later than 30 days after the effective date of
this Order.
42. Duty to Cooperate and Coordination. Upon review, the Commission
found no basis to revise its requirements regarding WCS licensees' duty
to cooperate. First, it declined to adopt the proposals submitted by
Sirius XM as they were considered when they were initially proposed in
this proceeding and explicitly rejected by the Commission in the 2010
WCS R&O. The Commission found that no further evidence had been
introduced into the record to cause us to reconsider this decision.
Specifically, it rejected as unnecessary the proposals that WCS
licensees provide a schedule of when network facilities will be
transmitting, or make pre-sale devices available to Sirius XM for
inspection. Although it expected the parties to cooperate and take good
faith measures to prevent harmful interference, it decided it must
balance the need for an exchange of useful information against
requiring the disclosure of market sensitive information that is not
reasonably necessary to prevent harmful interference, such as
licensees' proprietary equipment information and business or operating
plans.
43. For these reasons, the Commission also declined to require WCS
licensees to enter into a coordination agreement with Sirius XM with
provisions similar to the June 15, 2012 AT&T/Sirius XM agreement. It
emphasized, however, that cooperation between WCS and SDARS licensees
is critical to the successful coexistence between WCS and SDARS
systems, and encouraged WCS licensees to develop and enter into
separate coordination agreements with SDARS licensees for interference
mitigation. The Commission therefore revised Sec. 27.72 to incorporate
the AT&T/Sirius XM proposed language encouraging the adoption of
coordination agreements by WCS and SDARS. To the extent any provision
of a coordination agreement between parties to mutually resolve harmful
interference conflicts with other information sharing requirements
adopted in this proceeding, the parties are obligated to follow the
procedures established under the agreement.
44. The Commission also did not require that a clearinghouse or
single point of contact be created to provide information from WCS
licensees to Sirius XM. It agreed with the WCS Coalition that
interference issues are best handled directly by the entities operating
the networks and that an obligatory intermediary will add an
unnecessary step into the process. Similarly, the Commission concluded
that de facto spectrum transfer lessees already assume the notification
and interference obligations pursuant to our
[[Page 9613]]
secondary markets rules and policies. However, if the number of WCS
providers increases dramatically, the Commission may reevaluate whether
the burden to SDARS of coordinating with multiple providers offsets the
inefficiency of introducing a third party into the process.
45. Although the Commission did not mandate how information should
be exchanged between WCS and SDARS licensees, it expected that
licensees would coordinate to ensure the seamless and successful
exchange of information. WCS and SDARS licensees are able to enter into
agreements, as discussed above, regarding the logistics of information
exchanges, and the Commission encouraged parties to implement measures
to streamline the process to the extent possible.
H. Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry and Deep Space Network Coordination
46. Upon further review, the Commission found it necessary to
reconsider and clarify the role of ITU-R M.1459 in the coordination of
WCS and AMT facilities to promote and bring certainty to the
coordination process. It required WCS and AMT entities, using accepted
engineering practices, to apply ITU-R M.1459, as adapted to local
conditions and operating characteristics of both WCS and AMT systems,
in coordinating their stations, and thus modified rule Sec. 27.73(a)
accordingly.
47. Recommendation ITU-R M.1459 sets forth the recommended
framework for co-channel sharing between AMT and mobile satellite
services operations, but is not specific to WCS terrestrial operations.
Although the 2010 WCS R&O did not specifically require that the parties
use the interference protection mechanism set forth in the
Recommendation in coordinating AMT and WCS facilities, Sec. 27.73(a)
provides that coordination within 45 km or line of sight of an AMT
facility is necessary to protect AMT receivers ``consistent with
Recommendation ITU-R M.1459.''
48. In referencing the Recommendation in Sec. 27.73(a), the
Commission did not require parties to apply the recommended protection
values found in the Recommendation. The reference to ITU-R M.1459
instead serves as a reference point that WCS licensees and AMT entities
may consider in the course of determining how to coordinate their
systems. In setting out general guidelines in the 2010 WCS R&O and
Sec. 27.73(a), the Commission sought to provide parties with
flexibility to reach agreement on an appropriate mechanism that
provides both adequate protection to AMT facilities while permitting
WCS licensees to operate around such facilities to the greatest extent
possible.
49. The Commission continued to believe that the appropriate
approach to reducing potential interference between WCS base stations
and AMT installations is for the entities, when engaged in a
coordination process, to take into account the local conditions around
applicable AMT sites and specific operating characteristics of the AMT
and WCS facilities. However, given the continued differences in how the
parties view the basis of such coordination, it was concerned that the
parties would be unable to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement
regarding the WCS deployment in a timely manner--an outcome which could
lead to unacceptable delays in the deployment of WCS networks.
Therefore, the Commission found it necessary to provide additional
clarity regarding the WCS/AMT coordination process.
50. Specifically, the Commission required that WCS and AMT entities
take into account interference protection considerations identified in
ITU-R M.1459 as part of the required coordination process. The
Recommendation sets forth extremely conservative baseline protection,
or PFD levels, intended to protect AMT receivers. The Commission
believed that in many cases, the recommended protection criteria would
provide more protection than required, unnecessarily restricting areas
where WCS licensees may provide service. The Recommendation itself
notes that AMT stations have a wide range of characteristics, and that
some facilities may require less stringent protection criteria values
than those contained in ITU-R M.1459. Also, ITU-R M.1459 notes that,
even in the context of co-channel sharing, the calculation used to
derive the protection values represents a worst case scenario. This
notwithstanding, the ITU-R M.1459 PFD levels are based on general
telemetry system characteristics that are applicable in helping to
determine AMT facilities' vulnerability to interference. Moreover,
given the conditions of testing and types of deployments in the AMT
band, there may be circumstances where an AMT facility may require the
level of protection contemplated by ITU-R M.1459. Accordingly, the
Commission required the parties to use the ITU-R M.1459 PFD levels as a
baseline from which to conduct negotiations and interference studies.
51. In doing so, however, the Commission did not intend for parties
to strictly apply the recommended PFD level found in ITU-R M.1459. The
Commission found that strict application of the Recommendation could,
in many cases, lead to over-protection of the AMT receiver, thereby
unnecessarily restricting the ability of the WCS licensee to operate.
Therefore, to determine the appropriate protection level for an AMT
facility, the parties must, using accepted engineering practices,
evaluate local conditions surrounding an AMT receiver as well as the
specific operating characteristics of the applicable AMT and WCS
systems, and determine how the baseline PFD should be adapted and made
less restrictive in light of these factors. The Commission specified
that the local conditions and operating characteristics that the
parties must consider in their analysis include (but are not limited
to): line of sight obstructions (e.g. topography), actual performance
characteristics of the AMT receiver (e.g. antenna gain, power level,
and modulation), types of AMT antennas used, field of view of the AMT
receiver, as well as area of operation of the AMT receiver and the
manner in which telemetry testing is being performed. The Commission
required parties to adapt the baseline protection criteria for AMT,
i.e. the applicable PFD level, in light of these and other factors
applicable to the facility in question. It found that these
requirements would bring greater certainty to the coordination process,
and better enable AMT and WCS entities to reach agreement on measures
that will protect AMT receivers and enable WCS licensees to operate in
the surrounding area to the greatest extent possible.
52. Thus, the Commission declined to remove the reference to ITU-R
M.1459 in Sec. 27.73(a), as the WCS Coalition requested, but clarified
that WCS and AMT entities, using accepted engineering practices, are
required to apply ITU-R M.1459, as adapted to local conditions and
operating characteristics of both WCS and AMT systems, in coordinating
their stations. In addition, as determined in the 2010 WCS R&O, it
clarified in Sec. 27.73(a) that a coordination agreement to protect
existing AMT receivers from WCS base station operations is between the
WCS licensee and AMT entity(ies); Aerospace & Flight Test Radio
Coordinating Council (AFTRCC) will facilitate achievement of a mutually
satisfactory coordination agreement between the WCS licensee and AMT
entity(ies) for AMT receiver sites in existence at the time of the
coordination.
