(a) Basis. The rules in this part are promulgated under Title III of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended which vests authority in the Federal Communications Commission to regulate radio transmission and to issue licenses for radio stations. All rules in this part are in accordance with applicable treaties and agreements to which the United States is a party.

(b) Purpose. This part states the conditions under which radio communications systems may be licensed and used in the Public Safety, Industrial/Business Radio Pool, and Radiolocation Radio Services. These rules do not govern the licensing of radio systems belonging to and operated by the United States.

(a) Part 0 of the Commission's Rules describes the Commission's organization and delegations of authority. This part also lists available Commission publications, and standards and procedures for access to Commission records, and location of Commission Field Offices.

(b) Part 1 includes rules of practice and procedure for the filing of applications for stations to operate in the Wireless Telecommunications Services, adjudicatory proceedings including hearing proceedings, and rule making proceedings; procedures for reconsideration and review of the Commission's actions; provisions concerning violation notices and forfeiture proceedings; and the environmental processing requirements that, together with the procedures specified in § 17.4(c) of this chapter, if applicable, must be complied with prior to initiating construction.

(c) Part 2 contains the table of frequency allocations and special requirements in International regulations, agreements, and treaties. This part also contains standards and procedures concerning marketing of radio frequency devices, and for obtaining equipment certification.

(d) Part 5 contains standards and procedures for obtaining experimental authorizations.

(e) Part 15 provides for the operation of incidental and restricted radio frequency devices that do not require an individual license.

(f) Part 17 contains requirements for construction, marking and lighting of antenna towers, and the environmental notification process that must be completed before filing certain antenna structure registration applications.

(g) Part 18 deals with the operation of industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) devices that are not intended for radio communication,

(h) Part 20 contains rules relating to commercial mobile radio services.

(i) Part 20 which governs commercial mobile radio service applicable to certain providers in the following services in this part:

(j) Part 22 contains regulations for public (common carrier) mobile radio services.

(k) Part 27 contains rules relating to miscellaneous wireless communications services.

(l) Part 51 contains rules relating to interconnection.

(m) Part 68 contains technical standards for connection of private land mobile radio equipment to the public switched telephone network.

(n) Part 101 governs the operation of fixed microwave services.

220 MHz service. The radio service for the licensing of frequencies in the 220-222 MHz band.

800 MHz Cellular System. In the 806-824 MHz/ 851-869 MHz band, a system that uses multiple, interconnected, multi-channel transmit/receive cells capable of frequency reuse and automatic handoff between cell sites to serve a larger number of subscribers than is possible using non-cellular technology.

800 MHz High Density Cellular System. In the 806-824 MHz/ 851-869 MHz band, a high density cellular system is defined as a cellular system which:

900 MHz broadband. See 47 CFR 27.1501.

900 MHz broadband licensee. See 47 CFR 27.1501.

900 MHz broadband segment. See 47 CFR 27.1501.

900 MHz narrowband segment. See 47 CFR 27.1501.

900 MHz SMR MTA-based license or MTA license.

Antenna height above average terrain (AAT). Height of the center of the radiating element of the antenna above the average terrain. (See § 90.309(a)(4) for calculation method.)

Antenna height above sea level. The height of the topmost point of the antenna above mean sea level.

Antenna structure. Structure on which an antenna is mounted.

Assigned frequency. Center of a frequency band assigned to a station.

Assigned frequency band. The frequency band the center of which coincides with the frequency assigned to the station and the width of which equals the necessary bandwidth plus twice the absolute value of the frequency tolerance.

Authorized bandwidth. The frequency band, specified in kilohertz and centered on the carrier frequency containing those frequencies upon which a total of 99 percent of the radiated power appears, extended to include any discrete frequency upon which the power is at least 0.25 percent of the total radiated power.

Automobile emergency licensee. Persons regularly engaged in any of the following activities who operate radio stations for transmission of communications required for dispatching repair trucks, tow trucks, or other road service vehicles to disabled vehicles:

Average terrain. The average elevation of terrain between 3.2 and 16 km (2 and 10 miles) from the antenna site.

Base station. A station at a specified site authorized to communicate with mobile stations.

Basic trading areas. Service areas that are based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, at pages 38-39, with the following additions licensed separately as BTA-like areas: American Samoa; Guam, Northern Mariana Islands; Mayaguez/Aguadilla-Ponce, Puerto Rico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the United States Virgin Islands. The Mayaguez/Aguadilla-Ponce BTA-like service area consists of the following municipios: Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Anasco, Arroyo, Cabo Rojo, Coamo, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Hormigueros, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Lajas, Las Marias, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, Santa Isabel, Villalba, and Yauco. The San Juan BTA-like service area consists of all other municipios in Puerto Rico.

