47 C.F.R. Subpart D—Narrowband PCS
Title 47 - Telecommunication
This subpart sets out the regulations governing the licensing and operations of personal communications services authorized in the 901–902, 930–931, and 940–941 MHz bands (900 MHz band).
Title 47: Telecommunication
PART 24—PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
Subpart D—Narrowband PCS
§ 24.100 Scope.
§ 24.101 [Reserved]
§ 24.102 Service areas.
Narrowband PCS service areas are nationwide, regional, and Major Trading Areas (MTAs), as defined in this section. MTAs are based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, at pages 38–39 (MTA Map). Rand McNally organizes the 50 States and the District of Columbia into 47 MTAs. The MTA Map is available for public inspection in the FCC's Library, Room TW-B505, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, D.C.
(a) The nationwide service area consists of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and United States Virgin Islands.
(b) The regional service areas are defined as follows:
(1) Region 1 (Northeast): The Northeast Region consists of the following MTAs: Boston-Providence, Buffalo-Rochester, New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.
(2) Region 2 (South): The South Region consists of the following MTAs: Atlanta, Charlotte-Greensboro-Greenville-Raleigh, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Louisville-Lexington-Evansville, Nashville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Richmond-Norfolk, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Orlando, and Washington-Baltimore; and, Puerto Rico and United States Virgin Islands.
(3) Region 3 (Midwest): The Midwest Region consists of the following MTAs: Chicago, Cincinnati-Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, Des Moines-Quad Cities, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Omaha.
(4) Region 4 (Central): The Central Region consists of the following MTAs: Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, El Paso-Albuquerque, Houston, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis-Jackson, New Orleans-Baton Rouge, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, St. Louis, Tulsa, and Wichita.
(5) Region 5 (West): The West Region consists of the following MTAs: Honolulu, Los Angeles-San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Seattle (including Alaska), and Spokane-Billings; and, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
(c) The MTA service areas are based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, at pages 38–39, with the following exceptions and additions:
(1) Alaska is separated from the Seattle MTA and is licensed separately.
(2) Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are licensed as a single MTA-like area.
(3) Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands are licensed as a single MTA-like area.
(4) American Samoa is licensed as a single MTA-like area.
[59 FR 14118, Mar. 25, 1994, as amended at 59 FR 46199, Sept. 7, 1994; 65 FR 35852, June 6, 2000]
§ 24.103 Construction requirements.
(a) Nationwide narrowband PCS licensees shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 750,000 square kilometers or serve 37.5 percent of the U.S. population within five years of initial license grant date; and, shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 1,500,000 square kilometers or serve 75 percent of the U.S. population within ten years of initial license grant date. Licensees may, in the alternative, provide substantial service to the licensed area as provided in paragraph (d) of this section.
(b) Regional narrowband PCS licensees shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 150,000 square kilometers or serve 37.5 percent of the population of the service area within five years of initial license grant date; and, shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 300,000 square kilometers or serve 75 percent of the service area population within ten years of initial license grant date. Licensees may, in the alternative, provide substantial service to the licensed area as provided in paragraph (d) of this section.
(c) MTA narrowband PCS licensees shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 75,000 square kilometers or 25 percent of the geographic area, or serve 37.5 percent of the population of the service area within five years of initial license grant date; and, shall construct base stations that provide coverage to a composite area of 150,000 square kilometers or 50 percent of the geographic area, or serve 75 percent of the population of the service area within ten years of initial license grant date. Licensees may, in the alternative, provide substantial service to the licensed area as provided in paragraph (d) of this section.
(d) As an alternative to the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section, narrowband PCS licensees may demonstrate that, no later than ten years after the initial grant of their license, they provide substantial service to their licensed area. Licensees choosing this option must notify the FCC by filing FCC Form 601, no later than 15 days after the end of the five year period following the initial grant of their license, that they plan to satisfy the alternative requirement to provide substantial service. “Substantial service” is defined as service that is sound, favorable, and substantially above a level of mediocre service that would barely warrant renewal.
(e) In demonstrating compliance with the construction requirements set forth in this section, licensees must base their calculations on signal field strengths that ensure reliable service for the technology utilized. Licensees may determine the population of geographic areas included within their service contours using either the 1990 census or the 2000 census, but not both.
(1) For the purpose of this section, the service radius of a base station may be calculated using the following formula:
dkm = 2.53 × hm0.34 × p0.17
where dkm is the radial distance in kilometers, hm is the antenna HAAT of the base station in meters, and p is the e.r.p. of the base station in watts.
