• fccsmr (2/2)

    From LU9DCE@21:5/101 to BBSRT on Thu Jun 27 03:40:03 2019
    frequencies available for 800 MHz SMR systems and 900 MHz SMR systems are sufficiently far apart as to require separate antennas and other equipment for both the SMR base stations and the end user's mobile radios. See Second
    Report and Order, Docket No. 18262 supra.; recon., Memorandum Report and
    Order, Docket No. 18262, supra. at footnote 14; and Report and Order, Gen. Docket No. 84-1233, 2 FCC Rcd. 1825 (1986).

    16 See Public Notice, Private Land Mobile Application Procedures for Spectrum in the 896-901 MHz and 935-940 MHz Bands, 1 FCC Rcd 543 (1986) (Public Notice of November 4, 1986).

    17 See Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket No. 89-553, 5 FCC Rcd. 705 (1990).

    18 Co-channel separation is 105 miles in parts of California and Washington State. See 47 C.F.R. 90.621(b) for exact areas.

    19 When you apply for a license, you must specify a primary site. At that site, you must construct and operate an SMR system using every frequency for which you are licensed. You may also have secondary sites. (Our records show over 350 secondary sites for trunked 800 MHz SMRs). Secondary sites need not use every frequency. They are not accorded any protection from interference. On the other hand, transmissions from these sites may not create interference with any transmission from any other system's primary site.

    20 A waiver of this rule will be granted if all affected parties agree. See Public Notice, Clarification and Simplification of Procedures for 800 MHz Systems in the Private Land Mobile Services, Mimeo No. 160 (October 14, 1986). A study of our records indicates over 75 so-called short-spacing agreements involving about 130 SMR systems. The Commission has proposed eliminating the waiver requirement provided a short-spacing agreement exists. The Commission also proposed eliminating the waiver requirement for use of technical showings as grounds for short-spaced assignments in the absence of short-spacing agreements. See Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket No. 90-34, 55 Fed. Reg. 8966 (March 9, 1990) and Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR
    Docket No. 90-34, FCC No. 91-40, adopted February 5, 1991.

    21 A preference is granted on these waiting lists to fully loaded existing systems seeking additional channels (noted as "modifications" on the waiting lists). As frequencies become available, they are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis to systems with preferences. If no applicant has received
    a preference, then assignment is strictly first-come, first-served. See
    Second Report and Order, Docket No. 18262, supra.; recon., Memorandum Opinion and Order Docket 18262, supra.; and Report and Order PR Docket No. 86-404, supra note 14.

    22 Mileage is measured between primary base stations.

    23 See 47 C.F.R. 90.627(b). As mentioned before, the Commission is proposing to modify this rule. See Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket No. 89- 553, supra note 17.

    24 Since the intent of this rule was to prevent people from owning more than one unloaded system per market, this rule will be waived if the applicant demonstrates that the two unloaded systems serve different markets. A review of our records indicates that at least 50 such waivers have been granted involving over 100 trunked 800 MHz systems.

    25 See 47 C.F.R. 90.631(f). There are some technical rules involving the design of your system. See 47 C.F.R. 90.635 - 90.647. Equipment vendors are
    a good source of practical advice on how these regulations affect you.

    26 See Report and Order, Docket 20846, 89 FCC Rcd. 2d 741; and the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 332(c)(1).

    27 See Second Report and Order, PR Docket No. 79-191, supra; and Report and Order, PR Docket No. 86-404, supra.

    28 You must also maintain a bona fide proprietary interest in your system.
    For details, see FCC News Release No. 6440 (August 15, 1985).

    29 See 47 C.F.R. 90.655 and 90.657.

    30 See 47 C.F.R. 90.631(b).

    31 See Report and Order, PR Docket No. 86-404, supra.

    32 See 47 C.F.R. 90.631(d) for the definition of a rural area for the
    purposes of adding channels. A rural system licensee may apply for up to five more channels than it has constructed. If a wait list does become necessary
    in the future in a particular rural area, all systems licensed before June 1, 1993 and not loaded to 70 mobiles per channel within one year of the establishment of the wait list will be subject to channel takebacks.

    33 Some of this data, particularly information on prices, is based on discussions with Russell Fox of the American SMR Network Association, Inc., Brad Busse of Daniels & Associates, Lee Dixon of Dixon Communications Associates, Rick Frisbie of Battery Ventures, Lana M. Ritzel of Ritzel Communications, Dale Hatfield of Hatfield Associates, and Meade Sutterfield of Johnson Communications.

    Additional numbers are based on a study of SMR loading records as of the end
    of March 1989, several studies of the Commission's database and ongoing statistical reports by the Licensing Division.

    34 See Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket No. 89-553, supra note 17.
    A second Notice of Proposed Rule Making (PR Docket No. 89-552, 55 Fed. Reg.
    328 (1990)), also adopted on November 28, 1989, would provide for trunked commercial national licenses in the 220-222 MHz band similar to SMRs.