53. AFTRCC also requested, by way of a February 7, 2012 Ex Parte
submission, that the Commission expand Sec. 27.73 to require WCS
licensees to coordinate
[[Page 9614]]
their fixed stations with AMT entities and NASA's DSN facility at
Goldstone, California. Although the WCS Coalition opposed AFTRCC's
request with respect to coordination with AMT entities, AT&T did not
object to AFTRCC's request to include WCS fixed stations with WCS base
stations in the AMT coordination regime. The WCS Coalition argued that
coordination with AMT entities of WCS fixed stations should not be
required since there have not been any reports of harmful interference
to AMT receivers due to WCS fixed stations' operations, while AT&T had
committed to coordinate with AMT entities WCS fixed stations that
operate in the upper WCS bands at 2345-2360 MHz. The National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) supported
coordination of WCS fixed stations that operate in the 2305-2320 MHz
and 2345-2360 MHz bands with NASA and AMT entities, respectively.
54. To alert AMT entities and NASA to the location and operation of
WCS fixed stations that will be deployed within 45 km of AMT receivers
and 145 km of the Goldstone, California DSN facility, we clarify that
the AMT and DSN coordination requirements for WCS licensees apply to
both WCS base and fixed stations (i.e., except fixed WCS CPE). It is
discernible from a review of the 2001 Public Notice and 2007 Notice in
this proceeding that the Commission's use of ``base station'' also
encompassed fixed stations. Moreover, the 2010 WCS R&O's use of
language directing WCS licensees to provide information to SDARS
licensees regarding their ``deployed infrastructure'' also demonstrates
that WCS licensees' information sharing obligations with respect to
SDARS licensees are not limited only to base stations used in a mobile
system. Accordingly, the Commission revised Sec. 27.73 to make clear
that WCS licensees must coordinate 2.3 GHz WCS base and fixed stations
with AMT entities and NASA's DSN facility in Goldstone, CA. However, it
clarified that fixed WCS CPE (i.e., fixed equipment operated by a WCS
subscriber) is not subject to this coordination requirement.
III. Order on Reconsideration in IB Docket No. 95-91
A. Operation of SDARS Terrestrial Repeaters Above 12 Kilowatts Average
EIRP
55. Site-by-Site Licensing. The Commission declined to adopt the
WCS Coalition's suggestions that the Commission clarify the rules
governing site-by-site licensing of terrestrial repeaters by requiring
that SDARS licensees seeking to operate a repeater at a power level
greater than 12 kW average EIRP must request a waiver of the power
limit rule and must serve such applications on all potentially affected
WCS licensees. In the SDARS 2nd R&O, the Commission found that
operation of SDARS repeaters above 12 kW average EIRP serves the public
interest in areas where WCS facilities are not providing commercial
service or such commercial service is not imminent. The Commission's
rules explicitly allow repeater operations at power levels greater than
12 kW average EIRP on a site-by-site licensing basis, until a
potentially affected WCS licensee notifies the SDARS licensee of the
imminent commencement of commercial operations. Thus, the Commission
determined that there was no need for an SDARS applicant to seek a
waiver of the Commission's rules to operate repeaters at power levels
greater than 12 kW average EIRP, because the Commission's rules already
explicitly allow such operations. The Commission's Satellite Division
has authorized the operations of a small number of SDARS repeaters at
power levels above 12 kW average EIRP on delegated authority under a
site-by-site licensing regime, without waiving the 12 kW average EIRP
power limit set forth in Sec. 25.214(d). The Commission has not found
any error in the authorization.
56. The Commission also found in the SDARS 2nd R&O that the public
interest supports authorizing as many SDARS repeaters as possible at
levels of 12 kW average EIRP or less through a blanket licensing
process, rather than at higher power levels through site-by-site
licensing. The Commission reiterated its intent to authorize the vast
majority of SDARS repeaters at power levels at or below 12 kW average
EIRP under a blanket license. In addition, however, it anticipated
authorizing repeaters above 12 kW average EIRP mainly in areas where
WCS licensees do not provide commercial service and do not provide
notice to SDARS licensees of imminent commercial service.
57. The Commission also found that it is unnecessary to require
SDARS applicants to serve applications for site-by-site repeater
authorization on WCS licensees. The Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, and Commission rules generally require 30-days notice to the
public before the Commission can act on any license application. Thus,
parties potentially affected by the proposed operations already have an
adequate opportunity to file comments or petitions to deny in response
to any application to operate SDARS repeaters. The WCS Coalition
provided no evidence why additional notice of proposed SDARS repeaters
operations is necessary, particularly as there is only one SDARS
licensee--Sirius XM--for WCS licensees to monitor.
58. Definition of ``Potentially Affected'' WCS Licensee. The
Commission adopted the alternative definition of a ``potentially
affected WCS licensee'' in Sec. Sec. 25.202(h) and 25.214(d) of the
Commission's rules, which Sirius XM and WCS licensees both supported.
Accordingly, it amended Sec. Sec. 25.202(h)(4) and 25.214(d)(3) to
incorporate a 25 km metric for determining whether a WCS licensee is
``potentially affected'' by a repeater operating above 12 kW EIRP
(average) or with an OOBE attenuation level less than those specified
in Sec. Sec. 25.202(h)(1) and (h)(2)). The Commission recognized in
the SDARS 2nd R&O that the use of major economic areas (MEAs) and
regional economic area groupings (REAGs) may be overbroad in
determining which WCS licensees would be potentially affected by a
particular SDARS repeater for the purposes of Sec. Sec. 25.202(h) and
25.214(d). There was no basis at the time, however, to find that the
proximity-based approach favored by Sirius XM would adequately protect
WCS licensees from harm. The record established since the release of
the SDARS 2nd R&O, as well as the support of both the WCS Coalition and
Sirius XM, provided a basis for adopting a 25 km proximity-based
definition of a ``potentially affected WCS licensee'' for purposes of
Sec. Sec. 25.202(h) and 25.214(d) of the Commission's rules.
59. The Commission did not, however, determine that a blanket
notification issued by a WCS licensee for all locations ``potentially
affected'' by repeater deployments--regardless of the actual predicted
risk of interference--would constitute bad faith, as requested by
Sirius XM. An SDARS licensee is required to change the operating
parameters of repeaters under Sec. Sec. 25.202 and 25.214 only when a
``potentially affected WCS licensee'' notifies it that the WCS licensee
intends to commence commercial service within 365 days. Thus, SDARS
repeater operations will be impacted only if a WCS licensee has either
already commenced commercial service, or when such service is imminent.
The Commission previously stated that this discourages a WCS licensee
from sending notices for all areas in which it has licenses to operate,
regardless of when the licensee actually contemplates service. Although
there may be
[[Page 9615]]
instances where the WCS licensee provides notice of imminent commercial
service but does not commence service within the 365-day period, the
Commission stated that it did not expect bad faith to be the reason for
the delay. It saw no reason to find differently. To the extent that a
WCS licensee may overstate the potential for interference from a
particular SDARS repeater, the Commission did not have reason to find
that bad faith would necessarily be the motivating factor.
B. Operation of Low-Power SDARS Terrestrial Repeaters
60. The Commission agreed that SDARS terrestrial repeaters
operating below 2 W EIRP are unlikely to be sources of interference,
and therefore it is unnecessary to include these low-power devices in
the inventory and notification requirements adopted in the SDARS 2nd
R&O for higher-power devices. Accordingly, it modified Sec. 25.263 to
exempt such devices from the inventory and notification requirements
for SDARS terrestrial repeaters.
C. Notification and Cooperation Requirements
61. The Commission declined to revisit the duty to cooperate
requirement imposed on WCS licensees in Sec. 27.72(e) of the
Commission's rules and maintained the existing language of the rule.
