FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20554

**DA 00-73**

January 28, 2000

Claircom Communications Group, L.P. Cody Wilbanks, Esq.

c/o Tom W. Davidson, Esq. General Counsel

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & GTE Airfone Incorporated

Field, L.L.P. 2809 Butterfield Road

1333 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Box 9000

Suite 400 Oak Brook, Illinois 60521

Washington, D.C. 20036

Mobile Telecommunications Technologies American Skycell Corporation

Corporation c/o Louis Gurman, Esq.

c/o Thomas Gutierrez, Esq. Gurman, Kurtis, Blask & Friedman .

Lukas, McGowan, Nace & Gutierrez 1400 16^th^ Street, N.W.

819 H Street, N.W. Suite 500

7^th^ Floor Washington, D.C. 20036

Washington, D.C. 20006

Dear Sirs:

This is in response to a joint petition for rulemaking you filed on July
22, 1993 and three joint supplemental petitions filed on October 21,
1993, December 22, 1993, and July 18, 1994 (collectively, the
"Petition").[^1] In your Petition, you asked us to initiate a rulemaking
proceeding to amend the geographical reference coordinates of certain
ground station locations set out in former Section 22.1109 of the
Commission's rules.[^2] That section has since been renumbered and is
now 47 C.F.R. § 22.859.[^3] Under Section 22.859, providers of
air-to-ground ("ATG") telephone service must locate their ground
stations within one mile of the reference coordinates listed in Section
22.859.

The Petition specifically requests changes in the reference coordinates
for 11 sites. The original petition for rulemaking seeks amendments to
the reference coordinates for seven sites: Kenner, Louisiana; Nashville,
Tennessee; Bedford, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; San Jose, California;
Cordova, Alaska; and Sitka, Alaska. The supplemental petitions seek the
same relief for Ketchikan and Yakutat, Alaska; Austin, Texas; and
Pataskala, Ohio.

.

The Petition also states that the requested modifications to Section
22.859: (1) are fully consistent with the one mile collocation rule
because, in every case, the ground stations of all the petitioners have
been constructed within one mile of the proposed new reference
coordinates; (2) will not harm current or future ATG service providers
because none have initiated construction of a ground station that is
located more than one mile from the proposed reference coordinates; (3)
will avoid costly relocations of facilities which do not create
inter-carrier interference but which technically do not currently comply
with the Commission's rules; and (4) will replace reference coordinates
that represent illogical locations with reference coordinates which are
more appropriate for ATG station locations.[^4]

We have examined the requests in your Petition and find that it is in
the public interest to amend Section 22.859 to adopt the geographical
reference coordinates for the 11 sites requested in your Petition. Our
engineering review indicates that a grant of the requested relief will
not cause interference to or violate the rights of any other Commission
licensee. Accordingly, Section 22.859 is amended to incorporate the
geographical reference coordinates for these 11 sites as set forth in
the appendix to this letter.

We also find that good cause exists under Section 1.412(c) of the
Commission's rules to adopt this rule change without prior public notice
and comment because we find such procedures to be unnecessary in this
instance.[^5] All of the parties who would be affected by amending the
geographical reference coordinates were parties to the Petition.
Therefore, we are granting the relief requested without formally seeking
comments from the public. Unless an adverse comment is received
regarding the amendments to Section 22.859 within 30 days after
publication of this letter in the Federal Register, the rule amendments
will become effective on the 31^st^ day after publication in the Federal
Register.[^6]

This action is taken pursuant to the authority delegated to the Chief,
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, in Section 0.331 of the Commission's
rules.[^7]

> Sincerely,

Thomas J. Sugrue

Chief,

Wireless Telecommunications Bureau

Appendix

##### APPENDIX

### FINAL RULES

#### Chapter 1, Part 22, Subpart G of Title 47 of the Code Federal regulations is amended as follows:

1.  **Section 22.859 is revised to change the reference coordinates
    and/or channel blocks for Cordova, Alaska, Ketchikan, Alaska, Sitka,
    Alaska, Yakutat, Alaska, San Jose, California, Kenner, Louisiana,
    Kansas City, Missouri, Pataskala, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee,
    Austin, Texas, and Bedford, Texas as follows:**

**§ 22.859 Geographical channel block layout.**

Except as provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, ground
station locations must be within 1.61 kilometers (one mile) of the
locations listed in this paragraph. The channel block allotted for each
location must be used to provide service to airborne mobile stations in
flight and may be used to provide service to airborne mobile stations on
ground.