Carrier frequency. The frequency of an unmodulated electromagnetic wave.

Centralized trunked system. A system in which there is dynamic assignment of communications paths by automatically searching all communications paths in the system and assigning to a user an open communications path within that system. Individual communications paths within a trunked system may be classified as centralized or decentralized in accordance with the requirements of § 90.187.

Channel loading. The number of mobile transmitters authorized to operate on a particular channel within the same service area.

Communications zone. The service area associated with an individual fixed Roadside Unit (RSU). The communications zone is determined based on the RSU equipment class specified in section 90.375.

Contention-based protocol. A protocol that allows multiple users to share the same spectrum by defining the events that must occur when two or more transmitters attempt to simultaneously access the same channel and establishing rules by which a transmitter provides reasonable opportunities for other transmitters to operate. Such a protocol may consist of procedures for initiating new transmissions, procedures for determining the state of the channel (available or unavailable), and procedures for managing retransmissions in the event of a busy channel. Contention-based protocols shall fall into one of two categories:

Control point. Any place from which a transmitter's functions may be controlled.

Control station. An Operational Fixed Station, the transmissions of which are used to control automatically the emissions or operation of another radio station at a specified location.

Conventional radio system. A method of operation in which one or more radio frequency channels are assigned to mobile and base stations but are not employed as a trunked group. An “urban-conventional system” is one whose transmitter site is located within 24 km (15 miles) of the geographic center of any of the first 50 urbanized areas (ranked by population) of the United States. A “sub-urban-conventional system” is one whose transmitter site is located more than 24 km (15 miles) from the geographic center of the first 50 urbanized areas. See Table 21, Rank of Urbanized Areas in the United States by Population, page 1-87, U.S. Census (1970); and table 1 of § 90.635.

Critical Infrastructure Industry (CII). State, local government and non-government entities, including utilities, railroads, metropolitan transit systems, pipelines, private ambulances, volunteer fire departments, and not-for-profit organizations that offer emergency road services, providing private internal radio services provided these private internal radio services are used to protect safety of life, health, or property; and are not made commercially available to the public.

Decentralized trunked system. A system which monitors the communications paths within its assigned channels for activity within and outside of the trunked system and transmits only when an available communications path is found. Individual communications paths within a trunked system may be classified as centralized or decentralized in accordance with the requirements of § 90.187.

Dedicated Short-Range Communications Services (DSRCS). The use of radio techniques to transfer data over short distances between roadside and mobile units, between mobile units, and between portable and mobile units to perform operations related to the improvement of traffic flow, traffic safety, and other intelligent transportation service applications in a variety of environments. DSRCS systems may also transmit status and instructional messages related to the units involved.

Dispatch point. Any place from which radio messages can be originated under the supervision of a control point.

EA-based or EA license. A license authorizing the right to use a specified block of SMR or LMS spectrum within one of the 175 Economic Areas (EAs) as defined by the Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis. The EA Listings and the EA Map are available for public inspection at the Federal Communications Commission's Reference Information Center, located at the address of the FCC's main office indicated in 47 CFR 0.401(a).

Economic Areas (EAs). A total of 175 licensing regions based on the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis Economic Areas defined as of February 1995, with the following exceptions:

Effective radiated power (ERP). The power supplied to an antenna multiplied by the relative gain of the antenna in a given direction.

Emergency medical licensee. Persons or entities engaged in the provision of basic or advanced life support services on an ongoing basis that operate radio stations for transmission of communications essential for the delivery or rendition of emergency medical services for the provision of basic or advanced life support.

Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio System (ESMR). A specialized mobile radio (SMR) system operating in the 800 MHz band which employs an 800 MHz cellular system as defined in this section.

Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP). The product of the power supplied to the antenna and the antenna gain in a given direction relative to an isotropic antenna (absolute or isotropic gain).

Film and video production licensee. Persons primarily engaged in or providing direct technical support to the production, videotaping, or filming of motion pictures or television programs, such as movies, programs, news programs, special events, educational programs, or training films, regardless of whether the productions are prepared primarily for final exhibition at theatrical outlets or on television or for distribution through other mass communications outlets.