The existing language requires WCS licensees to provide SDARS licensees
with ``as much lead time as practicable to provide ample time to
conduct analyses and opportunity for prudent base station site
selection prior to WCS licensees entering into real estate and tower
leasing or purchasing agreements.'' Although the WCS Coalition argued
that the additional language is unnecessary where the risk of
interference is small, the purpose of the rule itself is to allow
licensees to determine the risk of interference as early as practicable
in the site selection process so that changes can be made if potential
harmful interference is found. Thus, the Commission decided that it
does not serve the purpose of the rule to remove requirements that
allow sufficient time to conduct interference analyses and allow time
to modify the site selection, if necessary.
62. The Commission agreed with the WCS Coalition, however, that the
notice and duty to cooperate obligations between SDARS and WCS
licensees should be parallel. To make the obligations parallel, it
modified the duty to cooperate obligations for SDARS licensees to match
the obligation for WCS licensees. The Commission disagreed with Sirius
XM that the record in this proceeding demonstrates that risks of
interference from WCS stations to SDARS operations are higher than the
risks of interference from SDARS repeaters to WCS operations, and thus
impose a greater duty to cooperate on WCS licensees than on SDARS
licensees. Accordingly, it amended Sec. 25.263(e) to add a requirement
that SDARS licensees should provide WCS licensees as much lead time as
practicable to provide ample time to conduct analyses and opportunity
for prudent repeater site selection prior to SDARS licensees entering
into real estate and tower leasing or purchasing agreements.
63. Because the Commission agreed that the notice and duty to
cooperate obligations between SDARS and WCS licensees should be
parallel, it modified the notice requirements for SDARS repeaters to
permit SDARS licensees to modify existing facilities, other than
changes in location, without prior notice so long as the change does
not increase the predicted PFD at ground level by more than 1 dB and
notice of the modification is provided within 24 hours of deployment.
At the request of WCS licensees, the Commission also adopted this
revision to the notice obligations for WCS licensees. It saw no reason
why a parallel revision should not be made for SDARS repeaters and
amend the notice requirements of Sec. 25.263(b) accordingly. However,
multiple modifications to SDARS terrestrial repeaters could result in a
predicted aggregate PFD increase that may negatively affect WCS
receivers. To avoid such a result, although an SDARS licensee may make
24-hour post-modification notifications as long as the predicted PFD
increase at ground level is not greater than 1 dB, if a WCS licensee
demonstrates to the SDARS licensee that the series of modifications
using post-modification notification procedures may cause harmful
interference to WCS receivers, the SDARS licensee must provide the WCS
licensee with 5-business days notice in advance of additional
modifications to SDARS terrestrial repeaters. However, the 1 dB limit
will not apply where a coordination agreement between the parties
specifies otherwise.
64. In addition, the Commission ordered Sirius XM to provide
potentially affected WCS licensees an inventory of its terrestrial
repeater infrastructure, including the information set forth in Sec.
25.263 for each repeater currently deployed, within 30 days of the
publication of a summary of this Order on Reconsideration in the
Federal Register. It agreed with the WCS Coalition that such a
requirement is consistent with the intent of the SDARS 2nd R&O. For the
purpose of this requirement, the definition of ``potentially affected
WCS licensee'' is the same as that used in Sec. 25.263(b)(1) of the
Commission's rules.
65. Finally, the Commission emphasized that cooperation between
SDARS and WCS licensees is critical to the successful coexistence
between SDARS and WCS systems, and encouraged SDARS licensees to
develop and enter into separate coordination agreements with WCS
licensees for interference mitigation. Therefore, it revised Sec.
25.263(b)(3) to incorporate the AT&T/Sirius XM proposed language
encouraging the adoption of coordination agreements by WCS and SDARS.
To the extent any provision of a coordination agreement between parties
to mutually resolve harmful interference conflicts with other
information sharing requirements adopted in this proceeding, the
parties are obligated to follow the procedures established under the
agreement. The Commission also added a provision to Sec. 25.263(b) to
make clear that SDARS and WCS are able to enter into agreements
regarding the logistics of information exchanges, and it encouraged
parties to implement measures to streamline the process to the extent
possible.
IV. Procedural Matters
A. Supplemental Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis in WT Docket No.
07-293
66. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as
amended (RFA),\1\ Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analyses (IRFAs) were
incorporated in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (2007 Notice) \2\ and
the WCS Performance Public Notice \3\ in WT Docket No. 07-293. The
Commission sought written public comment on the
[[Page 9616]]
proposals in the 2007 Notice and WCS Performance Public Notice,
including comment on the IRFAs. In addition, a Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) was incorporated in the Report and Order in
WT Docket No. 07-293 (2010 WCS R&O).\4\ This present Supplemental Final
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (Supplemental FRFA) for the Order on
Reconsideration conforms to the RFA.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See 5 U.S.C. 603. The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. 601--612, has been
amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996 (SBREFA), Public Law 104-121, Title II, 110 Stat. 857 (1996).
\2\ See Amendment of part 27 of the Commission's Rules to Govern
the Operation of Wireless Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz
Band and Establishment of Rules and Policies for the Digital Audio
Radio Satellite Service in the 2310-2360 MHz Frequency Band, Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking and Second Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, WT Docket No. 07-293 and IB Docket No. 95-91, 73 FR 2437
(January 15, 2008) (``2007 Notice'').
\3\ See ``Federal Communications Commission Requests Comment on
Revision of Performance Requirements for 2.3 GHz Wireless
Communications Service,'' WT Docket No. 07-293, Public Notice, 75 FR
17349 (April 6, 2010) (``WCS Performance Public Notice'').
\4\ See Amendment of part 27 of the Commission's Rules to Govern
the Operation of Wireless Communications Services in the 2.3 GHz
Band, WT Docket No. 07-293, Establishment of Rules and Policies for
the Digital Audio Radio Satellite Service in the 2310-2360 MHz Band,
IB Docket No. 95-91, GEN Docket No. 90-357, RM-8610, Report and
Order and Second Report and Order, 75 FR 45058 (April 2, 2010)
(``2010 WCS R&O and SDARS 2nd R&O'').
\5\ See 5 U.S.C. 604.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
67. Need for, and Objectives of, the Order on Reconsideration. The
Order on Reconsideration responded to petitions for reconsideration of
the Report and Order adopting service rules for the Wireless
Communications Service (WCS) in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-2360 MHz
bands (2.3 GHz WCS bands). The need for and objectives of the rules
adopted in this Order on Reconsideration are the same as those
discussed in the FRFA for the Report and Order. In the Report and
Order, the Commission took a number of steps to facilitate deployment
of mobile broadband products and services in the 2305-2320 MHz and
2345-2360 MHz Wireless Communications Service (WCS) bands, while
safeguarding from harmful interference satellite radio services, which
are provided in the interstitial 2320-2345 MHz Satellite Digital Radio
Service (SDARS) band. In the 2010 WCS R&O, the Commission adopted
provisions to establish a permanent regulatory framework for the co-
existence of WCS and SDARS operations in the 2305-2360 MHz band while
limiting the WCS's potential to cause harmful interference (i.e.,
interference which seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly
interrupts a radiocommunication service) to other adjacent bands
services. Specifically, the Commission revised certain power and out-
of-band emissions (OOBE) rules applicable to WCS licensees.
