[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 110 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 28768-28770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14140]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 95
[WT Docket No. 95-102; FCC 96-215]
Establishment of the Family Radio Service
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This action revises the Personal Radio Service rules to
establish a very short distance, unlicensed, two-way voice personal
radio service called the Family Radio Service (FRS). The rule
amendments are necessary so that families, friends and associates could
have the capability to communicate with one another over a very short
range, typically a few city blocks. The effect of this action is to
provide a high-quality low-cost communications service that will be
useful to hunters, campers, hikers, bicyclists and other outdoor
activity enthusiasts who need to communicate with other members of
their party who are out of speaking range or sight but still in the
same general area.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 8, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William T. Cross, Federal
Communications Commission, Washington, DC 20554, (202) 418-0680.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report
and Order, adopted May 14 , 1996, and released May 15, 1996. The
complete text of this Commission action, including the rule amendments,
is available for inspection and copying at the Federal Communications
Commission, Room 246, 1919 M Streeet, NW., Washington, DC. The complete
text of this Report and Order may also be obtained from the
Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Services,
Inc., 2100 M Street, NW., Suite 140, Washington, DC 20037, telephone
(202) 857-3800, and from the FCC's internet World Wide Web homepage,
http://www.fcc.gov
Summary of Report and Order
1. By this action, we are amending the Personal Radio Service rules
to establish the FRS.
2. Also, by this action, we are also amending the technical
standards to establish standards for FRS transmitters.
3. The amended rules are set forth below, effective July 8, 1996.
4. This Report and Order and the rule amendments are issued under
the authority contained in 47 U.S.C. 154(i), 303(r), and 307(e).
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 95
Communications equipment, Radio.
Federal Communications Commission
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
Rule Changes
Part 95 of Chapter I of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations
is amended as follows:
PART 95--PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES
1. The authority citation for part 95 continues to read as follows:
Authority: Secs. 4, 303, 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as amended; 47
U.S.C. 154, 303.
2. Subpart B, Secs. 95.191 through 95.194, is added to part 95 to
read as follows:
Subpart B--Family Radio Service (FRS)
General Provisions
Sec.
95.191 (FRS Rule 1) Eligibility and responsibility.
95.192 (FRS Rule 2) Authorized locations.
95.193 (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.
95.194 (FRS Rule 4) FRS units.
Subpart B--Family Radio Service (FRS)
General Provisions
Sec. 95.191 (FRS Rule 1) Eligibility and responsibility.
(a) Unless you are a representative of a foreign government, you
are authorized by this rule to operate an FCC certified FRS unit in
accordance with the rules in this subpart. No license will be issued.
(b) You are responsible for all communications that you make with
the FRS unit. You must share each channel with other users. No channel
is available for the private or exclusive use of any user.
Sec. 95.192 (FRS Rule 2) Authorized locations.
(a) Provided that you comply with these rules, you are authorized
to operate an FRS unit:
(1) Within or over any area of the world where radio services are
regulated by the FCC (this area includes the fifty United States and
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United
States Virgin Islands (50 islets and cays), American Samoa (seven
islands), the Commonwealth of Northern Marianna Islands, and Guam
Island);
(2) Within or over any other area of the world, except within or
over the territorial limits of areas where radio services are regulated
by an agency of the United States other than the FCC or any foreign
government (you are subject to its rules);
(3) Aboard any vessel or aircraft registered in the United States,
with the permission of the captain, that is within or over any area of
the world where radio services are regulated by the FCC or upon or over
international waters;
(4) or; Aboard any unregistered vessel or aircraft owned or
operated by a United States citizen or company that is within or over
any area of the world where radio services are regulated by the FCC or
upon or over international waters.
(5) You must operate the FRS unit only according to any applicable
treaty to which the United States is a party.
[[Page 28769]]
The FCC will make public notice of any such conditions.
(b) Your use of an FRS unit must not cause harmful interference to
a FCC monitoring facility. Doing so could result in imposition of
restrictions upon the operation of the FRS unit within 0.8 km (0.5
mile) of the facility by its Engineer-in-Charge. (Geographical
coordinates of the facilities that require protection are listed in
Sec. 0.121(c) of this chapter.)