Fire licensee. Any territory, possession, state, city, county, town, or similar governmental entity, and persons or organizations charged with specific fire protection activities that operate radio stations for transmission of communications essential to official fire activities.

First Responder Network Authority. An entity established by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 as an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and designated by that statute to hold a nationwide license associated with the 758-769 MHz and 788-799 MHz bands for use in deploying a nationwide public safety broadband network.

Fixed relay station. A station at a specified site used to communicate with another station at another specified site.

Forest products licensee. Persons primarily engaged in tree logging, tree farming, or related woods operations, including related hauling activities, if the hauling activities are performed under contract to, and exclusively for, persons engaged in woods operations or engaged in manufacturing lumber, plywood, hardboard, or pulp and paper products from wood fiber.

Forward links. Transmissions in the frequency bands specified in § 90.357(a) and used to control and interrogate the mobile units to be located by multilateration LMS systems.

Frequency coordination. The process of obtaining the recommendation of a frequency coordinator for a frequency(ies) that will most effectively meet the applicant's needs while minimizing interference to licensees already operating within a given frequency band.

Frequency coordinator. An entity or organization that has been certified by the Commission to recommend frequencies for use by licensees in the Private Land Mobile Radio Services.

Geographic center. The geographic center of an urbanized area is defined by the coordinates given at table 1 of § 90.635.

Geophysical telemetry. Telemetry involving the simultaneous transmission of seismic data from numerous locations to a central receiver and digital recording unit.

Harmful interference. For the purposes of resolving conflicts between stations operating under this part, any emission, radiation, or induction which specifically degrades, obstructs, or interrupts the service provided by such stations.

Interconnection. Connection through automatic or manual means of private land mobile radio stations with the facilities of the public switched telephone network to permit the transmission of messages or signals between points in the wireline or radio network of a public telephone company and persons served by private land mobile radio stations. Wireline or radio circuits or links furnished by common carriers, which are used by licensees or other authorized persons for transmitter control (including dial-up transmitter control circuits) or as an integral part of an authorized, private, internal system of communication or as an integral part of dispatch point circuits in a private land mobile radio station are not considered to be interconnection for purposes of this rule part.

Internal system. An internal system of communication is one in which all messages are transmitted between the fixed operating positions located on premises controlled by the licensee and the associated mobile stations or paging receivers of the licensee. (See subpart O).

Interoperability. An essential communication link within public safety and public service wireless communications systems which permits units from two or more different entities to interact with one another and to exchange information according to a prescribed method in order to achieve predictable results.

Itinerant operation. Operation of a radio station at unspecified locations for varying periods of time.

Land mobile radio service. A mobile service between base stations and land mobile stations, or between land mobile stations.

Land mobile radio system. A regularly interacting group of base, mobile and associated control and fixed relay stations intended to provide land mobile radio communications service over a single area of operation.

Land station. A station in the mobile service not intended to be used while in motion. [As used in this part, the term may be used to describe a base, control, fixed, operational fixed or fixed relay station, or any such station authorized to operate in the “temporary” mode.]

Line A. An imaginary line within the U.S., approximately paralleling the U.S.-Canadian border, north of which Commission coordination with the Canadian authorities in the assignment of frequencies is generally required. It begins at Aberdeen, Washington, running by great circle arc to the intersection of 48° N., 120° W., then along parallel 48° N., to the intersection of 95° W., thence by great circle arc through the southernmost point of Duluth, Minnesota, thence by great circle arc to 45° N., 85° W., thence southward along meridian 85° W. to its intersection with parallel 41° N., to its intersection with meridian 82° W., thence by great circle arc through the southernmost point of Bangor, Maine, thence by great circle arc through the southernmost of Searsport, Maine, at which point it terminates.

Line C. An imaginary line in Alaska approximately paralleling the border with Canada, East of which Commission coordination with Canadian authorities in the assignment of frequencies is generally required. It begins at the intersection of 70° N., 144° W., thence by great circle arc to the intersection of 60° N., 143° W., thence by great circle arc so as to include all the Alaskan Panhandle.

Location and Monitoring Service (LMS). The use of non-voice signaling methods to locate or monitor mobile radio units. LMS systems may transmit and receive voice and non-voice status and instructional information related to such units.

Major trading areas. Service areas based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, at pages 38-39, with the following exceptions and additions:

Manufacturers licensee. Persons primarily engaged in any of the following manufacturing activities:

Meteor burst communications. Communications by the propagation of radio signals reflected off ionized meteor trails.