68. On reconsideration, the Commission took the following actions:
(1) Established maximum design ground power level targets for WCS base
and fixed station operations to define harmful interference on roadways
and serve as triggers for interference resolution if exceeded and
harmful interference (i.e., muting) to SDARS operations occurs; (2)
eliminated the frequency band restrictions on WCS FDD base station
operations; (3) relax the restrictions on low-power fixed WCS customer
premises equipment (CPE) (average equivalent isotropically radiated
power (EIRP) less than 2 Watts) outdoor and outdoor antenna use under
certain circumstances; (3) eliminated the duty cycle limits for WCS
mobile and portable devices and fixed WCS CPE using FDD technology; (4)
eliminated the power spectral density (PSD) limit for WCS mobile and
portable devices using appropriate uplink protocols (e.g., 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)); (5)
restricted WCS mobile and portable device transmissions in all portions
of WCS Blocks C and D; (6) encouraged WCS licensees to enter into
coordination agreements with SDARS licensees to facilitate efficient
deployment of and coexistence between each service; (7) required
notification of WCS fixed stations to SDARS licensees; (8) require
coordination of WCS fixed stations with aeronautical mobile telemetry
(AMT) entities and NASA's Deep Space Network facility in Goldstone,
California; (9) allowed post notification to SDARS licensees within 24
hours for minor WCS station modifications (other than location changes)
so long as the ground level power flux density is not increased by more
than 1 dB; 10) exclude WCS stations operating under 2 Watts EIRP from
the WCS inventory and notification requirements. The Commission
affirmed its decisions in the 2010 WCS R&O to not establish guard bands
near the SDARS band for fixed WCS CPE. It also affirmed its decision to
prohibit FDD WCS mobile and portable devices from transmitting in the
2345-2360 MHz band, and affirmed the OOBE limits for WCS mobile and
portable devices and duty cycle limit for WCS mobile and portable
devices and fixed WCS CPE using time division duplexing (TDD)
technology adopted in the 2010 WCS R&O. Finally, the Commission
restarted and extended, by six months, the period within which
licensees must satisfy the WCS performance requirements.
69. Summary of Significant Issues Raised by Public Comments in
Response to the IRFA. No comments were received in response to the
IRFAs in the 2007 Notice and the WCS Performance Public Notice.
70. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to
Which the Rules Will Apply. The RFA directs agencies to provide a
description of and, where feasible, an estimate of the number of small
entities that may be affected by the rules adopted. The RFA generally
defines the term ``small entity'' as having the same meaning as the
terms ``small business,'' ``small organization,'' and ``small
governmental jurisdiction.'' In addition, the term ``small business''
has the same meaning as the term ``small business concern'' under the
Small Business Act. A small business concern is one which: (1) Is
independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of
operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the
Small Business Administration (SBA). A small organization is generally
``any not-for-profit enterprise which is independently owned and
operated and is not dominant in its field.'' Below, the Commission
further describes and estimates the number of small entity licensees
and regulatees that may be affected by the rules changes adopted in the
Order on Reconsideration.
71. Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except satellite). This
industry comprises establishments engaged in operating and maintaining
switching and transmission facilities to provide communications via the
airwaves. Establishments in this industry have spectrum licenses and
provide services using that spectrum, such as cellular phone services,
paging services, wireless Internet access, and wireless video services.
The appropriate size standard under SBA rules is for the category
Wireless Telecommunications Carriers. The size standard for that
category is that a business is small if it has 1,500 or fewer
employees. Under the present and prior categories, the SBA has deemed a
wireless business to be small if it has 1,500 or fewer employees. For
this category, census data for 2007 show that there were 11,163 firms
that operated for the entire year. Of this total, 10,791 firms had
employment of 999 or fewer employees and 372 had employment of 1000
employees or more. Thus under this category and the associated small
business size standard, the Commission estimates that the majority of
wireless telecommunications carriers (except satellite) are small
entities that may be affected by our proposed action.
72. WCS Licensees. The Wireless Communication Service in the 2305-
2320 MHz and 2345-2360 MHz frequency bands has flexible rules that
permit licensees in this service to provide fixed, mobile, portable,
and radiolocation services. Licensees are also permitted to provide
satellite digital audio radio services. The SBA rules establish a size
standard for ``Wireless Telecommunications Carriers,'' which
encompasses business entities engaged in radiotelephone communications
employing no more
[[Page 9617]]
than 1,500 persons. There are currently 155 active WCS licenses held by
10 licensees. Of these, 7 licensees qualify as small entities and hold
a total of 50 licenses.
73. Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications
Equipment Manufacturing. The Census Bureau defines this category as
follows: ``This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing radio and television broadcast and wireless
communications equipment. Examples of products made by these
establishments are: transmitting and receiving antennas, cable
television equipment, GPS equipment, pagers, cellular phones, mobile
communications equipment, and radio and television studio and
broadcasting equipment.'' The SBA has developed a small business size
standard for Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless
Communications Equipment Manufacturing, which is: all such firms having
750 or fewer employees. According to Census Bureau data for 2007, there
were a total of 939 establishments in this category that operated for
part or all of the entire year. According to Census bureau data for
2007, there were a total of 939 firms in this category that operated
for the entire year. Of this total, 912 had less than 500 employees and
17 had more than 1,000 employees. Thus, under that size standard, the
majority of firms can be considered small.
74. Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing. The SBA has classified
the manufacturing of audio and video equipment under in NAICS Codes
classification scheme as an industry in which a manufacturer is small
if it has less than 750 employees. Data contained in the 2007 U.S.
Census indicate that 491 establishments operated in that industry for
all or part of that year. In that year, 456 establishments had 99
employees or less; and 35 had more than 100 employees. Thus, under the
applicable size standard, a majority of manufacturers of audio and
video equipment may be considered small.
75. Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other
Compliance Requirements for Small Entities. The Order on
Reconsideration imposed certain changes in projected reporting, record
keeping, and other compliance requirements. These changes affect small
and large companies equally. With respect to coordination requirements
in circumstances where WCS licensees are within certain distances from
aeronautical mobile telemetry (AMT) and the Deep Space Network (DSN)
operations in Goldstone, CA, the Order on Reconsideration clarifies
that WCS licensees are required to coordinate WCS base and fixed
stations (except fixed WCS CPE) with AMT and DSN entities. WCS, AMT,
and DSN entities are required to cooperate in good faith in order to
minimize the likelihood of harmful interference, make the most
effective use of facilities, as well as to resolve actual instances of
harmful interference. Coordinating parties are also required to share
accurate and relevant information in a timely and efficient manner.
Parties unable to reach a mutually acceptable coordination agreement
may approach the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, which, in
cooperation with the Office of Engineering and Technology and the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), may
impose restrictions on operating parameters such as the transmitter
power, antenna height, or area or hours of operation of the stations.
Deadlines may also be imposed if it appears that parties are unable to
reach a mutually acceptable arrangement within a reasonable time
period.
76. In the 2010 WCS R&O, the Commission also required WCS and SDARS
licensees to share certain technical information at least 10 business
days before operating a new base station or repeater, and at least five
business days before modifying an existing facility. The Order on
Reconsideration excludes WCS stations operating under 2 Watts
equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) from the inventory and
notification requirements. It also requires WCS licensees to notify
SDARS licensees within 24 hours of station modifications that would not
increase the predicted ground level power flux density by more than 1
dB. To avoid multiple modifications to WCS stations that could result
in a predicted aggregate PFD increase that may negatively affect SDARS
receivers, although WCS licensees may make 24 hour post modification
notifications as long as the predicted PFD increase at ground level is
not greater than 1 dB, if an SDARS licensee demonstrates to the WCS
licensee that the series of modifications using post-modification
notification procedures may cause harmful interference to SDARS
receivers, the WCS licensee must provide the SDARS licensee with 5 days
notice in advance of additional modifications to WCS base and fixed
stations. However, the 1 dB limit will not apply where a coordination
agreement between the parties specifies otherwise. The Order on
Reconsideration also clarified that the WCS licensee inventory and
SDARS licensee notification requirements apply to both WCS base and
fixed stations (except fixed WCS CPE).
77. The 2010 WCS R&O requires that WCS licensees demonstrate
compliance with any revised performance requirements by filing a
construction notification within 15 days of the relevant benchmark and
certifying that they have met the applicable performance requirements.
