RF CURRENT

Welcome to RF Current, a weekly electronic newsletter focusing on Broadcast technical and F.C.C. related issues. This newsletter is part of The RF Page @ www.transmitter.com, a web site devoted to TV Broadcast RF engineering. For more information see the What is... guide to the R.F. Page site.

Issues are dated each Monday, although recently I've needed an extra day or two to complete each issue. Articles may be posted earlier if time permits or if there is a major, breaking story.

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August 7, 2000 - Issue 226 Final Edition

FCC Authorizes INTELSAT to Serve the U.S. Upon Privatization (Aug. 3)
As part of its multi-year privatization effort, INTELSAT has created Intelsat LLC, a wholly owned Delaware Corporation, for the purpose of filing applications with the FCC to operate its satellites. When the privatization is complete, Intelsat LLC will own the INTELSAT satellites. It will also transfer its 22 associated orbital locations to the U.S. registry.

On August 3rd, the FCC authorized Intelsat LLC to:
  1. "operate 17 existing C-band and Ku-band satellites presently owned and operated by INTELSAT;
  2. "construct, launch and operate 10 satellites planned by INTELSAT for operation in these bands (nine of which will be under construction by the effective date of the licenses); and
  3. "relocate certain currently operating satellites to different orbital locations upon launch of planned satellites."

The FCC found that waiving certain technical rules for INTELSAT's satellites would be in the public interest, noting that INTELSAT system "predates most of all of its rules for which other countries have requested waivers." Over time, it expects Intelsat LLC to transition to a system that complies with FCC technical rules. The FCC placed time deadlines for construction, launch and operation on licenses for 10 new satellites proposed proposed by INTELSAT.

More information is available in the FCC News Release (nrin0013). Also see the INTELSAT Press Release Intelsat LLC Receives FCC Approval for C- and Ku-Band Global Satellite Operation, which has more information and a link to INTELSAT coverage maps.

Update: The full text of the Memorandum Opinion Order and Authorization regarding this is available as a Text file - fcc00287.txt or Word document fcc00287.doc.

FCC Report Finds Increasd Wireless Competition (Aug. 3)
The FCC has released its Fifth Annual Report on the state of competition in the commercial mobile radio services (CMRS) marketplace. The Report said 88 percent of the total U.S. population have three or more different operators offering mobile telephone service in their county and the price of mobile telephone service declined by 11.3 percent between January 1999 and January 2000.

In the area of mobile data, the FCC focused more on the future than the present: "Many analysts believe that the mobile data sector is beginning to bring the long-promised growth to mobile telephone and other wireless operators. The development of a number of new technologies has contributed to this turn of events. One of the most discussed technological transitions for the industry is the future migration of mobile telephone networks to third generation (or 3G) technologies with service offerings such as high speed Internet and video conferencing." "Virtually all wireless providers, from existing mobile telephone operators to numerous entrepreneurs, have announced plans to offer consumers an impressive variety of these new mobile data services."

The FCC Report also said 220 MHz dispatch licensees are beginning to deploy their networks. It also noted that, "the relocation process for the upper 200 channels in the 800 MHz band, under which geographic licensees are relocating holders of site-specific licenses, is ongoing and the FCC will soon conduct two auctions of 800 MHz licenses."

This information is from an FCC News Release (nrwl0026).

FCC Grants Change to DTV Table of Allotments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Aug. 3)
The FCC has granted the request of Louisiana Television Broadcasting (LTBC), licensee of WBRZ, NTSC Channel 2 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to substitute DTV channel 13 for channel 42.

The FCC agreed the public interest would be served by the substitution since "WBRZ has pledged to construct a full-powered DTV facility on DTV Channel 13 as opposed to a minimal facility during the transition if it is required to construct on DTV Channel 42. A full-powered facility would greatly increase the population served thereby enhancing viewer acceptance of DTV in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, service area." The technical parameters of the Channel 13 DTV allotment to Baton Rouge specify an effective radiated power of 30 kW at a height above average terrain of 515 meters serving a population of 1,751,000. Reference coordinates are 30-17-49 N and 91-11-40 W.

This information is from the Report and Order (Proceeding Terminated)(MM Docket 99-317).

FCC Grants Change to DTV Table of Allotments in Monroe, Louisiana (Aug. 3)
The FCC has granted the request of Noe Corporation, L.L.C., licensee of KNOE-TV, NTSC Channel 8 in Monroe, Louisiana, to substitute DTV channel 7 for channel 55.

The FCC agreed the public interest would be served by the substitution since "it would permit station KNOE-TV to replicate a larger portion of its existing service area during the DTV transition period." The technical parameters of the Channel 7 DTV allotment to Baton Rouge specify an effective radiated power of 5 kW at a height above average terrain of 519 meters serving a population of 454,000. Reference coordinates are 32-11-45 N and 92-04-10 W.

This information is from the Report and Order (Proceeding Terminated)(MM Docket 99-265).

FCC Proposes Rules for 700 MHz Band Public Safety Interoperability Frequencies (Aug. 2)
In the Fourth Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) the FCC considered various technical and operational issues involving the use the interoperability frequencies in the 764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz bands. Some of the technical rules proposed include allowing applicants to aggregate four contiguous 6.25 kHz channels to form 25 kHz channels; blanket license mobile and portable units operating in the 700 MHz interoperability spectrum; specify frequencies for two nationwide calling channels; retaining the 4.8 kbps per 6.25 kHz standard rather than requiring one voice channel per 6.25 kHz bandwidth; and reserving two interoperability channels for data transmission.

The NPRM also sought comment on various issues, including: whether to mandate receiver standards to address interference issues raised by the public safety radio community; the establishment of a single standard for encrypted communications; the appropriate data interoperability standard for the interoperability channels; the approrpriate voice standard for the interoperability channels; and the designation of channels for a particular purpose and naming each interoperability set.

More information is available in the Fourth Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FCC 00-271) and the FCC News Release FCC Takes Steps to Improve Public Safety Communications.

OTHER Items of Interest

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Last modified August 21, 2000 by Doug Lung dlung@xmtr.com
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