(2) Alternatively, licensees may use any service radius contour formula developed or generally used by industry, provided that such formula is based on the technical characteristics of their system.
(f) Upon meeting the five and ten year benchmarks in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section, or upon meeting the substantial service alternative in paragraph (d), licensees shall notify the Commission by filing FCC Form 601 and including a map and other supporting documentation that demonstrate the required geographic area coverage, population coverage, or substantial service to the licensed area. The notification must be filed with the Commission within 15 days of the expiration of the relevant period.
(g) If the sale of a license is approved, the new licensee is held to the original build-out requirement.
(h) Failure by a licensee to meet the above construction requirements shall result in forfeiture of the license and ineligibility to regain it.
[59 FR 14118, Mar. 25, 1994, as amended at 65 FR 35852, June 6, 2000]
§ 24.104 Partitioning and disaggregation.
Nationwide, regional, and MTA licensees may apply to partition their authorized geographic service area or disaggregate their authorized spectrum at any time following grant of their geographic area authorizations.
(a) Application required. Parties seeking approval for partitioning and/or disaggregation shall apply for partial assignment of a license pursuant to §1.948 of this chapter.
(b) Partitioning. In the case of partitioning, applicants and licensees must file FCC Form 603 pursuant to §1.948 of this chapter and describe the partitioned service area on a schedule to the application. The partitioned service area shall be defined by up to 120 sets of geographic coordinates at points at every 3 degrees azimuth from a point within the partitioned service area along the partitioned service area boundary unless either an FCC-recognized service area is used (e.g., MEA or EA) or county lines are followed. The geographical coordinates must be specified in degrees, minutes, and seconds to the nearest second latitude and longitude, and must be based upon the 1983 North American Datum (NAD83). In the case where FCC-recognized service areas or county lines are used, applicants need only list the specific area(s) through use of FCC designations or county names that constitute the partitioned area.
(c) Disaggregation. Spectrum may be disaggregated in any amount.
(d) Combined partitioning and disaggregation. Licensees may apply for partial assignment of authorizations that propose combinations of partitioning and disaggregation.
(e) License term. The license term for a partitioned license area and for disaggregated spectrum shall be the remainder of the original licensee's license term as provided for in §1.955 of this chapter.
(f) Coverage requirements for partitioning. (1) Parties to a partitioning agreement must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
(i) The partitionee must satisfy the applicable coverage requirements set forth in §24.103 for the partitioned license area; or
(ii) The original licensee must meet the coverage requirements set forth in §24.103 for the entire geographic area. In this case, the partitionee must meet only the requirements for renewal of its authorization for the partitioned license area.
(2) Parties seeking authority to partition must submit with their partial assignment application a certification signed by both parties stating which of the options they select.
(3) Partitionees must submit supporting documents showing compliance with their coverage requirements as set forth in §24.103.
(4) Failure by any partitionee to meet its coverage requirements will result in automatic cancellation of the partitioned authorization without further Commission action.
(g) Coverage requirements for disaggregation. (1) Parties to a disaggregation agreement must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
(i) Either the disaggregator or disaggregatee must satisfy the coverage requirements set forth in §24.103 for the entire license area; or
(ii) Parties must agree to share responsibility for meeting the coverage requirements set forth in §24.103 for the entire license area.
(2) Parties seeking authority to disaggregate must submit with their partial assignment application a certification signed by both parties stating which of the requirements they select.
(3) Disaggregatees must submit supporting documents showing compliance with their coverage requirements as set forth in §24.103.
(4) Parties that accept responsibility for meeting the coverage requirements and later fail to do so will be subject to automatic license cancellation without further Commission action.
[65 FR 35853, June 6, 2000]
Effective Date Note: At 65 FR 35853, June 6, 2000, §24.104 was added. This section contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements and will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of Management and Budget.
§ 24.129 Frequencies.
The following frequencies are available for narrowband PCS:
(a) Eighteen frequencies are available for assignment on a nationwide basis as follows:
(1) Seven 50 kHz channels paired with 50 kHz channels:
Channel 1: 940.00–940.05 and 901.00–901.05 MHz; Channel 2: 940.05–940.10 and 901.05–901.10 MHz; Channel 3: 940.10–940.15 and 901.10–901.15 MHz; Channel 4: 940.15–940.20 and 901.15–901.20 MHz; Channel 5: 940.20–940.25 and 901.20–901.25 MHz; Channel 19: 930.50–930.55 and 901.30–901.35 MHz; and Channel 20: 930.75–930.80 and 901.90–901.95 MHz.