The 2010 WCS R&O requires that each construction notification should
include electronic coverage maps and supporting documentation, which
must be truthful and accurate and must not omit material information
that is necessary for the Commission to determine compliance with its
performance requirements. Further, the electronic coverage maps must
clearly and accurately depict the boundaries of each license area
(Regional Economic Area Grouping, REAG, or Major Economic Area, MEA) in
the licensee's service territory, with REAG maps depicting MEA
boundaries, and MEA maps depicting Economic Area boundaries. The 2010
WCS R&O provides that if the licensee's signal does not provide service
to the entire license area, the map must clearly and accurately depict
the boundaries of the area or areas within each license area not being
served. These procedures direct each licensee to file supporting
documentation certifying the type of service it is providing for each
REAG or MEA within its license service territory and the type of
technology it is utilizing to provide such service. Further, the
compliance procedures require the supporting documentation to provide
the assumptions used to create the coverage maps, including the
propagation model and the signal strength necessary to provide service
with the licensee's technology. The Order on Reconsideration did not
modify any of these requirements.
78. Steps Taken to Minimize Significant Economic Impact on Small
Entities, and Significant Alternatives Considered. The RFA requires an
agency to describe any significant alternatives that it has considered
in reaching its proposed approach, which may include the following four
alternatives: (1) The establishment of differing compliance or
reporting requirements or timetables that take into account the
resources available to small entities; (2) the clarification,
consolidation, or simplification of compliance or reporting
requirements under the rule for small entities; (3) the use of
performance, rather than design
[[Page 9618]]
standards; and (4) an exemption from coverage of the rule, or any part
thereof, for small entities.
79. The Commission's principal objective in this proceeding was to
enable the provision of promising mobile broadband services to the
public in the WCS spectrum to the maximum extent practicable, while
ensuring that satellite radio operations are not unreasonably impacted
by the Commission's actions. Adopting overly stringent technical rules
for WCS to protect SDARS operations from interference would preclude
WCS mobile operation, while liberalizing the WCS rules too much would
result in harmful interference and disruption to SDARS service. Such
results would cause significant adverse economic impact on either WCS
licensees, which include small entities, or on SDARS operations.
Accordingly, the Commission considered various alternatives, in order
to best provide WCS licensees, including small-entity WCS licensees,
with the flexibility to provide mobile service, while also protecting
against disruptions to SDARS operations due to harmful interference.
80. The Order on Reconsideration adopted a package of compromise
proposals from WCS licensee AT&T Inc. and SDARS operator Sirius XM
Radio Inc. that were designed to facilitate the efficient deployment
and coexistence of the WCS and SDARS and protect adjacent SDARS
operator Sirius XM Radio Inc. and AMT users, and nearby DSN operations,
from harmful interference.
81. WCS Mobile and Portable (Handheld) Device Power Spectral
Density (PSD) Limits. The Order on Reconsideration eliminated the 50
milliwatt per megahertz PSD limit for WCS mobile and portable devices
that operate with bandwidths greater than or equal to 5 megahertz and
using appropriate uplink (user device to base station) transmission
technologies. Because the uplink (user device to base station)
transmission technologies being considered for mobile broadband service
in the WCS spectrum spread the signal power across the available
bandwidth, eliminating the PSD limit for these devices will not
increase the potential for harmful interference to SDARS receivers. In
addition, without a PSD limit for WCS mobile devices, WCS licensees
will not be forced to increase the number of cell sites (i.e., base
stations installed) to ensure adequate service, which would make it
economically unfeasible to deploy a WCS mobile network.
82. WCS Performance Requirements. Further, in the 2010 WCS R&O, the
Commission adopted revised performance requirements for WCS. The
Commission adopted enhanced construction rules that replaced the
substantial service requirement previously placed on WCS licensees with
specific population-based benchmarks. In recognition of difficulties
that may arise in license areas where WCS licensees must coordinate
their facilities with AMT receive sites, the 2010 WCS R&O reduced the
level of construction required in such markets. The Commission sought
to establish a buildout requirement that is reasonable and achievable
for WCS licensees, including small entities, but which encourages rapid
and meaningful deployment of mobile broadband services. The Commission
considered alternative performance benchmarks, including requirements
using shorter timeframes, and lower percentages of required
construction. However, the Commission concluded that other alternatives
would not strike the appropriate balance. Further, with respect to the
performance rules, all WCS entities are required to file construction
notifications to inform the Commission that they have successfully met
the performance requirements described above. The Order on
Reconsideration extended the time period within which licensees must
meet the WCS interim and final performance requirements to 48- and 78-
months, respectively. Further, because certain technical specifications
established in the 2010 WCS R&O may have inadvertently hindered the
ability of licensees to deploy mobile broadband services, the Order on
Reconsideration restarted the construction periods to provide WCS
licensees with the full 48- and 78 month construction timeframes to
enable licensees to respond to the revisions the Commission made to the
2.3 GHz WCS rules.
83. Report to Congress. The Commission will send a copy of the
Order on Reconsideration, including this Supplemental FRFA, in a report
to be sent to Congress pursuant to the Congressional Review Act. In
addition, the Commission will send a copy of the Order on
Reconsideration, including this Supplemental FRFA, to the Chief Counsel
for Advocacy of the SBA.
B. Supplemental Final Regulatory Certification in IB Docket No. 95-91
84. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA)
requires that a regulatory flexibility analysis be prepared for
rulemaking proceedings, unless the agency certifies that ``the rule
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of
small entities.'' The RFA generally defines ``small entity'' as having
the same meaning as the terms ``small business,'' ``small
organization,'' and ``small governmental jurisdiction.'' In addition,
the term ``small business'' has the same meaning as the term ``small
business concern'' under the Small Business Act. A small business
concern is one which: (1) Is independently owned and operated; (2) is
not dominant in its field of operation; and (3) satisfies any
additional criteria established by the Small Business Administration
(SBA).
85. The rules adopted in this Order on Reconsideration affect
providers of Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS). With
respect to providers of SDARS, i.e. providers of a nationally
distributed subscription radio service, no small entities are affected
by the rules adopted in this Order on Reconsideration. SDARS is a
satellite service. The SBA has established a size standard for
``Satellite Telecommunications,'' which is that any large satellite
services provider must have an annual revenue of $15.0 million.
Currently, only a single operator, Sirius XM Radio Inc. (``Sirius
XM''), holds licenses to provide SDARS, which requires a great
investment of capital for operation. Sirius XM has annual revenues in
excess of $15.0 million. Because SDARS requires significant capital, we
believe it is unlikely that a small entity as defined by the Small
Business Administration would have the financial wherewithal to become
an SDARS licensee.
86. Therefore, since only one large entity is affected by the rules
adopted in this Order on Reconsideration, we certify that the
requirements of the Order on Reconsideration will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The Commission will send a copy of the Order on Reconsideration,
including a copy of this final certification, in a report to Congress
pursuant to the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A). In addition, the Order on
Reconsideration and this certification will be sent to the Chief
Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, and will be
published in the Federal Register. See 5 U.S.C. 605(b).
C. Congressional Review Act
87. The Commission will send a copy of this Order on
Reconsideration in a report to be sent to Congress and the Government
Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, see 5
U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
[[Page 9619]]
V. Ordering Clauses
88. Pursuant to Sec. Sec. 4(i), 7(a), 303(c), 303(f), 303(g), and
303(r), and 307 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47
U.S.C. 154(i), 157(a), 303(c), 303(f), 303(g), 303(r), 307, the Order
on Reconsideration in WT Docket No. 07-293 and IB Docket No. 95-91 is
hereby adopted.
89. The rule revisions adopted herein will become effective March
13, 2013, except for Sec. Sec. 25.263(b), 27.72(b), and 27.73(a),
which contain new or modified information collection requirements that
require approval by the Office of Management and Budget under the
Paperwork Reduction Act and will become effective after the Commission
publishes a notice in the Federal Register announcing approval of the
effective date.
90. ARRL's Petition for Clarification or Partial Reconsideration,
filed September 1, 2010, is granted in part and denied in part, to the
extent provided herein.
91. AT&T, Inc.'s Petition for Partial Reconsideration, filed
September 1, 2010, is granted in part and denied in part, to the extent
provided herein.
