99-28485. Medical Telemetry Equipment Operating in the 450-460 MHz Band

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59148-59149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28485]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 90

[DA 99-2244]


Medical Telemetry Equipment Operating in the 450-460 MHz Band

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission released a Public Notice 
on October 20, 1999, asking parties operating medical telemetry 
equipment in the 450-460 MHz band to assist the Commission by providing 
certain information on their operation. It is requested that users of 
wireless medical telemetry equipment operating in this band provide 
information on the numbers, types, locations, and frequencies of 
equipment presently in use. The requested information will aid the 
Commission in determining whether it is feasible to lift the currently 
effective freeze on the filing of part 90 applications for high-power 
operation in the 450-460 MHz band on the 12.5 kHz offset channels 
without adversely affecting existing medical telemetry operations.

DATES: Comments are due by January 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hugh L. Van Tuyl [phone], 
email: [e-mail]. Office of Engineering and Technology.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is the text of the Commission's Public 
Notice, DA 99-2244, released October 20, 1999. This document is 
available for inspection and copying during regular business hours in 
the FCC Reference Information Center, Room CY-A257, 445 12th Street, 
SW, Washington, DC, and is available on the FCC's Internet site at 
www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering__Technology/Public__Notices/1999/. This 
document may also be purchased from the Commission's duplication 
contractor, International Transcription Service, Inc., [phone], 
1231 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

[[Page 59149]]

Summary of Public Notice

    1. The Office of Engineering and Technology is asking parties 
operating medical telemetry equipment in the 450-460 MHz band to assist 
the Commission by providing certain information on their operation. It 
is requested that users of wireless medical telemetry equipment 
operating in this band provide information on the numbers, types, 
locations, and frequencies of equipment presently in use. Parties are 
asked to submit this information to the Chief, Office of Engineering 
and Technology by January 31, 2000. The requested information will aid 
the Commission in determining whether it is feasible to lift the 
currently effective freeze on the filing of part 90 applications for 
high-power operation in the 450-460 MHz band on the 12.5 kHz offset 
channels without adversely affecting existing medical telemetry 
operations.
    2. Medical telemetry equipment is used in hospitals and health care 
facilities to transmit patient measurement data, such as pulse and 
respiration rates, to a nearby receiver. Part 90 of the Commission's 
rules permits medical telemetry equipment to operate on a secondary 
basis to land mobile users in the 450-470 MHz band. Hospitals and 
health care facilities holding a valid license to operate a radio 
station under part 90 may operate medical telemetry equipment without 
any specific authorization from the Commission (see 47 CFR 90.267). As 
a consequence, the Commission does not have any records concerning the 
locations of medical telemetry operations in the 450-470 MHz band.
    3. In 1995, the Commission adopted changes to part 90 of the rules 
to allow more efficient use of the spectrum for land mobile services. 
The Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making in PR 
Docket 92-235, 60 FR 37152, July 9, 1995 established a new channeling 
plan for private land mobile radio services (PLMRS). This Order adopted 
a channel spacing plan for PLMRS in the 450-470 MHz band based on 6.25 
kHz.
    4. Medical telemetry equipment operates in the 450-470 MHz band on 
channels offset 12.5 kHz from regularly assignable channels under the 
old channelization plan (``12.5 kHz offset channels''). The maximum 
operating power for this equipment is substantially less than that 
authorized for primary users of the band. The channel separation and 
low-power operation minimize the possibility of interference received 
from, or caused to, primary users of the band. However, under the new 
channeling scheme, high-power primary users of the band would be able 
to operate on the same frequencies used for medical telemetry 
equipment. This could possibly result in interference to medical 
telemetry equipment. For this reason, on August 11, 1995, the 
Commission placed a freeze on the filing of applications for high power 
operation in the 450-470 MHz band on the 12.5 kHz offset channels. See 
the Public Notice, ``Freeze on the Filing of High Power Applications 
for 12.5 kHz Offset Channels in the 450-470 MHz Band,'' DA 95-1171, 60 
FR 43720, August 23, 1995. The freeze remains in effect pending the 
development of a channel utilization plan that will protect low power 
operation on the 12.5 kHz offset channels.
    5. The Commission expects medical telemetry equipment ultimately to 
migrate out of the PLMRS bands and into new bands allocated for medical 
telemetry. The Commission recently proposed rules to allocate 
frequencies where medical telemetry equipment can operate on a primary 
basis. See the Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket 99-255, FCC 
99-182, 64 FR 41891, August 2, 1999. While this would be a long term 
solution to the problem of PLMRS interference to medical telemetry 
equipment, the Commission may be able take action in the near term to 
partially lift the freeze on high power applications on the offset 
channels.
    6. The Commission's records of manufacturers' equipment 
authorizations show that the majority of medical telemetry equipment 
authorized for use under part 90 (47 CFR part 90) is authorized only 
for the 460-470 MHz portion of the 450-470 MHz band. Further, prior to 
the radio service consolidation in the Second Report and Order in PR 
Docket 92-235, 62 FR 18834, April 17, 1999, the only ``Industrial Radio 
Services'' spectrum available to hospitals and health care facilities 
were frequencies allocated to the old Business Radio Service. There 
were very few frequencies in the 450-460 MHz band allocated to that 
service. For these reasons, it may be possible to lift the freeze on 
applications for high power operation on the 12.5 kHz offset channels 
in the 450-460 MHz band. Before doing so, however, the Commission wants 
to ensure that interference will not be caused to medical telemetry 
equipment in that band. Accordingly, we are requesting that parties 
operating medical telemetry equipment in the 450-460 MHz band provide 
certain information on their operation to the Commission's Office of 
Engineering and Technology. The filing of this information is strictly 
voluntary, but parties should note that providing it could help prevent 
serious interference problems in the future. Parties may want to check 
with the manufacturer of their equipment to determine the operating 
frequency.
    7. We are asking for the following information:
    (1) The name and address of the institution operating the 
equipment, along with the name, telephone number and e-mail address of 
a contact person there.
    (2) The number and types of devices being operated in the 450-460 
MHz band, including the make, model number, FCC identification number, 
age, and type of equipment (e.g., heart rate monitor), and total number 
of channels of medical telemetry used in the facility.
    (3) The operating frequencies and RF output power of these devices.
    (4) The geographic coordinates of the institution, if known.
    (5) Whether the equipment could be re-tuned to operate in the 460-
470 MHz band and, if so, the time period required for such re-tuning 
and the estimated expense of re-tuning that would be incurred by the 
institution operating the equipment.
    Parties are asked to respond to the following address by January 
31, 2000. Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal 
Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554.
    For further information about this notice, please contact Hugh L. 
Van Tuyl at: [phone], email: [e-mail] 
Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-28485 Filed 11-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P