(2) Three 50 kHz channels paired with 12.5 kHz channels:
Channel 6: 930.40–930.45 and 901.7500–901.7625 MHz; Channel 7: 930.45–930.50 and 901.7625–901.7750 MHz; and Channel 8: 940.75–940.80 and 901.7750–901.7875 MHz;
(3) Two 50 kHz unpaired channels:
Channel 9: RESERVED; Channel 10: 940.80–940.85 MHz; and Channel 11: 940.85–940.90 MHz.
(4) One 100 kHz unpaired channel:
Channel 18: 940.65–940.75 MHz.
(5) Two 150 kHz channels paired with 50 kHz channels:
Channel 21: 930.00–930.15 and 901.50–901.55 MHz; and Channel 22: 930.15–930.30 and 901.60–901.65 MHz.
(6) Three 100 kHz channels paired with 50 kHz channels:
Channel 23: 940.55–940.65 and 901.45–901.50 MHz; Channel 24: 940.30–940.40 and 901.55–901.60 MHz; and Channel 25: 940.45–940.55 and 901.85–901.90 MHz.
(b) Five frequencies are available for assignment on a regional basis as follows:
(1) One 50 kHz channel paired with 50 kHz channel:
Channel 12: 940.25–940.30 and 901.25–901.30 MHz. Channel 13: RESERVED.
(2) Four 50 kHz channels paired with 12.5 kHz channels:
Channel 14: 930.55–930.60 and 901.7875–901.8000 MHz; Channel 15: 930.60–930.65 and 901.8000–901.8125 MHz; Channel 16: 930.65–930.70 and 901.8125–901.8250 MHz; and Channel 17: 930.70–930.75 and 901.8250–901.8375 MHz.
(c) Seven frequencies are available for assignment on an MTA basis as follows:
(1) Three 50 kHz unpaired channels:
Channel 26: 901.35–901.40 MHz; Channel 27: 901.40–901.45 MHz; and Channel 28: 940.40–940.45 MHz.
(2) One 50 kHz channel paired with 50 kHz channel:
Channel 29: 930.80–930.85 and 901.95–902.00 MHz.
(3) One 100 kHz channel paired with 50 kHz channel:
Channel 30: 930.30–930.40 and 901.65–901.70 MHz.
(4) One 150 kHz channel paired with 50 kHz channel:
Channel 31: 930.85–931.00 and 901.7–901.75 MHz.
(5) One 100 kHz channel paired with 12.5 kHz channel:
Channel 32: 940.90–941 and 901.8375–901.85 MHz.
Note to §24.129: Operations in markets or portions of markets which border other countries, such as Canada and Mexico, will be subject to on-going coordination arrangements with neighboring countries.
[66 FR 29920, June 4, 2001]
§ 24.130 [Reserved]
§ 24.131 Authorized bandwidth.
The authorized bandwidth of narrowband PCS channels will be 10 kHz for 12.5 kHz channels and 45 kHz for 50 kHz channels. For aggregated adjacent channels, a maximum authorized bandwidth of 5 kHz less than the total aggregated channel width is permitted.
§ 24.132 Power and antenna height limits.
(a) Stations transmitting in the 901–902 MHz band are limited to 7 watts e.r.p.
(b) Mobile stations transmitting in the 930–931 MHz and 940–941 MHz bands are limited to 7 watts e.r.p.
(c) Base stations transmitting in the 930–931 MHz and 940–941 MHz bands are limited to 3500 watts e.r.p. per authorized channel and are unlimited in antenna height except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section.