92. Sirius XM's Petition for Partial Reconsideration and
Clarification, filed September 1, 2010, is granted in part and denied
in part, to the extent provided herein.
93. Stratos' Petition for Clarification, filed September 1, 2010,
IS GRANTED, to the extent provided herein.
94. WCS Coalition's Petition for Partial Reconsideration, filed
September 1, 2010, is granted in part and denied in part, to the extent
provided herein.
95. WCS licensees are hereby directed to provide Sirius XM with an
inventory of their fixed (except fixed Customer Premises Equipment)
station infrastructure within March 13, 2013, of this Order on
Reconsideration in the Federal Register.
96. Sirius XM is hereby directed to provide potentially affected
WCS licensees with an inventory of its terrestrial repeater
infrastructure, including the information set forth in Sec.
25.263(c)(2) for each repeater currently deployed, within March 13,
2013, of this Order on Reconsideration in the Federal Register.
97. The performance periods for licensees in the Wireless
Communications Service are hereby reset and will recommence beginning
30 days after a summary of the Order on Reconsideration is published in
the Federal Register.
98. Pursuant to Sec. Sec. 4(i) and 308 of the Communications Act
of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 154, 308, and Sec. 1.946 of the Commission's rules,
47 CFR 1.946, that to obtain a renewal expectancy at their July 21,
2017 renewal deadline, each 2.3 GHz Wireless Communications Service
licensee must certify, for each license area, that they have
maintained, or exceeded, the level of coverage demonstrated for that
license area at the 48-month construction deadline. This certification
requirement and renewal standard are subject to any superseding or
additional requirements or standards that the Commission may adopt in
its ongoing rulemaking proceeding to harmonize the renewal requirements
and standards for Wireless Radio Services, WT Docket No. 10-112.
99. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference
Information Center, shall send a copy of this Order on Reconsideration,
including the Supplemental Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis and
the Supplemental Final Regulatory Flexibility Certification, to the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.
100. The Commission SHALL SEND a copy of this Order on
Reconsideration, including the Supplemental Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis and Supplemental Final Regulatory Flexibility
Certification, in a report to be sent to Congress and the Government
Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, see 5
U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
List of Subjects
47 CFR Part 25
Communications common carriers, Communications equipment, Radio,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Satellites,
Telecommunications.
47 CFR Part 27
Communications common carriers, Communications equipment,
Incorporation by reference, Radio, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Federal Communications Commission.
Gloria J. Miles,
Federal Register Liaison.
Rule Changes
For the reasons discussed, the Federal Communications Commission
amends 47 CFR parts 25 and 27 as follows:
PART 25--SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
0
1. The authority citation for part 25 is revised to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 701-744. Interprets or applies sections 4,
301, 302, 303, 307, 309, and 332 of the Communications Act, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302a, 303, 307, 309, and 332, unless
otherwise noted.
0
2. Section 25.202 is amended by revising paragraph (h)(4) introductory
text to read as follows:
Sec. 25.202 Frequencies, frequency tolerance, and emission
limitations.
* * * * *
(h)* * *
(4) For the purpose of this section, a WCS licensee is potentially
affected if it is authorized to operate a base station in the 2305-2315
MHz or 2350-2360 MHz bands within 25 kilometers of a repeater seeking
to operate with an out of band emission attenuation factor less than
those prescribed in paragraphs (h)(1) or (2) of this section.
* * * * *
0
3. Section 25.214 is amended by revising paragraph (d)(3) to read as
follows:
Sec. 25.214 Technical requirements for space stations in the
satellite digital audio radio service and associated terrestrial
repeaters.
* * * * *
(d)* * *
(3) For the purpose of this section, a WCS licensee is potentially
affected if it is authorized to operate a base station in the 2305-2315
MHz or 2350-2360 MHz bands within 25 kilometers of a repeater seeking
to operate with a power level greater than that prescribed in paragraph
(d)(1) of this section.
0
4. Section 25.263 is amended by revising the first sentence of
paragraph (b) introductory text, revising paragraph (b)(1)(ii), adding
paragraphs (b)(3) through (6), and revising paragraph (e) to read as
follows:
Sec. 25.263 Information sharing requirements for SDARS terrestrial
repeater operators.
* * * * *
(b) Notice requirements. SDARS licensees that intend to operate a
new terrestrial repeater must, before commencing such operation,
provide 10 business days prior notice to all potentially affected
Wireless Communications Service (WCS) licensees. * * *
(1) * * *
(ii) Is authorized to operate base station in the 2315-2320 MHz or
2345-2350 MHz bands in the same Regional Economic Area Grouping (REAG)
as that in which the terrestrial repeater is to be located;
* * * * *
(3) For modifications other than changes in location, a licensee
may provide notice within 24 hours after the modified operation if the
modification does not result in a predicted increase
[[Page 9620]]
of the power flux density (PFD) at ground level by more than 1 dB since
the last advance notice was given. If a demonstration is made by the
WCS licensee that such modifications may cause harmful interference to
WCS receivers, SDARS licensees will be required to provide notice 5
business days in advance of additional repeater modifications.
(4) SDARS repeaters operating below 2 watts equivalent
isotropically radiated power (EIRP) are exempt from the notice
requirements set forth in this paragraph.
(5) SDARS licensees are encouraged to develop separate coordination
agreements with WCS licensees to facilitate efficient deployment of and
coexistence between each service. To the extent the provisions of any
such coordination agreement conflict with the requirements set forth
herein, the procedures established under a coordination agreement will
control. SDARS licensees must maintain a copy of any coordination
agreement with a WCS license in their station files and disclose it to
prospective assignees, transferees, or spectrum lessees and, upon
request, to the Commission.
(6) SDARS and WCS licensees may enter into agreements regarding
alternative notification procedures.
* * * * *
(e) Duty to cooperate. SDARS licensees must cooperate in good faith
in the selection and use of new repeater sites to reduce interference
and make the most effective use of the authorized facilities. SDARS
licensees should provide WCS licensees as much lead time as practicable
to provide ample time to conduct analyses and opportunity for prudent
repeater site selection prior to SDARS licensees entering into real
estate and tower leasing or purchasing agreements. Licensees of
stations suffering or causing harmful interference must cooperate in
good faith and resolve such problems by mutually satisfactory
arrangements. If the licensees are unable to do so, the International
Bureau, in consultation with the Office of Engineering and Technology
and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, will consider the actions
taken by the parties to mitigate the risk of and remedy any alleged
interference. In determining the appropriate action, the Bureau will
take into account the nature and extent of the interference and act
promptly to remedy the interference. The Bureau may impose restrictions
on SDARS licensees, including specifying the transmitter power, antenna
height, or other technical or operational measures to remedy the
interference, and will take into account previous measures by the
licensees to mitigate the risk of interference.
PART 27--MISCELLANEOUS WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
0
5. The authority citation for part 27 is revised to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302a, 303, 307, 309, 332, 336,
and 337, unless otherwise noted.
0
6. Section 27.14 is amended by revising paragraphs (p)(1), (2), (3),
and (5) to read as follows:
Sec. 27.14 Construction requirements; Criteria for renewal.
* * * * *
(p) * * *
(1) For mobile and point-to-multipoint systems in Blocks A and B,
and point-to-multipoint systems in Blocks C and D, a licensee must
provide reliable signal coverage and offer service to at least 40
percent of the license area's population by March 13, 2017, and to at
least 75 percent of the license area's population by September 13,
2019. If, when filing the construction notification required under
Sec. 1.946(d) of this chapter, a WCS licensee demonstrates that 25
percent or more of the license area's population for Block A, B or D is
within a coordination zone as defined by Sec. 27.73(a) of the rules,
the foregoing population benchmarks are reduced to 25 and 50 percent,
respectively. The percentage of a license area's population within a
coordination zone equals the sum of the Census Block Centroid
Populations within the area, divided by the license area's total
population.
