§ 96.41 - General radio requirements.

§ 96.41 General radio requirements.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 83 FR 63096, Dec. 7, 2018.

The requirements in this section apply to CBSDs and their associated End User Devices, unless otherwise specified.

(a) Digital modulation. Systems operating in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service must use digital modulation techniques.

(b) Power limits. Unless otherwise specified in this section, the maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and maximum Power Spectral Density (PSD) of any CBSD and End User Device must comply with the limits shown in the table in this paragraph (b):

Device	Maximum EIRP (dBm/10 megahertz)	Maximum PSD (dBm/MHz)
End User Device	23	n/a
Category A CBSD	30	20
Category B CBSD1	47	37

¹ Category B CBSDs will only be authorized for use after an ESC is approved and commercially deployed consistent with §§ 96.15 and 96.67.

(c) Power management. CBSDs and End User Devices shall limit their operating power to the minimum necessary for successful operations.

(1) CBSDs must support transmit power control capability and the capability to limit their maximum EIRP and the maximum EIRP of associated End User Devices in response to instructions from an SAS.

(2) End User Devices shall include transmit power control capability and the capability to limit their maximum EIRP in response to instructions from their associated CBSDs.

(d) Received Signal Strength Limits.

(1) For both Priority Access and GAA users, CBSD transmissions must be managed such that the aggregate received signal strength for all locations within the PAL Protection Area of any co-channel PAL, shall not exceed an average (RMS) power level of −80 dBm in any direction when integrated over a 10 megahertz reference bandwidth, with the measurement antenna placed at a height of 1.5 meters above ground level, unless the affected PAL licensees agree to an alternative limit and communicate that to the SAS.

(2) These limits shall not apply for co-channel operations at the boundary between geographically adjacent PALs held by the same Priority Access Licensee.

(e) 3.5 GHz Emissions and Interference Limits -

(1) General protection levels.

(i) Except as otherwise specified in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, for channel and frequency assignments made by the SAS to CBSDs, the conducted power of any CBSD emission outside the fundamental emission bandwidth as specified in paragraph (

whether in

e)(3) of this section (whether the emission is inside or outside of the authorized band) shall not exceed −13 dBm/MHz within 0-10 megahertz above the upper SAS-assigned channel edge and within 0-10 megahertz below the lower SAS-assigned channel edge. At all frequencies greater than 10 megahertz above the upper SAS assigned channel edge and less than 10 MHz below the lower SAS assigned channel edge, the conducted power of any CBSD emission shall not exceed −25 dBm/MHz. The upper and lower SAS assigned channel edges are the upper and lower limits of any channel assigned to a CBSD by an SAS, or in the case of multiple contiguous channels, the upper and lower limits of the combined contiguous channels.

(ii) Except as otherwise specified in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, for channel and frequency assignments made by a CBSD to End User Devices, the conducted power of any End User Device emission outside the fundamental emission (whether in or outside of the authorized band) shall not exceed −13 dBm/MHz within 0 to B megahertz (where B is the bandwidth in megahertz of the assigned channel or multiple contiguous channels of the End User Device) above the upper CBSD-assigned channel edge and within 0 to B megahertz below the lower CBSD-assigned channel edge. At all frequencies greater than B megahertz above the upper CBSD assigned channel edge and less than B megahertz below the lower CBSD-assigned channel edge, the conducted power of any End User Device emission shall not exceed −25 dBm/MHz. Notwithstanding the emission limits in this paragraph, the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio for End User Devices shall be at least 30 dB.

(2) Additional protection levels. Notwithstanding paragraph (de)(1) of this section, for CBSDs and End User Devices, the conducted power of any emissions below 3540 MHz or above 3710 MHz shall not exceed −25 dBm/MHz, and the conducted power of emissions below 3530 MHz or above 3720 MHz shall not exceed −40dBm/MHz.

(3) Measurement procedure.

(i) Compliance with this provision is based on the use of measurement instrumentation employing a resolution bandwidth of 1 megahertz or greater. However, in the 1 megahertz bands immediately outside and adjacent to the licensee's authorized frequency channel, a resolution bandwidth of no less than one percent of the fundamental emission bandwidth may be employed. A narrower resolution bandwidth is permitted in all cases to improve measurement accuracy provided the measured power is integrated over the full reference bandwidth (i.e., 1 MHz or 1 percent of emission bandwidth, as specified). The fundamental emission bandwidth is defined as the width of the signal between two points, one below the carrier center frequency and one above the carrier center frequency, outside of which all emissions are attenuated at least 26 dB below the transmitter power.

(ii) When measuring unwanted emissions to demonstrate compliance with the limits, the CBSD and End User Device nominal carrier frequency/channel shall be adjusted as close to the licensee's authorized frequency block edges, both upper and lower, as the design permits.

(iii) Compliance with emission limits shall be demonstrated using either average (RMS)-detected or peak-detected power measurement techniques.

(4) When an emission outside of the authorized bandwidth causes harmful interference, the Commission may, at its discretion, require greater attenuation than specified in this section.

(f) Reception limits. Priority Access Licensees must accept adjacent channel and in-band blocking interference (emissions from other authorized Priority Access or GAA CBSDs transmitting between 3550 and 3700 MHz) up to a power spectral density level not to exceed −40 dBm in any direction with greater than 99% probability when integrated over a 10 megahertz reference bandwidth, with the measurement antenna placed at a height of 1.5 meters above ground level, unless the affected Priority Access Licensees agree to an alternative limit and communicates that to the SAS.

Note to paragraph (f):

Citizens Broadband Radio Service users should be aware that there are Federal Government radar systems in the band and adjacent bands that could adversely affect their operations.

(g) Power measurement. The peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of any CBSD transmitter output power must not exceed 13 dB. PAPR measurements should be made using either an instrument with complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) capabilities or another Commission approved procedure. The measurement must be performed using a signal corresponding to the highest PAPR expected during periods of continuous transmission.

[81 FR 49068, July 26, 2016, as amended at 83 FR 63096, Dec. 7, 2018]