A wide variety of industrial and business enterprises hold FCC licenses that may be affected by the narrowbanding deadlines.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a public notice reminding licensees of Part 90 private land mobile radio systems in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands of the deadlines to migrate to narrowband (12.5 kHz or equivalent) technology. Private land mobile radio systems are used by a multitude of industrial and business enterprises, including manufacturers, hospitals, utilities and transportation companies, as well as state and local government agencies, public safety agencies and other organizations, to meet a wide range of communication requirements, including coordination of personnel and materials, safety and security needs, and emergency response efforts. A copy of the FCC's public notice is available on the FCC's website (hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2589A1.pdf).
The FCC states that all Part 90 land mobile systems operating in these bands (except for systems on frequencies allocated for paging-only service) must comply with the following deadlines:
As of January 1, 2011, the FCC will no longer accept applications for new wideband 25 kHz operations, or modification applications that expand the authorized contour of an existing 25 kHz station.
As of January 1, 2013, licensees must either migrate to narrowband 12.5 kHz technology or utilize technology that achieves equivalent efficiency.
Among other things, the FCC makes the following points:
Licensees transitioning to narrowband must file applications to add a narrowband emission designator to their licenses. These applications currently require frequency coordination, but the FCC is considering whether to eliminate the coordination requirement for such applications.
If a license shows both wideband and narrowband emission designators, the licensee will be presumed to be operating only narrowband after January 1, 2013.
At some point, the FCC will revise application forms in order to confirm whether the licensees of wideband systems are actually operating with narrowband equivalency (e.g., two talk paths per 25 kHz of bandwidth).
After January 1, 2013, any radio system continuing to operate at wideband (one voice path per 25 kHz of bandwidth) will be operating unlawfully and will be subject to FCC enforcement action, including the possibility of monetary forfeitures and license revocation.
The FCC's public notice provides additional information regarding the transition to narrowband technology, including how licensees should notify the FCC that they are in compliance with the 2013 deadline, the circumstances under which previously certified multimode equipment can be manufactured or imported after January 1, 2011, and guidance on other related issues.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
