FCC Record, Volume 27, No. 5, Pages 3728 to 4696, April 9 - April 27, 2012 Page: 3,938
ix, 3728-4696 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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I. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCEEDING
In this Report and Order (Backhaul R&O), the Commission continued its efforts to increase flexibility in the
use of microwave services licensed under our Part 101 rules. The steps the Commission took will remove
regulatory barriers that limit the use of spectrum for wireless backhaul and other Fixed Service
communications. "Backhaul" in this context refers to telecommunications channels between cell sites or
between cell sites and landline network backbones. "Fixed Service" (FS) refers to radio communication
between specified points, typically but not always using directed beams. The Commission also made
additional spectrum available for wireless backhaul - as much as 650 megahertz - especially in rural areas,
where wireless backhaul is the only practical middle mile solution. By enabling more flexible and cost-
effective microwave services, the Commission is helping to accelerate deployment of fourth-generation (4G)
mobile broadband infrastructure across America.
II. REGULATIONS AND POLICIES THAT THE COMMISSION ADOPTED OR
MODIFIED, INCLUDING COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
Most terrestrial FS operators are licensed under Part 101 of the Commission's rules; the two main exceptions
are the Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) and the Cable TV Relay Service (CARS). The Commission did
two things to reduce artificial regulatory barriers between spectrum allocated to Part 101 FS and spectrum
allocated to BAS and CARS:
* The Commission decided to allow Part 101 FS operators to share the 6875-6975 MHz, 7025-7125
MHz and 12700-13150 MHz bands, which had previously been reserved for BAS and CARS.
However, Part 101 FS operators will be allowed to obtain microwave radio licenses in those bands
only in places where they will not cause electrical interference to previously licensed BAS or CARS
licensees. That will provide Part 101 FS operators with access to an additional 650 megahertz of
spectrum in more than half of the nation's land mass encompassing about 10 percent of the U.S.
population.
* The Commission eliminated the "Final Link" rule. That rule had prohibited broadcasters from using
FS stations licensed under Part 101 as the final radiofrequency link in the chain of distribution of
program material to broadcast stations, restricting broadcasters to the use of BAS frequencies for
such links. Eliminating the rule will make it easier for broadcasters to find vacant spectrum for final
microwave links to their stations.
The Commission also adopted a new rule to facilitate sending of intelligible signals during bad weather. Part
101 contains a minimum data transmission rate rule, 47 C.F.R. 101.141(a)3), that is intended to ensure that
FS links operate efficiently, without wasting spectrum. Severe weather, however, can render high-speed
transmissions unintelligible. To provide operators with more flexibility under those circumstances, the
Commission will allow FS operators licensed under Part 101 to use adaptive modulation, slowing down their
transmission rates during severe weather, comparable to a human being speaking slowly and over-
pronouncing words to be understood in a noisy environment. This rule modification will allow FS operators
to maintain critical communications during periods when atmospheric disturbances cause signal fading.
III. RECORDKEEPING AND OTHER COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
One of the rules adopted in the Backhaul R&O requires BAS licensees in the 6875-7125 MHz band,
including small businesses, to register their fixed receive sites using the Commission's Universal Licensing
System (ULS). This requirement is an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act and will
become effective after the Commission publishes a notice in the Federal Register announcing both the
approval of the information collection by the Office of Management and Budget and the effective date. Once
the requirement takes effect, affected licensees can report the information by logging on to ULS and filing an3938
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United States. Federal Communications Commission. FCC Record, Volume 27, No. 5, Pages 3728 to 4696, April 9 - April 27, 2012, book, April 2012; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc102307/m1/227/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.