(c) The FCC may impose additional restrictions on a FRS station if
the station is located at a point within the National Radio Quiet Zone
(an area within the States of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia).
The Zone is the area bounded by:
(1) 39 deg. 15' N. on the North;
(2) 78 deg. 30' W. on the East;
(3) 37 deg. 30' N. on the South; and
(4) 80 deg. 30' W. on the West.
Sec. 95.193 (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.
(a) You may use an FRS unit to conduct two-way voice communications
with another person. You may use the FRS unit to transmit one-way
communications only to establish communications with another person,
send an emergency message, provide traveler assistance, make a voice
page, or to conduct a brief test.
(b) The FRS unit may transmit tones to make contact or to continue
communications with a particular FRS unit. If the tone is audible (more
than 300 Hertz), it must last no longer than 15 seconds at one time. If
the tone is subaudible (300 Hertz or less), it may be transmitted
continuously only while you are talking.
(c) You must not use an FRS unit in connection with any activity
which is against federal, state or local law.
(d) You must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to
emergency communication messages concerning the immediate safety of
life or the immediate protection of property.
(e) No FRS unit may be interconnected to the public switched
network.
Sec. 95.194 (FRS Rule 4) FRS units.
(a) You may only use an FCC certified FRS unit. (You can identify
an FCC certified FRS unit by the label placed on it by the
manufacturer.)
(b) You must not make, or have made, any internal modification to
an FRS unit. Any internal modification cancels the FCC certification
and voids your authority to operate the unit in the FRS.
(c) You may not attach any antenna, power amplifier, or other
apparatus to an FRS unit that has not been FCC certified as part of
that FRS unit. There are no exceptions to this rule and attaching any
such apparatus to a FRS unit cancels the FCC certification and voids
everyone's authority to operate the unit in the FRS.
Subpart D--Citizens Band (CB) Radio Service
3. Section 95.401 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.401 (CB Rule 1) What are the Citizens Band Radio Services?
The Citizens Band Radio Services are:
(a) The Citizens Band (CB) Radio Service--a private, two-way,
short-distance voice communications service for personal or business
activities of the general public. The CB Radio Service may also be used
for voice paging.
(b) The Family Radio Service (FRS)--a private, two-way, very short-
distance voice communications service for facilitating family and group
activities. The rules for this service are contained in Subpart B of
this part.
Subpart E--Technical Regulations
4. Section 95.601 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.601 Basis and purpose.
These rules provide the technical standards to which each
transmitter (apparatus that converts electrical energy received from a
source into RF (radio frequency) energy capable of being radiated) used
or intended to be used in a station authorized in any of the Personal
Radio Services must comply. They also provide requirements for
obtaining type acceptance of such transmitters. The Personal Radio
Services are the GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service), the Family Radio
Service (FRS), the R/C (Radio Control Radio Service), and the CB
(Citizens Band Radio Service). For operating rules, see Part 95,
Subpart A-GMRS; Subpart B-FRS; Subpart C-R/C; and Subpart D-CB.
5. Section 95.603 is amended by revising the section heading and
adding paragraph (d) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.603 Type acceptance or certification required.
* * * * *
(d) Each FRS unit (a transmitter that operates or is intended to
operate in the FRS) must be certified for use in the FRS in accordance
with Subpart J of Part 2 of this chapter.
6. Section 95.605 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.605 Type acceptance and certification procedures.
Any entity must request type acceptance for its transmitter when
the transmitter is used in the GMRS, R/C or CB Radio Service, or IVDS
following the procedures in Part 2 of this chapter. Any entity must
request certification for its transmitter when the transmitter is used
in the FRS following the procedures in Subpart J of Part 2 of this
chapter.
Secs. 95.627 through 95.669 (Redesignated as Secs. 95.629 through
95.671)
7. Sections 95.627 through 95.669 are redesignated as 95.629
through 95.671 and a new Section 95.627 is added to read as follows:
Sec. 95.627 FRS unit channel frequencies.