    35 Markets are defined by Designated Filing Areas (DFAs) as used in licensing 900 MHz SMRs in the major markets. (See 52 Fed. Reg. 1306, January 12, 1987.) Data is as of the last week of March 1989. Loading figures refer to trunked 800 MHz SMRs only. The number of channels in each DFA varies between 214 in Chicago to 409 in Los Angeles. Most markets have slightly less than the 280 channels allocated to SMRs. The reasons for this variation are that systems may exist just outside the DFA, some of the original 200 trunked channels may have been used by non-SMRs, and in physically larger DFAs, frequency reuse may occur.

    36 Such efficiency is achieve primarily through more co-channel reuse and by trunking of a larger number of channels. Once SMR operator, Fleet Call, Inc. has requested waivers to develop a lower power, multi-site approach similar to cellular systems. Fleet Call's system will also employ digital multiple
    access techniques. RAM Mobile Data Communications operates several 900 MHz digital data systems. Several cellular operators also plan to utilize digital technology. Digital technology will allow a three to fifteen times
    improvement in the number of communications carried on a given amount of spectrum.

    37 For example, it takes several seconds to set up a typical cellular call, but only a fraction of a second for an SMR to set up a call. This difference is significant for short dispatch messages and critical for short mobile data transmissions.

    38 Cellular frequencies may not be used to provide true, over-the-air, dispatch service. Dispatch-type communications can, however, be provided on cellular frequencies as long as the communication is not directly between a dispatcher and end users, i.e., the phone network must be employed. A significant result of this limitation is that fleet calls, the radio
    equivalent of conference calls, are cumbersome on a cellular system, because
    an actual telephone conference call has to be arranged. See Report and Order GEN. Docket No. 87-390, 25 FCC Rcd. 3d 7033.

    39 Similar service from a cellular operator averages around $100 per month.

    40 Growth rates are based upon studies of monthly reports issued by the PRB Licensing Division. Growth rates cited for trunked 800 MHz systems are actually the growth rates for the service code YB, trunked 800 MHz business users, which includes mainly SMR end users. A comparison of the Licensing Division's report dated March 31, 1989 and a study of loading records as of
    the last week of March 1989 indicate that trunked 800 MHz SMR end users represent approximately 97% of the mobile units and over 99.5% of the call signs licensed under the service code YB. Taking into account temporary licensees not noted in either study, one could infer that the actual number of mobile units is above the number currently licensed in the YB service code.

    Growth rates for 900 MHz systems are based upon the YU service code, trunked 900 MHz business users. The same studies cited above, plus an additional
    study of 900 MHz systems as of the end of July 1989, indicate that 900 MHz SMR end users used only slightly more than half the total number of mobiles licensed as YU as of the end of March 1989 and July 1989. This ratio is increasing because non-SMRs have been able to receive licenses in the 900 MHz band for a longer period of time than SMRs. (The ratio rose over one percentage point between March and July 1989.) This may indicate that the actual growth rate of 900 MHz SMR end users is higher than calculated at the end of this section.

    41 From December 1989 through December 1990. Between September 1988 and December 1990, the annualized growth rate was over 240%.

    42 See Anthony Langham, "Report on Motorola, Inc.", The NatWest Investment Banking Group, New York (1990).

    43 See Frost & Sullivan, "The European Market for Land Mobile Radio," London (1990).

    44 A conventional SMR system had only eight months to construct.

    45 For conventional systems, a variation of 70 mile separation was the rule. Conventional systems often shared a channel. To prevent overcrowding, no new systems could be added if total loading exceeded a standard (which varied with radio service). Since systems could be located at separate sites, a loading zone was used, i.e. a loading zone for a particular channel was fully loaded
    in the business radio service if there were 90 mobiles in a 15 mile radius on that channel. The 70 mile separation was applied to the entire loading zone, leading to an effective mileage separation of greater than 70 for conventional systems (including conventional SMRs).

    46 See Order, FCC 78-584, adopted June 21, 1978.

    47 Memorandum Opinion and Order, Docket No. 79-106, 45 Fed. Reg. 59634 (October 25, 1979). In that proceeding, the Commission also eliminated the extra separation provided for by the so-called "loading zone" in those instances where the extra mileage was not appropriate, thereby reducing the mileage separation between base stations on the same channel from 100 miles to 70 miles (in those situations where the channel is assigned for the exclusive use of a single user or shared conventional station at a single site).

    48 There were waiting lists for conventional systems in Los Angeles, New
    York, Chicago and Houston. There were waiting lists for trunked systems in
    Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and Tampa.

    49 In this docket, a mobile unit was defined as a mobile radio, a portable radio or a control station.

    50 See Memorandum Opinion and Order, PR Docket No. 20846, 48 Fed. Reg. 29512 (June 27, 1983).

    51 (200 channel pairs/10 channel pairs per system) times 50 DFAs equals 1000 SMR systems available in Phase I.

    52 See Notice of Proposed Rule Making, Gen. Docket No. 89-553, 55 Fed. Reg. 744 (January 9, 1990).

    53 Specifically, over 99 percent of the systems operating on those channels are being used by SMRs. See Docket No. 86-404, paragraph 38.

    [End of document]


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