FCC cracking down on MVPD operators

Zenith (Photo credit: bcostin)

FCC issues a Public Notice informing non-cable, Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPD), of the rules applicable to all MVPDs, cable provider or not, with regard to notification requirements and cable leakage limits and testing. On the same day, the FCC released several citations the bureau had issued, one to a hotel operator, one to a heath care center, and another to a rehabilitation hospital. All three citations were issued out of the Los Angeles Office, western region, of the FCC enforcement Bureau and all three cover violation of exceeding signal leakage limits in the aeronautical bands.

The notice explains that, like cable system operators, non-cable MVPDs must also notify the FCC prior to the use of any aeronautical frequency bands within their systems. Additionally, non-cable MVPDs must also comply with the same requirements cable operators follow with respect to preventing and testing for signal leakage. These rules can be found in Part 76 of Title 47 C.F.R.

An MVPD is any provider that distributes multichannel video programming, traditionally for a fee, for example the cable television systems. Non-cable MVPDs are exempt from the FCC’s legal definition of a cable system, but are subject to some of the same technical rules that traditional cable systems are. Examples of non-cable MVPDs are universities, hotels, apartment complexes and other multiple-unit communities, prisons, office buildings, and other facilities with in-house systems for making multiple channels of video programming available to subscribers or consumers.

The aeronautical frequency bands range from 108 – 137 MHz and 225 – 400 MHz, which correspond to cable channels 14-16, 25-53, and 98 & 99. Notification filing with the FCC is required once a year. All MVPDs must monitor for and repair signal leaks.

Fines for violators can range up to $37,500 per violation, per day of continued violation. It costs $60 to file a frequency usage notification form with the FCC, and no fees are assessed for filing the basic signal leakage performance report.

Ref;

DA 12-1340

Citation No.: C201232900002

Citation No.: C201232900003

Citation No.: C201232900004

C.F.R. Title 47, Part 76

Class 1 Status of 2.4 GHz Wireless LAN in the EU

Class 2 Label sample EU R&TTE. Provided by;
Compatible Electronics, Inc..

Confirmed during a Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Compliance Association (R&TTE CA) meeting held in Vienna, May 2012, the French deviation has expired for the 2.4 GHz band making it a Class 1 band.

Till this point, the 2.4 GHz band has been considered Class 2 in the EU, that is, when importing your product, it must carry the number of a notified body and a special alert symbol in addition to the CE Mark, and you must notify member nations having restrictions, of your intention to place the product on the EU market. Additionally, the product literature would carry a warning of the restriction to “Indoor use only”.

While the notification requirements for the 2.4 GHz use have been eliminated for some time, the last item preventing the 2.4 GHz WLAN from being classified officially as a Class 1 R&TTE device went away on July 1st. The French deviation in the band restricting use of 2.4 GHz WLAN devices to “Indoor use only” has expired.

From July 1, 2012, 2.4 GHz WLAN devices no longer require the alert symbol or Notified Body number, so long as harmonized standards are applied in full to the conformance assessment.

For an explanation of what the class descriptor indicates, see this excerpt from the ETSI.org web site;

“Commission Decision 2000/299/EC defines how equipment is classified according to its use of radio spectrum. It defines two equipment classes as follows:

• Class 1, which can be placed on the market and taken into service throughout the Community

• Class 2, to which some Member States apply restrictions and which is required to carry an 'alert symbol'.”

Ref;

R&TTECA

ETSI.org

http://www.art-telecom.fr/

http://www.erodocdb.dk/Docs/doc98/official/pdf/REC7003E.PDF

FCC Rule Change Focus on Vehicle and Airport Safety

English: Collision Warning with Brake Support (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

July 3, 2012, the FCC has amended Part 15 rules to enable enhanced vehicular radar technologies in the 76-77 GHz band, and to allow fixed radar applications at airports with an aim to improve safety for personnel and equipment.

The amendment includes a relaxation of limits for vehicular radar technologies, and is justified within the Report and Order, citing that maximum permissible limits for human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields had not been established at the time the rules were originally adopted (1995), and the original limits, intended to protect pedestrians in the proximity of stopped vehicles, are far more restrictive than the currently adopted RF exposure levels.

The modifications are applicable specifically to sections 15.35 and 15.253 of title 47 Part 15.

The amendment to section 15.35 eliminates the requirement that vehicular radars decrease power when the vehicle is not in motion. Furthermore this modification specifies a new relaxed emission limit for 76-77 GHz front, side, and rear illuminating vehicular radars. The FCC takes these actions in response to petitions filed by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and Era Systems Corporation (Era).

The modification of section 15.253 will allow fixed radar systems operating in the 76-77 GHz band to be installed at airport locations. These systems are used for foreign object debris (FOD) detection on runways as well as the ability to monitor aircraft and service vehicle traffic on the taxiways and other non-public ground locations.

The FCC justifies these modifications within the Report and Order claiming they “will provide more efficient use of the spectrum, and enable the automotive and aviation industries to develop enhanced safety measures for drivers and the general public”.

The 76-77 GHz band is considered Extremely High Frequency (EHF), and is within the “W band”, 75 GHz to 119 GHz. The EHF spectrum is what is commonly referred to as the millimeter wave spectrum, which is considered to begin at 30 GHz and end at 300 GHz.