(d)(1) MTA and regional base stations located between 200 kilometers (124 miles) and 80 kilometers (50 miles) from their licensed service area border are limited to the power levels in the following table:
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Antenna HAAT in meters (feet) (see § 24.53 for HAAT HAAT calculation Effective radiated power method) (e.r.p.) (watts)------------------------------------------------------------------------183 (600) and below.................... 3500183 (600) to 208 (682)................. 3500 to 2584208 (682) to 236 (775)................. 2584 to 1883236 (775) to 268 (880)................. 1883 to 1372268 (880) to 305 (1000)................ 1372 to 1000305 (1000) to 346 (1137)............... 1000 to 729346 (1137) to 394 (1292)............... 729 to 531394 (1292) to 447 (1468)............... 531 to 387447 (1468) to 508 (1668)............... 387 to 282508 (1668) to 578 (1895)............... 282 to 206578 (1895) to 656 (2154)............... 206 to 150656 (2154) to 746 (2447)............... 150 to 109746 (2447) to 848 (2781)............... 109 to 80848 (2781) to 963 (3160)............... 80 to 58963 (3160) to 1094 (3590).............. 58 to 421094 (3590) to 1244 (4080)............. 42 to 311244 (4080) to 1413 (4636)............. 31 to 22Above 1413 (4636)...................... 16------------------------------------------------------------------------
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(2) For heights between the values listed in the table, linear interpolation shall be used to determine maximum e.r.p. (e) MTA and regional base stations located less than 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the licensed service area border must limit their effective radiated power in accordance with the following formula: PW=0.0175xdkm* * 6.6666xhm* * −3.1997
PW is effective radiated power in watts dkm is distance in kilometers hm is antenna HAAT in meters; see §24.53 for HAAT calculation method (f) All power levels specified in this section are expressed in terms of the maximum power, averaged over a 100 millisecond interval, when measured with instrumentation calibrated in terms of an rms-equivalent voltage with a resolution bandwidth equal to or greater than the authorized bandwidth. (g) Additionally, PCS stations will be subject to any power limits imposed by international agreements. [58 FR 59183, Nov. 8, 1993; 59 FR 15269, Mar. 31, 1994, as amended at 62 FR 27511, May 20, 1997; 65 FR 35853, June 6, 2000] § 24.133 Emission limits.(a) The power of any emission shall be attenuated below the transmitter power (P), as measured in accordance with §24.132(f), in accordance with the following schedule: (1) For transmitters authorized a bandwidth greater than 10 kHz: (i) On any frequency outside the authorized bandwidth and removed from the edge of the authorized bandwidth by a displacement frequency (fd in kHz) of up to and including 40 kHz: at least 116 Log10 ((fd+10)/6.1) decibels or 50 plus 10 Log10 (P) decibels or 70 decibels, whichever is the lesser attenuation; (ii) On any frequency outside the authorized bandwidth and removed from the edge of the authorized bandwidth by a displacement frequency (fd in kHz) of more than 40 kHz: at least 43+10 Log10 (P) decibels or 80 decibels, whichever is the lesser attenuation. (2) For transmitters authorized a bandwidth of 10 kHz: (i) On any frequency outside the authorized bandwidth and removed from the edge of the authorized bandwidth by a displacement frequency (fd in kHz) of up to and including 20 kHz: at least 116 × Log10 ((fd+5)/3.05) decibels or 50+10×Log10 (P) decibels or 70 decibels, whichever is the lesser attenuation; (ii) On any frequency outside the authorized bandwidth and removed from the edge of the authorized bandwidth by a displacement frequency (fd in kHz) of more than 20 kHz: at least 43+10 Log 10 (P) decibels or 80 decibels, whichever is the lesser attenuation. (b) The measurements of emission power can be expressed in peak or average values provided they are expressed in the same parameters as the transmitter power. (c) When an emission outside of the authorized bandwidth causes harmful interference, the Commission may, at its discretion, require greater attenuation than specified in this section. (d) The following minimum spectrum analyzer resolution bandwidth settings will be used: 300 Hz when showing compliance with paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(2)(i) of this section; and 30 kHz when showing compliance with paragraphs (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(2)(ii) of this section. [58 FR 59183, Nov. 8, 1993. Redesignated at 59 FR 18499, April 19, 1994, as amended at 59 FR 14119, Mar. 25, 1994; 66 FR 10968, Feb. 21, 2001] § 24.134 Co-channel separation criteria.The minimum co-channel separation distance between base stations in different service areas is 113 kilometers (70 miles). A co-channel separation distance is not required for the base stations of the same licensee or when the affected parties have agreed to other co-channel separation distances. § 24.135 Frequency stability.(a) The frequency stability of the transmitter shall be maintained within ±0.0001 percent (±1 ppm) of the center frequency over a temperature variation of −30° Celsius to +50° Celsius at normal supply voltage, and over a variation in the primary supply voltage of 85 percent to 115 percent of the rated supply voltage at a temperature of 20° Celsius. (b) For battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery without any further requirement to vary supply voltage. (c) It is acceptable for a transmitter to meet this frequency stability requirement over a narrower temperature range provided the transmitter ceases to function before it exceeds these frequency stability limits. Browse Previous | Browse Next
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