Monday, May 12, 2014

ARRL Opposes FCC Move to Withdraw Protections from Licensed Services



In a case that is not directly related to amateur radio spectrum, the ARRL has strongly opposed a proposal by the FCC to expand the frequencies on which Globalstar mobile satellite phones may operate, "with the condition that customer handset users in the new allocation accept interference from unlicensed radio services now legally operating there." In a posting on it website, the League said its comments pointed out that this would be the first time that licensed users would not be protected from interference by unlicensed (Part 15 or Part 18) devices with which they shared spectrum. "This is untenable as a precedent," the comments concluded, "and it makes the entirety of the [NPRM] likewise untenable." The comments were filed on IB Docket 13-213 and RM-11-685.