The 76-77 GHz band is primarily allocated to the Radio Astronomy Service (RAS) and the Radiolocation service. Amateur and Space research (space-to-Earth) services utilize this band on a secondary basis.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) has raised concerns about increased interference potential to radio astronomy operations if the rules are adopted. NRAO argues that vehicular radars may interfere with radio astronomy receivers over distances up to approximately 60 miles. NRAO states that “destruction of radio astronomy receivers is a serious possibility” due to the high powered vehicular radars. The Automotive industry disagrees with the claims citing that they are speculative. The FCC notes that vehicular radar has been permitted in the 76-77 GHz band since 1995, and that an increase in potential interference as a result of the rule change is negligible.

Ref:

FCC Report and Order

NPRM ET Docket No. 11-90

Era Systems Corp. 2.803, 15.201, 15.253 waiver request and FCC response

Multimedia Equipment, emission requirements standard EN 55032 held up due to errors.

Back of audio mixer at bull and gate London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The CEN-CENELEC Management Centre (CCMC) was informed that a considerable number of errors were discovered during the publishing phase of the new EMC standard for multimedia equipment, CISPR 32:2012. The procedure has been endorsed by CENELEC as EN 55032:2012 (dor = 3/5/12). It has been noted that the document submitted for vote was the correct text however.

While the IEC is investigating possible options for correcting the matter, CCMC is informing of the errors and working with the IEC toward a speedy resolution to enable CENELEC members to implement corrections at the national level. The CCMC has also posted a note to the CENELEC website / database informing of this error.

The CCMC will not yet offer EN 55032:2012 to the European Commission for citing in the Official Journal. The intended listing was for the EMC and Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment ( R&TTE)  Directives.

Furthermore the Technical Committee will request that the Date of Withdrawal (DOW) be extended from dor+36 months to dor+60 months.

EN 55032:2012 has a broad scope and applies to multimedia equipment (MME) having a rated r.m.s. AC or DC supply voltage not exceeding 600 V. Equipment within the scope of CISPR 13 (EN 55013) or CISPR 22 (EN 55022) is within the scope of EN 55032. Multimedia equipment intended primarily for professional use is also within the scope of EN 55032.

The term “dor” refers to the date of ratification, and is the date when the technical board notes the approval of a European Norm (EN), at which time the standard may be said to be adopted.

Ref:

CENELC Project : EN 55032:2012

CENELEC Guide 19

FCC running out of Grantee codes

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The availability of new FCC issued grantee codes is critically low, and the FCC will soon run out. Today the Commission voted to expand the code from 3, to 5 digits by amending Sections 2.925 and 2.926.

Each product certified to the FCC rules must carry an FCC ID, as an example look on the back of your electronic device for “FCC ID:xxx1234”. This identifier consists of a grantee code making up the first 3 digits, and an applicant assigned unique product code composed of from 1 to 14 additional alpha-numeric characters, dashes or hyphens.

Each entity seeking to obtain a grant of equipment authorization from the FCC, must first obtain the unique grantee code assigned by the FCC. This three digit format uses alpha numeric characters, excluding 0 and 1 in a way that would provide for over 30,000 unique combinations.

This FCC identifier system was introduced in 1979. In 1999, 440 grantee codes had been issued that year. In 2001, 635 grantee codes were issued, and in 2011 the number had increased to 1275 unique grantee codes issued per year.

Given the rate of grantee code issuance, the FCC will soon run out of unique codes. To extend this deadline, the FCC had been recycling old unused grantee codes, however this was only a temporary solution. Today the Commission approved a vote to extend the code to 5 digits. This will provide approximately 8,000,000 unique combinations.

Entities that currently have a 3 digit grantee code may keep the code, but new applicants will be assigned the new 5 digit grantee code approximately 30 - 60 days from the order’s publication in the federal register.

Ref:
Open Commission Meeting June 13, 2012

FCC Extends commenting period for some draft publications

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The OET (Office of Engineering and Technologies) agreed to extend the commenting period for a number of Draft Knowledge Data Base publications, also known as KDBs,  until June 30, 2012, after receiving and reviewing a number of requests for such an extension.

This extension amounts to an additional 30 day review period. The FCC commented that given the number of different KDB guidance documents, it would be useful for all parties to take more time to review and comment.

Following are the affected draft KDBs;

- General RF Exposure Guidance (447498)

- SAR Evaluation consideration for LTE Devices (941225)

- SAR Measurement, Compliance Reporting, 100 MHz to 6 GHZ (865664)

- SAR Evaluation Considerations for Handsets with Multiple Transmitters (648474)

- SAR Evaluation Considerations for Laptop, Notebook, Netbook (616217)

- TCB Exclusion List (628591)

- Permit But Ask List (388624)

- RF Exposure Evaluation Considerations for Occupational Push-to-Talk Two-Way Radios (643646)

New R&TTE and EMC Standards List Published in OJ

New Harmonized standards lists have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union for the Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment(R&TTE) Directive and the EMC Directive.

R&TTE Directive Standards List

EMC Directive Standards List