Mobile relay station. A base station in the mobile service authorized to retransmit automatically on a mobile service frequency communications which originate on the transmitting frequency of the mobile station.

Mobile repeater station. A mobile station authorized to retransmit automatically on a mobile service frequency, communications to or from hand-carried transmitters.

Mobile service. A service of radiocommunication between mobile and base stations, or between mobile stations.

Mobile station. A station in the mobile service intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified points. This includes hand carried transmitters.

Motor carrier licensee. Persons primarily engaged in providing a common or contract motor carrier transportation service in any of the following activities: Provided, however, that motor vehicles used as taxicabs, livery vehicles, or school buses, and motor vehicles used for sightseeing or special charter purposes, shall not be included within the meaning of this term. For purposes of this definition, an urban area is defined as being one or more contiguous, incorporated or unincorporated cities, boroughs, towns, or villages, having an aggregate population of 2,500 or more persons.

MTA-based license or MTA license. A license authorizing the right to use a specified block of SMR spectrum within one of the 51 Major Trading Areas (“MTAs”), as embodied in Rand McNally's Trading Area System MTA Diskette and geographically represented in the map contained in Rand McNally's Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide (the “MTA Map”). The MTA Listings, the MTA Map and the Rand McNally/AMTA license agreement are available for public inspection at the Reference Information Center in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

Multilateration LMS system. A system that is designed to locate vehicles or other objects by measuring the difference of time of arrival, or difference in phase, of signals transmitted from a unit to a number of fixed points or from a number of fixed points to the unit to be located.

Mutually exclusive application. Two or more pending applications are mutually exclusive if the grant of one application would effectively preclude the grant of one or more of the others under Commission rules governing the services involved.

Non-multilateration LMS System. A system that employs any of a number of non-multilateration technologies to transmit information to and/or from vehicular units.

On-Board unit (OBU). An On-Board Unit is a DSRCS transceiver that is normally mounted in or on a vehicle, or which in some instances may be a portable unit. An OBU can be operational while a vehicle or person is either mobile or stationary. The OBUs receive and contend for time to transmit on one or more radio frequency (RF) channels. Except where specifically excluded, OBU operation is permitted wherever vehicle operation or human passage is permitted. The OBUs mounted in vehicles are licensed by rule under part 95 of this chapter and communicate with Roadside Units (RSUs) and other OBUs. Portable OBUs are also licensed by rule under part 95 of this chapter. OBU operations in the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) Bands follow the rules in those bands.

Operational fixed station. A fixed station, not open to public correspondence, operated by, and for the sole use of those agencies operating their own radiocommunication facilities in the Public Safety, Industrial, Land Transportation, Marine, or Aviation Radio Services. (This includes all stations in the fixed service under this part.)

Output power. The radio frequency output power of a transmitter's final radio frequency stage as measured at the output terminal while connected to a load of the impedance recommended by the manufacturer.

Paging. A one-way communications service from a base station to mobile or fixed receivers that provide signaling or information transfer by such means as tone, tone-voice, tactile, optical readout, etc.

Person. An individual, partnership, association, joint stock company, trust or corporation.

Petroleum licensee. Persons primarily engaged in prospecting for, producing, collecting, refining, or transporting by means of pipeline, petroleum or petroleum products (including natural gas).

Police licensee. Any territory, possession, state, city, county, town, or similar governmental entity including a governmental institution authorized by law to provide its own police protection that operate radio stations for transmission of communications essential to official police activities.

Power licensee. Persons primarily engaged in any of the following activities:

Private carrier. An entity licensed in the private services and authorized to provide communications service to other private services on a commercial basis.

Radio call box. A transmitter used by the public to request fire, police, medical, road service, or other emergency assistance.

Radio teleprinting. Radio transmissions to a printing telegraphic instrument having a signal-actuated mechanism for automatically printing received messages.

Radiodetermination. The determination of position, or the obtaining of information relating to position, by means of the propagation of radio waves.

Radiofacsimile. A system of radiocommunication for the transmission of fixed images, with or without half-tones, with a view to their reproduction in a permanent form.

Radiolocation. Radiodetermination used for purposes other than those of radionavigation.

Radionavigation. Radiodetermination used for the purposes of navigation, including obstruction warning.

Railroad licensee. Railroad common carriers which are regularly engaged in the transportation of passengers or property when such passengers or property are transported over all or part of their route by railroad.

