2010 Narrow Band or Digital Plus Trunking Analysis

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Equipment manufacturers should be aware that, beginning January 1, 2011, the manufacture, importation, or certification of any 150 -174 MHz or 421 -512 MHz band equipment capable of operating with only one voice path per 25 kHz of spectrum will be prohibited; and applications for equipment certification must specify 6.25 kHz capability. Additional Information How should licensees notify the Commission that they are in compliance with the January 1, 2013 deadline to migrate to narrowband or narrowband - equivalent technology? The answer to this question depends on how and when the station came into compliance. Licensees of stations that already satisfy the narrowbanding requirements because their authorized bandwidth does not exceed 12.5 kHz do not need to take any action to notify the Commission that the station has met the narrowbanding deadline. • Licensees of stations that currently are authorized to operate with a bandwidth exceeding 12.5 kHz that are transitioning to 12.5 kHz or narrower operation must file a modification application to either add a narrowband emission designator or change the wideband emission designator to a narrowband • emission designator. The licensee will not need to take any additional action to notify the Commission that the station has met the narrowbanding deadline. Adding or changing an emission designator for an existing frequency does not trigger a new construction requirement, so the licensee will not need to file a new construction notification. Note: Many stations are or will be authorized to operate on their assigned frequencies with multiple authorized bandwidths, including both wideband 25 kHz emissions and 12.5 kHz or narrower emissions. It is not necessary for licensees of such stations to delete the wideband 25 kHz emission designator in order to demonstrate compliance with the January 1, 2013 deadline. Instead, absent information to the contrary, stations that were authorized to operate with both wideband and narrowband emissions prior to January 1, 2013 will initially be presumed to be operating only with narrowband emissions (i.e., that the wideband mode has been disabled) after January 1, 2013. (All equipment certified since 1997 has been required to have a 12.5 kHz operational mode. Licensees should check with their radio equipment vendor to determine how to ensure that the equipment is operating in the 12.5 kHz mode.) The Commission also will have discretion to inquire of licensees to verb that they are operating in compliance with the Commission's rules. Licensees of stations that currently are authorized to operate with a bandwidth exceeding 12.5 kHz that have complied or will comply with the narrowbanding deadline by adopting narrowband - equivalent equipment will be required to certify compliance with the deadline. This is necessary because it will not always be apparent from the license's technical parameters whether a 25 kHz station is a non- compliant wideband station or a compliant narrowband- equivalent station. We plan to implement this 4 These 2011 deadlines applicable to manufacturers also are subject of the NPSTC petition for stay. The 6.25 kHz requirement does not apply to hand -held transmitters with an output power of two watts or less. See 47 C.F.R. § 90.203(j)(4). 5 Currently, the Commission's rules require frequency coordination for a modification application that proposes to reduce the authorized bandwidth on the licensed center frequencies, see 47 C.F.R. § 90.175, but the Commission has sought comment on exempting such applications from this requirement. See Amendment of Part 90 of the Commission's Rules, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order, WP Docket No. 07 -100, 22 FCC Rcd 9595, 9596- 97 ¶ 3 (2007). 2 • 1