(2) For point-to-point fixed systems, except those deployed in the
Gulf of Mexico license area, a licensee must construct and operate a
minimum of 15 point-to-point links per million persons (one link per
67,000 persons) in a license area by March 13, 2017, and 30 point-to-
point links per million persons (one link per 33,500 persons) in a
licensed area by September 13, 2019. The exact link requirement is
calculated by dividing a license area's total population by 67,000 and
33,500 for the respective milestones, and then rounding upwards to the
next whole number. For a link to be counted towards these benchmarks,
both of its endpoints must be located in the license area. If only one
endpoint of a link is located in a license area, it can be counted as a
one- half link towards the benchmarks.
(3) For point-to-point fixed systems deployed on any spectrum block
in the Gulf of Mexico license area, a licensee must construct and
operate a minimum of 15 point-to-point links by March 13, 2017, and a
minimum of 15 point-to-point links by September 13, 2019.
* * * * *
(5) If an initial authorization for a license area is granted after
March 13, 2013, then the applicable benchmarks in paragraphs (p)(1),
(2) and (3) of this section must be met within 48 and 78 months,
respectively, of the initial authorization grant date.
* * * * *
0
7. Section 27.50 is amended by removing paragraph (a)(1)(iii) and
revising paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) to read as follows:
Sec. 27.50 Power limits and duty cycle.
(a) * * *
(2) Fixed customer premises equipment stations. For fixed customer
premises equipment (CPE) stations transmitting in the 2305-2320 MHz
band or in the 2345-2360 MHz band, the peak EIRP must not exceed 20
watts within any 5 megahertz of authorized bandwidth. Fixed CPE
stations transmitting in the 2305-2320 MHz band or in the 2345-2360 MHz
band must employ automatic transmit power control when operating so the
stations operate with the minimum power necessary for successful
communications. The use of outdoor antennas for CPE stations or outdoor
CPE station installations operating with 2 watts per 5 megahertz or
less average EIRP using the stepped emissions mask prescribed in Sec.
27.53(a)(3) is prohibited except if professionally installed in
locations removed by 20 meters from roadways or in locations where it
can be shown that the ground power level of -44 dBm in the A or B
blocks or -55 dBm in the C or D blocks will not be exceeded at the
nearest road location. The use of outdoor antennas for fixed CPE
stations operating with 2 watts per 5 megahertz or less average EIRP
and the emissions mask prescribed in Sec. 27.53(a)(1)(i) through (iii)
is permitted in all locations. For fixed WCS CPE using TDD technology,
the duty cycle must not exceed 38 percent;
(3) Mobile and portable stations. (i) For mobile and portable
stations transmitting in the 2305-2315 MHz band or the 2350-2360 MHz
band, the average EIRP must not exceed 50 milliwatts within any 1
megahertz of authorized bandwidth, except that for mobile and portable
stations compliant with 3GPP LTE standards or another advanced mobile
broadband protocol that avoids concentrating energy at the edge of the
operating band the average
[[Page 9621]]
EIRP must not exceed 250 milliwatts within any 5 megahertz of
authorized bandwidth but may exceed 50 milliwatts within any 1
megahertz of authorized bandwidth. For mobile and portable stations
using time division duplexing (TDD) technology, the duty cycle must not
exceed 38 percent in the 2305-2315 MHz and 2350-2360 MHz bands. Mobile
and portable stations using FDD technology are restricted to
transmitting in the 2305-2315 MHz band. Power averaging shall not
include intervals in which the transmitter is off.
(ii) Mobile and portable stations are not permitted to transmit in
the 2315-2320 MHz and 2345-2350 MHz bands.
(iii) Automatic transmit power control. Mobile and portable
stations transmitting in the 2305-2315 MHz band or in the 2350-2360 MHz
band must employ automatic transmit power control when operating so the
stations operate with the minimum power necessary for successful
communications.
(iv) Prohibition on external vehicle-mounted antennas. The use of
external vehicle-mounted antennas for mobile and portable stations
transmitting in the 2305-2315 MHz band or the 2350-2360 MHz band is
prohibited.
* * * * *
0
8. Section 27.53 is amended by revising paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through
(iii), (a)(2)(i) through (iii), and (a)(3) through (5) to read as
follows:
Sec. 27.53 Emission limits.
(a) * * *
(1) * * *
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2305 and 2320 MHz and on all frequencies between
2345 and 2360 MHz that are outside the licensed band(s) of operation,
and not less than 75 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2320
and 2345 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2300 and 2305 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2287.5 and 2300 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2285 and 2287.5 MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB below
2285 MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2360 and 2362.5 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2362.5 and 2365 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2365 and 2367.5 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2367.5 and 2370 MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB above
2370 MHz.
(2) * * *
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2305 and 2320 MHz and on all frequencies between
2345 and 2360 MHz that are outside the licensed band(s) of operation,
and not less than 75 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2320
and 2345 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2300 and 2305 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2287.5 and 2300 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2285 and 2287.5 MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB below
2285 MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2360 and 2362.5 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2362.5 and 2365 MHz, 70 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2365 and 2367.5 MHz, 72 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2367.5 and 2370 MHz, and 75 + 10 log (P) dB above
2370 MHz.
(3) For fixed CPE stations operating in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-
2360 MHz bands transmitting with 2 watts per 5 megahertz average EIRP
or less:
(i) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2305 and 2320 MHz and on all frequencies between
2345 and 2360 MHz that are outside the licensed band(s) of operation,
not less than 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2320 and
2324 MHz and between 2341 and 2345 MHz, not less than 61 + 10 log (P)
dB on all frequencies between 2324 and 2328 MHz and between 2337 and
2341 MHz, and not less than 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies
between 2328 and 2337 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2300 and 2305 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2296 and 2300 MHz, 61 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2292 and 2296 MHz, 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2288 and 2292 MHz, and 70 + 10 log (P) dB below
2288 MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2360 and 2365 MHz, and not less than 70 + 10 log
(P) dB above 2365 MHz.
(4) For mobile and portable stations operating in the 2305-2315 MHz
and 2350-2360 MHz bands:
(i) By a factor of not less than: 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2305 and 2320 MHz and on all frequencies between
2345 and 2360 MHz that are outside the licensed band(s) of operation,
not less than 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2320 and
2324 MHz and on all frequencies between 2341 and 2345 MHz, not less
than 61 + 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2324 and 2328 MHz
and on all frequencies between 2337 and 2341 MHz, and not less than 67
+ 10 log (P) dB on all frequencies between 2328 and 2337 MHz;
(ii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2300 and 2305 MHz, 55 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2296 and 2300 MHz, 61 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2292 and 2296 MHz, 67 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2288 and 2292 MHz, and 70 + 10 log (P) dB below
2288 MHz;
(iii) By a factor of not less than 43 + 10 log (P) dB on all
frequencies between 2360 and 2365 MHz, and not less than 70 + 10 log
(P) dB above 2365 MHz.
(5) Measurement procedure. Compliance with these rules is based on
the use of measurement instrumentation employing a resolution bandwidth
of 1 MHz or greater. However, in the 1 MHz bands immediately outside
and adjacent to the channel blocks at 2305, 2310, 2315, 2320, 2345,
2350, 2355, and 2360 MHz, a resolution bandwidth of at least 1 percent
of the emission bandwidth of the fundamental emission of the
transmitter may be employed. A narrower resolution bandwidth is
permitted in all cases to improve measurement accuracy provided the
measured power is integrated over the full required measurement
bandwidth (i.e., 1 MHz). The emission bandwidth is defined as the width
of the signal between two points, one below the carrier center
frequency and one above the carrier center frequency, outside of which
all emissions are attenuated at least 26 dB below the transmitter
power.
* * * * *
0
9. Section 27.64 is amended by adding paragraph (d) to read as follows:
Sec. 27.64 Protection from interference.
* * *
(d) Harmful interference to SDARS operations requiring resolution.
