FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: News Media Contact:

December 28, 2001 Lisa Gaisford: 202-418-7280

E-mail: lgaisfor@fcc.gov

**FCC ALLOCATES ADDITIONAL SPECTRUM FOR NEW WIRELESS SERVICES**

**(ET Docket No. 00-221)**

Washington, DC -- The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report
and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order reallocating 27 megahertz of
spectrum transferred from Federal Government use for new flexible
services. The Order reallocates a number of small spectrum blocks
transferred pursuant to the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The 27 megahertz of reallocated
spectrum is in the 216-220 MHz, 1390-1395 MHz, 1427-1429 MHz, 1429-1432
MHz, 1432-1435 MHz, 1670-1675 MHz, and 2385-2390 MHz bands transferred
from Government to non-Government use. These actions will benefit
consumers by permitting and encouraging the introduction of new and
innovative wireless technologies while at the same time preserving the
primary status of Wireless Medical Telemetry Services and elevating Low
Power Radio Services in the 216‑217 MHz band, which include auditory
assistance and law enforcement applications, to primary status.

This proceeding continues the implementation of the Commission's
November 1999 *Spectrum Policy Statement*, which, among other things,
identified a preliminary allocation plan for this spectrum, and
articulated a number of goals for sound spectrum policy. Many of the
actions taken in this Order will be further implemented with a
forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rule Making on appropriate service rules
for the reallocated frequency bands, some of which must be licensed by
auction by September 2002.

The Commission took the following major actions in this Report and
Order:

-   Allocated the 216-220 MHz band to the fixed and mobile services on a
    co-primary basis. This action elevates the Low Power Radio Service
    (LPRS) from secondary to primary status in the 216‑217 MHz band and
    provides existing licensees in the Automated Maritime
    Telecommunication System (AMTS) with additional flexibility, but
    does not alter the status of the 218-219 Service, which already
    operates on a primary basis in this spectrum. Additionally, both
    Government and Non-Government telemetry incumbents will be
    grandfathered on a secondary basis in the 216-220 MHz band and new
    secondary telemetry operations will be permitted in the 217-220 MHz
    portion of the band.

-   Allocated the 1390‑1392 MHz band to the fixed-satellite service
    (Earth-to-space) and the 1430‑1432 MHz band to the fixed-satellite
    service (space-to-Earth) on a primary basis. The use of these
    allocations will be limited to feeder links for non‑voice,
    non‑geostationary mobile‑satellite service (NVNG MSS; generally
    known as Little LEOs) and is contingent on the adoption of a similar
    international allocation and other constraints.

-   Allocated the 1390-1392 MHz band to the fixed and mobile (except
    aeronautical mobile) services on a co-primary basis, having
    determined that these services can successfully share spectrum with
    the Little LEO feeder uplinks. This band will be available on an
    unpaired basis.

-   Shifted the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) allocation
    from 1429‑1432 MHz to 1427‑1429.5 MHz as requested by the American
    Hospital Association. This shift will provide additional separation
    from high powered land mobile operations and increase available
    spectrum capacity for this service. The Order maintained the
    secondary status of non-medical telemetry systems in this band. The
    Order also elevated telemetry to primary status in the
    1429.5-1432 MHz band.

-   Allocated the 1392‑1395 MHz band and the 1432‑1435 MHz band to the
    fixed and mobile (except aeronautical mobile) services on a
    co-primary basis. These bands will be available on a paired basis.

-   Allocated the 1670‑1675 band to the fixed and mobile (except
    aeronautical mobile) services on a co-primary basis and the
    2385‑2390 MHz band to the fixed and mobile services on a co-primary
    basis. These bands will be available on an unpaired basis.

-   Deleted primary Federal Government allocations from the transfer
    bands, except in the mixed-use bands (216-220 MHz and 1670-1675
    MHz), where a limited number of stations will be grandfathered
    indefinitely. In the exclusive non-Federal Government bands
    (1390-1395 MHz, 1427-1429 MHz, and 2385-2390 MHz), a limited number
    of sites are temporarily grandfathered pursuant to the terms of
    reallocation from the Federal Government. Federal agencies will not
    add new primary stations in any of the transfer bands. In the bands
    1432-1435 MHz and 2385-2390 MHz, non-grandfathered Federal
    Governments stations will retain their primary status until
    relocated in accordance with the Strom Thurmond National Defense
    Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1999 and forthcoming rules and
    procedures to be issued by the National Telecommunications and
    Information Administration (NTIA).

    Action by the Commission on December 21, 2001 by Report and Order
    and Memorandum Opinion and Order (FCC 01-382).

Staff Contact: Ira Keltz at (202) 418-0616, e-mail:
[ikeltz@fcc.gov]{.underline}.