(a) The FRS unit channel frequencies are:
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Channel No. (MHz)
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1....................................................... 462.5625
2....................................................... 462.5875
3....................................................... 462.6125
4....................................................... 462.6375
5....................................................... 462.6625
6....................................................... 462.6875
7....................................................... 462.7125
8....................................................... 467.5625
9....................................................... 467.5875
10...................................................... 467.6125
11...................................................... 467.6375
12...................................................... 467.6625
13...................................................... 467.6875
14...................................................... 467.7125
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(b) Each FRS unit must be maintained within a frequency tolerance
of 0.00025%.
8. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.629 is amended by revising paragraph
(b), redesignating paragraphs (d) and (e) as paragraphs (e) and (f)
respectively, and adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.629 Emission types.
* * * * *
(b) An R/C transmitter may transmit any appropriate non-voice
emission which meets the emission limitations of Sec. 95.633.
* * * * *
(d) An FRS unit may transmit only emission type F3E. A non-voice
emission is limited to selective calling or tone-operated squelch tones
to establish or continue voice communications.
* * * * *
9. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.631 is amended by adding a new
paragraph (c) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.631 Emission bandwidth.
* * * * *
[[Page 28770]]
(c) The authorized bandwidth for emission type F3E transmitted by a
FRS unit is 12.5 kHz.
10. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.633 is amended by revising paragraph
(b) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.633 Unwanted radiation.
* * * * *
(b) The power of each unwanted emission shall be less than TP as
specified in the applicable paragraph:
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Transmitter Emission type Applicable paragraphs
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GMRS.................................... A1D, A3E, F1D, G1D, F3E, G3E (1), (3), (7)
with filtering.
A1D, A3E, F1D, G1D, F3E, G3E (5), (6), (7)
without filtering.
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E... (2), (4), (7)
FRS..................................... F3E with filtering............. (1), (3), (7)
Note: Filtering refers to the requirement in Sec. 95.635(b) R/C:
27 MHz band............................. As specified in Sec. 95.629(b) (1), (3), (7)
72-76 MHz band.......................... As specified in Sec. 95.629(b) (1), (3), (7), (10), (11), (12)
CB...................................... A1D, A3E....................... (1), (3), (8), (9)
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E... (2), (4), (8), (9)
A1D, A3E type accepted before (1), (3), (7)
September 10, 1976.
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E (2), (4), (7)
type accepted before September
10, 1986.
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* * * * *
11. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.635 is amended by revising paragraph
(a) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.635 Modulation standards.
(a) A GMRS transmitter that transmits emission types F1D, G1D, or
G3E must not exceed a peak frequency deviation of plus or minus 5 kHz.
A GMRS transmitter that transmits emission type F3E must not exceed a
peak frequency deviation of plus or minus 5 kHz. A FRS unit that
transmits emission type F3E must not exceed a peak frequency deviation
of plus or minus 2.5 kHz, and the audio frequency response must not
exceed 3.125 kHz .
* * * * *
12. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.637 is amended by adding a new
paragraph (d) to read as follows:
Sec. 95.637 Maximum transmitter power.
* * * * *
(d) No FRS unit, under any condition of modulation, shall exceed
0.500 W effective radiated power (ERP).
13. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.645 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.645 FRS unit and R/C transmitter antennas.
The antenna of each FRS unit, and the antenna of each R/C station
transmitting in the 72-76 MHz band, must be an integral part of the
transmitter. The antenna must have no gain (as compared to a half-wave
dipole) and must be vertically polarized.
14. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.647 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.647 Power capability.
No CB or R/C station transmitter or FRS unit shall incorporate
provisions for increasing its transmitter power to any level in excess
of the limit specified in Sec. 95.637.
15. Newly redesignated Sec. 95.649 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 95.649 Crystal control required.
All transmitters used in the Personal Radio Services must be
crystal controlled, except an R/C station that transmits in the 26-27
MHz frequency band, and a FRS unit.
16. Appendix 1 to Subpart E is amended by adding the definition for
``FRS'', in alphabetical order, to read as follows:
Appendix 1 To Subpart E-Glossary of Terms
* * * * *
FRS. Family Radio Service.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 96-14140 Filed 6-5-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