Channel

[Location]{.underline} [N. Latitude]{.underline} [W.
Longitude]{.underline} [Block]{.underline}

ALASKA

Anchorage 6111\'06\" 14954\'42\" 8

Cordova 6029\'40\" 14528\'10\" 5

Ketchikan 5521\'11\" 13142\'33\" 5

Juneau 5821\'18\" 13434\'30\" 4

Sitka 5703\'04\" 13520\'17\" 7

Yakutat 5932\'23\" 139\'04\" 2

ALABAMA

Birmingham 3323\'24\" 8639\'59\" 2

ARIZONA

Phoenix 3335\'39\" 11205\'12\" 4

Winslow 3501\'17\" 11043\'02\" 6

ARKANSAS

Pine Bluff 3410\'56\" 9156\'18\" 8

CALIFORNIA

Blythe 3336\'39\" 11442\'24\" 10

Eureka 4042\'59\" 12412\'09\" 8

Los Angeles 3356\'45\" 11823\'03\" 4

Oakland 3751\'12\" 12212\'30\" 1

San Francisco 3741\'15\" 12226\'01\" 6

San Jose............................... 37°20\'56\"............\...
121°53\'57\"........................5

Visalia 3619\'36\" 11923\'22\" 7

COLORADO

Colorado Springs 3844\'39\" 10451\'46\" 8

Denver 3946\'45\" 10450\'49\" 1

Hayden 4029\'04\" 10713\'08\" 6

FLORIDA

Miami 2548\'27\" 8016\'30\" 4

Orlando 2826\'53\" 8122\'00\" 2

Tallahassee 3024\'02\" 8421\'18\" 7

GEORGIA

Atlanta 3339\'05\" 8425\'54\" 5

St. Simons Island 3109\'22\" 8123\'14\" 6

HAWAII

Mauna Kapu 2124\'24\" 15806\'02\" 5

IDAHO

Blackfoot 4311\'34\" 11220\'57\" 8

Caldwell 4338\'45\" 11638\'44\" 10

ILLINOIS

Chicago 4146\'49\" 8745\'20\" 3

Kewanee 4112\'05\" 8957\'33\" 5

Schiller Park 4157\'18\" 8752\'57\" 2

INDIANA

Fort Wayne 4059\'16\" 8511\'31\" 7

IOWA

Des Moines 4131\'58\" 9338\'54\" 1

KANSAS

Garden City 3759\'35\" 10054\'04\" 3

Wichita 3737\'24\" 9727\'15\" 7

KENTUCKY

Fairdale 3804\'48\" 8547\'33\" 6

LOUISIANA

Kenner 3000\'27\" 9013\'49\" 3

Shreveport 3227\'09\" 9349\'38\" 5

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston 4223\'15\" 7101\'03\" 7