The following conditions will be presumed to constitute harmful
interference to SDARS operations from WCS operations in the 2305-2320
MHz and 2345-2360 MHz bands and require WCS operators to work
cooperatively with SDARS operators to address areas where such power
levels are exceeded and harmful interference occurs:
(1) A WCS ground signal level greater than -44 dBm in the upper or
lower A or B block, or -55 dBm in the C or D block, present at a
location on a roadway, where a test demonstrates that
[[Page 9622]]
SDARS service would be muted over a road distance of greater than 50
meters; or
(2) A WCS ground signal level exceeding -44 dBm in the upper or
lower A or B block, or -55 dBm in the C or D block on a test drive
route, which is mutually agreed upon by the WCS licensee and the SDARS
licensee, for more than 1 percent of the cumulative surface road
distance on that drive route, where a test demonstrates that SDARS
service would be muted over a cumulative road distance of greater than
0.5 percent (incremental to any muting present prior to use of WCS
frequencies in the area of that drive test).
0
10. Section 27.72 is amended by revising the introductory text,
paragraphs (a), (b), (c)(2)(i), (c)(3), and (e) to read as follows:
Sec. 27.72 Information sharing requirements.
This section requires WCS licensees in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-
2360 MHz bands to share information regarding the location and
operation of base and fixed stations (except fixed customer premises
equipment) with Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) licensees
in the 2320-2345 MHz band. Section 25.263 of this chapter requires
SDARS licensees in the 2320-2345 MHz band to share information
regarding the location and operation of terrestrial repeaters with WCS
licensees in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-2360 MHz bands. WCS licensees
are encouraged to develop separate coordination agreements with SDARS
licensees to facilitate efficient deployment of and coexistence between
each service. To the extent the provisions of any such coordination
agreement conflict with the requirements set forth herein, the
procedures established under a coordination agreement will control. WCS
licensees must maintain a copy of any coordination agreement with an
SDARS licensee in their station files and disclose it to prospective
assignees, transferees, or spectrum lessees and, upon request, to the
Commission.
(a) Sites and frequency selections. WCS licensees must select base
and fixed station sites and frequencies, to the extent practicable, to
minimize the possibility of harmful interference to operations in the
SDARS 2320-2345 MHz band.
(b) Prior notice periods. WCS licensees that intend to operate a
base or fixed station must, before commencing such operation, provide
10 business days prior notice to all SDARS licensees. WCS licensees
that intend to modify an existing station must, before commencing such
modified operation, provide 5 business days prior notice to all SDARS
licensees. For the purposes of this section, a business day is defined
by Sec. 1.4(e)(2) of this chapter.
(1) For modifications other than changes in location, a licensee
may provide notice within 24 hours after the modified operation if the
modification does not result in a predicted increase of the power flux
density (PFD) at ground level by more than 1 dB since the last advance
notice was given. If a demonstration is made by the SDARS licensee that
such modifications may cause harmful interference to SDARS receivers,
WCS licensees will be required to provide notice 5 business days in
advance of additional station modifications.
(2) WCS base and fixed stations operating below 2 watts equivalent
isotropically radiated power (EIRP) are exempt from the notice
requirements set forth in this paragraph.
(3) WCS and SDARS licensees may enter into agreements regarding
alternative notification procedures.
(c) * * *
(2) * * *
(i) The coordinates of the proposed base or fixed stations to an
accuracy of no less than 1 second latitude and longitude;
* * * * *
(3) A WCS licensee operating base or fixed stations must maintain
an accurate and up-to-date inventory of its stations, including the
information set forth in Sec. 27.72(c)(2), which shall be available
upon request by the Commission.
* * * * *
(e) Duty to cooperate. WCS licensees must cooperate in good faith
in the selection and use of new station sites and new frequencies to
reduce interference and make the most effective use of the authorized
facilities. WCS licensees should provide SDARS licensees as much lead
time as practicable to provide ample time to conduct analyses and
opportunity for prudent base station site selection prior to WCS
licensees entering into real estate and tower leasing or purchasing
agreements. WCS licensees must have sufficient operational flexibility
in their network design to implement one or more technical solutions to
remedy harmful interference. Licensees of stations suffering or causing
harmful interference, as defined in Sec. 27.64(d), must cooperate in
good faith and resolve such problems by mutually satisfactory
arrangements. If the licensees are unable to do so, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau, in consultation with the Office of
Engineering and Technology and the International Bureau, will consider
the actions taken by the parties to mitigate the risk of and remedy any
alleged interference. In determining the appropriate action, the Bureau
will take into account the nature and extent of the interference and
act promptly to remedy the interference. The Bureau may impose
restrictions on WCS licensees, including specifying the transmitter
power, antenna height, or other technical or operational measures to
remedy the interference, and will take into account previous measures
by the licensees to mitigate the risk of interference.
0
11. Section 27.73 is amended by revising the introductory text and
paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) to read as follows:
Sec. 27.73 WCS, AMT, and Goldstone coordination requirements.
This section requires Wireless Communications Services (WCS)
licensees in the 2305-2320 MHz and 2345-2360 MHz bands, respectively,
to coordinate the deployment of base and fixed stations (except fixed
customer premises equipment) with the Goldstone, CA Deep Space Network
(DSN) facility in the 2290-2300 MHz band and with Aeronautical Mobile
Telemetry (AMT) facilities in the 2360-2395 MHz band; and to take all
practicable steps necessary to minimize the risk of harmful
interference to AMT and DSN facilities.
(a) WCS licensees operating base and fixed stations in the 2345-
2360 MHz band must, prior to operation of such stations, achieve a
mutually satisfactory coordination agreement with the AMT entity(ies)
(i.e., FCC licensee(s) and/or Federal operator(s)) for any AMT receiver
facility within 45 kilometers or radio line of sight, whichever
distance is larger, of the intended WCS base or fixed station location.
The coordinator for the assignment of flight test frequencies in the
2360-2390 MHz band, Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordination
Council (AFTRCC) or successors of AFTRCC, will facilitate a mutually
satisfactory coordination agreement between the WCS licensee(s) and AMT
entity(ies) for existing AMT receiver sites. The locations of current
Federal and non-Federal AMT receiver sites may be obtained from AFTRCC
at Post Office Box 12822 Wichita, KS 67277-2822, (316) 946-8826, or
successor frequency coordinators of AFTRCC. Such coordination agreement
shall provide protection to existing AMT receiver stations consistent
with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Recommendation ITU-R
M.1459, ``Protection criteria for telemetry
[[Page 9623]]
systems in the aeronautical mobile service and mitigation techniques to
facilitate sharing with geostationary broadcasting-satellite and
mobile-satellite services in the frequency bands 1 452-1 525 MHz and 2
310-2 360 MHz May 2000 edition,'' adopted May 2000, as adjusted using
generally accepted engineering practices and standards to take into
account the local conditions and operating characteristics of the
applicable AMT and WCS facilities. This ITU document is incorporated by
reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51 and
approved by the Director of Federal Register. Copies of the
recommendation may be obtained from ITU, Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva
20, Switzerland, or online at https://www.itu.int/en/publications/Pages/default.aspx. You may inspect a copy at the Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554, or at the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on
the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to:
https://www/archives.gov/federal_ register/code--of--federal--
regulations/ibr--locations.html.
(b) WCS licensees operating base and fixed stations in the 2305-
2320 MHz band must, prior to operation of such stations, achieve a
mutually satisfactory coordination agreement with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) within 145 kilometers of
the Goldstone, CA earth station site (35[deg]25'33'' N, 116[deg]53'23''
W).
(c) After base or fixed station operations commence, upon receipt
of a complaint of harmful interference, the WCS licensee(s) receiving
the complaint, no matter the distance from the NASA Goldstone, CA earth
station or from an AMT site, operating in the 2305-2320 or 2345-2360
MHz bands, respectively, shall take all practicable steps to
immediately eliminate the interference.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2013-02907 Filed 2-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P