Aggregator

This action amends the amateur service rules, consistent with the statutory mandate of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, to remove certain unnecessary and outdated regulations. It removes the conflict- of-interest provisions pertaining to the administration of amateur operator license examinations. It also eliminates the requirement that volunteer examiners (VEs) and volunteer-examiner coordinators (VECs) who administer and coordinate amateur operator examinations maintain records of out-of-pocket expenses and annually certify those expenses to the Commission. The effect of these rule amendments is to further the public interest because they eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens.

This action restructures the Compliance and Information Bureau. The Commission reviewed the operations of the Bureau in light of principles of the National Performance Review to makes its operations more cost effective and to privatize those that could be handled by the private sector. It is the intent of this action to improve service to the public at a reduced cost.

The Commission has adopted a Report and Order to eliminate the one-year ``build-out'' requirement for the IVDS, while retaining the three-year and five-year build-out requirements. This action will allow the IVDS industry additional time to develop and deploy new and innovative applications.

On October 2, 1995, the Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau adopted an Order that clarified that amateur stations may use any digital code that has its technical characteristics publicly documented. The amendments were necessary because some amateur operators have expressed concern about the propriety of using the CLOVER, G-TOR, and PacTOR codes on the High Frequency amateur service bands.

This action makes revisions to the vanity call sign system rules. The revisions concern limiting availability of call signs for call sign Regions 11, 12, and 13 to licensees who have a mailing address in the specific state, commonwealth, or island of those regions, requiring a close relative of a deceased call sign holder to hold the same or higher class of operator license as the deceased, specifying that applicants who file timely vanity call sign renewal applications will have continuing operating authority, establishing a new starting gate, Gate 1A, for clubs that wish to obtain the call sign of a deceased member, and making an editorial change relating to new club and military recreation station applications. The rule amendments are necessary so that all members of the amateur community will be treated fairly, yet recognizing the privileges of higher grade operator licensees. The effect of this action is to make available to amateur operators call signs that they themselves select for their amateur stations.

The Commission has proposed rules to establish a new personal radio service that would permit individuals a very short distance, unlicensed, two-way voice radio service in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) portion of the radio spectrum. This action is in response to a petition for rule making from the Radio Shack Division of Tandy Corporation (Tandy). Allowing uses of the radio spectrum in this manner would meet a burgeoning public demand for an affordable and convenient means of direct, short-range, two-way voice communication among small groups of persons.

The Commission has proposed rules to allow Interactive Video and Data Service (IUDS) licensees to eliminate the one-year construction ``build-out'' requirement. This action was initiated on our own motion in response to requests by several IUDS licensees that participated in the IUDS auction. Originally crafted in the context of awarding licenses by lottery, the one-year construction benchmark now appears unnecessary. Licensees have sufficient economic incentives to provide service as quickly as possible; eliminating this one-year benchmark will provide licensees with greater flexibility in making financial, equipment, and other construction-related decisions.

The Commission had adopted a Notice of Proposed Rule Making which seeks to permit the shared use of the 216-217 MHz band, on a secondary, non-interference basis, for a new Low Power Radio Service to include law enforcement tracking systems, auditory assistance devices for the hearing-impaired, and health care assistance devices for disabled and ill persons. Further, the Commission seeks to permit Automated Maritime Telecommunications Systems (AMTS) coast stations to also share this band on a secondary, non-interference basis for point- to-point network control communications. This action stems from the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Notice of Inquiry in PR Docket 92-257 which sought to compile a record of viable, alternative uses for this one megahertz of maritime mobile spectrum. Thus, the proposed rules should aid law enforcement efforts in the recovery of stolen goods, further the goals of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), increase access to educational and health care opportunities for persons with disabilities and illnesses, increase the number of channels available to the AMTS for operational control communications, and promote the efficient use of maritime spectrum.

This action amends the rules for the amateur service to authorize automatic control of stations transmitting digital emission types on the High Frequency (HF) amateur service bands. This amendment was necessary because, except for temporary authority the Commission issued to permit a feasibility study, automatic control has not been authorized on the HF bands. The intended effect of the final rule is to authorize automatic control of amateur stations transmitting digital emissions subject to two conditions: The automatically controlled station either must be connected to another station that is under manual control, or the automatically controlled station must transmit only within a subband designated for communications between automatically controlled stations.