Regional Economic Area Groupings (REAGs). The six geographic areas for Regional licensing in the 220-222 MHz band, based on the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis Economic Areas (see 60 FR 13114 (March 10, 1995)) defined as of February 1995, and specified as follows:

Regional license. A license authorizing the right to use a specified block of 220-222 MHz spectrum within one of six Regional Economic Area Groupings (REAGs).

Relay press licensee. Persons primarily engaged in the publication of a newspaper or in the operation of an established press association.

Roadside unit (RSU). A Roadside Unit is a DSRC transceiver that is mounted along a road or pedestrian passageway. An RSU may also be mounted on a vehicle or is hand carried, but it may only operate when the vehicle or hand-carried unit is stationary. Furthermore, an RSU operating under this part is restricted to the location where it is licensed to operate. However, portable or hand-held RSUs are permitted to operate where they do not interfere with a site-licensed operation. A RSU broadcasts data to OBUs or exchanges data with OBUs in its communications zone. An RSU also provides channel assignments and operating instructions to OBUs in its communications zone, when required.

Roadway bed surface. For DSRCS, the road surface at ground level.

Secondary operation. Radio communications which may not cause interference to operations authorized on a primary basis and which are not protected from interference from those primary operations.

Service availability. The use of a public safety broadband network on a day-to-day basis for operational purposes by at least fifty users.

Signal amplifier. A device that amplifies radio frequency signals and is connected to a mobile radio transceiver, portable or handset, typically to the antenna connector. Note that a signal amplifier is not the same thing as a signal booster.

Signal booster. A device at a fixed location which automatically receives, amplifies, and retransmits on a one-way or two-way basis, the signals received from base, fixed, mobile, and portable stations, with no change in frequency or authorized bandwidth. A signal booster may be either narrowband (Class A), in which case the booster amplifies only those discrete frequencies intended to be retransmitted, or broadband (Class B), in which case all signals within the passband of the signal booster filter are amplified.

SMSA (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area). A city of 50,000 or more population and the surrounding counties.

Special industrial licensee. Persons regularly engaged in any of the following activities:

Specialized Mobile Radio system. A radio system in which licensees provide land mobile communications services (other than radiolocation services) in the 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands on a commercial basis to entities eligible to be licensed under this part, Federal Government entities, and individuals.

State. Any of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Station authorization. A license issued by the Commission for the operation of a radio station.

Taxicab licensee. Persons regularly engaged in furnishing to the public for hire a nonscheduled passenger land transportation service (which may also include the occasional transport of small items of property) not operated over a regular route or between established terminals.

Telecommand. The transmission of non-voice signals for the purpose of remotely controlling a device.

Telemetering (also telemetry). The transmission of non-voice signals for the purpose of automatically indicating or recording measurements at a distance from the measuring instrument.

Telephone maintenance licensee. Communications common carriers engaged in the provision of landline local exchange telephone service, or inter-exchange communications service, and radio communications common carriers authorized under part 21 of this chapter. Resellers that do not own or control transmission facilities are not included in this category.

Transitioned market. A geographic area in which the 900 MHz band has been reconfigured to consist of a 900 MHz broadband license in the 900 MHz broadband segment and two 900 MHz narrowband segments pursuant to part 27 of this chapter.

Travelers' information station. A base station in the Public Safety Pool used to transmit non-commercial, voice information pertaining to traffic and road conditions, traffic hazard and traveler advisories, directions, availability of lodging, rest stops, and service stations, and descriptions of local points of interest.

Trunk group. All of the trunks of a given type of characteristic that extend between two switching points.

Trunk (telephony). A one or two-way channel provided as a common traffic artery between switching equipment.

Trunked radio system. A radio system employing technology that provides the ability to search two or more available communications paths and automatically assigns an open communications path to a user.

Universal Licensing System (ULS). The consolidated database, application filing system and processing system for all Wireless Telecommunications Services. The ULS offers Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) applicants and the general public electronic filing of all applications requests, and full public access to all WTB licensing data.

Urbanized area. A city and the surrounding closely settled territories.

(a) Eligibility. The following are eligible to hold authorizations in the Public Safety Pool.

(b) International police radiocommunication. Police licensees which are located in close proximity to the borders of the United States may be authorized to communicate internationally. Request for such authority shall be written and signed and submitted in duplicate. The request shall include information as to the station with which communication will be conducted, and the frequency, power, emission, etc., that will be used. If authorized, such international communication must be conducted in accordance with Article 5 of the Inter-American Radio Agreement, Washington, DC, 1949, which reads as follows:

(c) Public Safety frequencies.