MICHIGAN

Bellville 4212\'17\" 8329\'09\" 8

Flint 4258\'21\" 8344\'22\" 9

Sault Saint Marie 4628\'45\" 8421\'31\" 6

MINNESOTA

Bloomington 4451\'30\" 9313\'19\" 9

MISSISSIPPI

Meridian 3219\'10\" 8841\'33\" 9

MISSOURI

Kansas City 3918\'13\" 9441\'04\" 6

St. Louis 3842\'45\" 9019\'19\" 4

Springfield 3714\'28\" 9322\'54\" 9

MONTANA

Lewistown 4702\'56\" 10927\'27\" 5

Miles City 4625\'30\" 10552\'30\" 8

Missoula 4701\'05\" 11400\'41\" 3

NEBRASKA

Grand Island 4058\'00\" 9819\'11\" 2

Ogallala 4107\'11\" 10145\'37\" 4

NEVADA

Las Vegas 3605\'35\" 11510\'25\" 1

Reno 3935\'13\" 11955\'52\" 3

Tonopah 3803\'43\" 11713\'24\" 9

Winnemucca 4100\'39\" 11745\'58\" 4

NEW MEXICO

Alamogordo 3254\'46\" 10556\'41\" 8

Albuquerque 3503\'05\" 10637\'13\" 10

Aztec 3648\'42\" 10753\'48\" 9

Clayton 3627\'29\" 10311\'16\" 5

NEW JERSEY

Woodbury 3950\'01\" 7509\'21\" 3

NEW YORK

E. Elmhurst 4046\'21\" 7352\'42\" 1

Schuyler 4309\'09\" 7507\'50\" 2

Staten Island 4036\'05\" 7406\'35\" 9

NORTH CAROLINA

Greensboro 3605\'54\" 7956\'42\" 9

Wilmington 3416\'10\" 7754\'24\" 3

NORTH DAKOTA

Dickinson 4651\'05\" 10247\'35\" 7

OHIO

Pataskala 4004\'05\" 8242\'00\" 1

OKLAHOMA

Warner 3529\'31\" 9518\'25\" 4

Woodward 3624\'42\" 9928\'50\" 9

OREGON

Albany 4438\'24\" 12303\'36\" 5

Klamath Falls 4206\'30\" 12138\'00\" 2

Pendleton 4535\'45\" 11831\'02\" 7

PENNSYLVANIA

Coraopolis 4030\'33\" 8013\'27\" 4

New Cumberland 4011\'30\" 7652\'02\" 8

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston 3254\'10\" 8001\'20\" 4

SOUTH DAKOTA

Aberdeen 4527\'21\" 9825\'26\" 6

Rapid City 4402\'36\" 10303\'36\" 5

TENNESSEE

Elizabethton 3626\'04\" 8208\'06\" 7

Memphis 3501\'44\" 8956\'15\" 10

Nashville 3608\'07\" 8641\'39\" 3

TEXAS

Austin 32\'45\" 97\'19\" 2

Bedford 32\'19\" 9708\'03\" 1

Houston 2954\'37\" 9524\'39\" 9

Lubbock 3337\'06\" 10152\'14\" 7

Monahans 3134\'58\" 10254\'18\" 6

UTAH

Abajo Peak 3750\'21\" 10927\'42\" 7

Delta 3923\'15\" 11230\'44\" 2

Escalante 3745\'19\" 11152\'27\" 5

Green River 3857\'54\" 11013\'40\" 3

Salt Lake City 4039\'11\" 11212\'06\" 1

VIRGINIA

Arlington 3852\'55\" 7706\'18\" 6

WASHINGTON

Seattle 4726\'08\" 12217\'35\" 4

Cheney 4733\'14\" 11743\'35\" 1

WEST VIRGINIA

Charleston 3819\'47\" 8139\'36\" 2

WISCONSIN

Stevens Point 4433\'06\" 8925\'27\" 8

WYOMING

Riverton 4303\'37\" 10827\'23\" 9

\(a\) Carriers authorized to construct and operate air-to-ground
radiotelephone systems on the channels listed in § 22.857 may also
construct and operate low power ground stations designed to provide
service to airborne mobile stations on the ground, provided that no
interference is caused to service provided by ground stations located in
accordance with the geographical channel block layout or with paragraph
(b) of this section. The antenna location of such low power ground
station may be anywhere that is at least 483 kilometers (300 miles) from
all antenna locations of ground stations using the channel block(s) in
accordance with the geographical channel block layout or with paragraph
(b) of this section.

\(b\) Ground station locations may be more than 1.61 kilometers (one
mile) from all of the locations listed in this section, provided that
they are at least 885 kilometers (550 miles) from all antenna locations
of ground stations using the same channel block(s) in accordance with
the geographical channel block layout or with this paragraph.

[^1]: Claircom Licensee Corporation, GTE/Airfone Incorporated and
    In-Flight Phone Corporation also jointly filed comments April 26,
    1996 (and attached a petition for rulemaking), in response to the
    Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's (Bureau) March 26, 1996, Public
    Notice No. 62162 seeking comment on rule streamlining proposals
    under consideration by the Bureau. To the extent not addressed by
    the Bureau's action today, the proposals made by these parties in
    their filed comments (and attached petition for rulemaking) will be
    considered in connection with any future streamlining initiatives
    undertaken by the Bureau.

[^2]: 47 C.F.R. § 22.1109.

[^3]: *See* Part 22 Rewrite, 9 FCC Rcd 6513, 6656 (1994).

[^4]: *Id.*

[^5]: 47 C.F.R. § 1.412(c).

[^6]: 47 C.F.R. § 1.427.

[^7]: 47 C.F.R. § 0.331.