About
Rule Part
47 C.F.R, Part 90
Radio Service Code(s)
Below 800 MHz Business
- IG - Industrial/Business Pool - Private, Conventional
- YG - Industrial/Business Pool - Private, Trunked
Above 800 MHz Business
- GB - 806-821/851-866 MHz, Conventional
- GU - 896-901/935-940 MHz, Conventional
- YB - 806-821/851-866 MHz, Trunked
- YU - 896-901/935-940 MHz, Trunked
Above 800 MHz Industrial / Land Transportation
- GO - 806-821/851-866 MHz, Conventional
- GI - 896-901/935-940 MHz, Conventional
- YO - 806-821/851-866 MHz, Trunked
- YI - 896-901/935-940 MHz, Trunked
Licensees in the Industrial/Business Radio Pool use radio to support business operations. Their communications systems are used for support of day-to-day business activities, such as dispatching and diverting personnel or work vehicles, coordinating the activities of workers and machines on location, or remotely monitoring and controlling equipment.
Industrial/Business radio systems serve a great variety of communications needs. Companies, large and small, use their radio systems to support their business operations, safety and emergency needs. Although each licensee uses their system to serve specific requirements that vary from entity to entity, there is one characteristic that all these private wireless licensees share that differentiates them from commercial use. They use radio communications as a tool, as they would any other tool or machine, to contribute to the production of some other good or service in the most efficient way possible. For commercial wireless service providers, by contrast, the services offered over the radio system are the end product.
History
In 1992, the FCC began work to develop an overall strategy for using the spectrum in the Private Land Mobile Radio (PLMR) allocations more efficiently to meet future communications requirements. Refarming is the informal name of a notice and comment rule-making proceeding (PR Docket No. 92-235) opened to achieve this goal.
The FCC adopted the Report and Order (R&O) on refarming in 1995 to address the increasing communications requirements of the private land mobile radio (PLMR) community and to develop a strategy for encouraging more efficient use of PLMR spectrum below 800 MHz (services within the 150-174 MHz, 421-430 MHz, 450-470 MHz, and 470-512 MHz bands). This Report and Order served as a critical first step toward achieving this goal. In February of 1997, the FCC adopted the Second Report and Order on refarming which served as the next critical step toward providing a regulatory framework which promotes this goal. As a result of this Order, the Industrial Radio Services (Power, Petroleum, Forest Products, Film & Video Production, Relay Press, Special Industrial, Business, Manufacturers, and Telephone Maintenance Radio Services) and the Land Transportation Radio Services (Motor Carrier, Railroad, Taxicab, and Automobile Emergency Radio Services) were combined to form the Industrial/Business Radio Pool (the new Subpart C of Part 90, Title 47 CFR).
Band Plan
The rules adopted in the refarming proceeding are applicable to the Private Land Mobile bands below 800 MHz. Specifically, the technical rules adopted affect the licensing and use of radios in the following bands:
- 25- 50 MHz
- HF - VHF Low Band; available nationwide
- Channels are generally spaced every 20 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 20 kHz
- 72-76 MHz
- VHF Low Band; available nationwide
- Channels are located between TV Channels 4 and 5
- Channels are generally spaced every 20 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 20 kHz
- 150-174 MHz (jpeg)
- VHF high band; available nationwide
- Channels are generally spaced every 7.5 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 11.25 kHz or 6 kHz (wider bandwidth is permitted only if it achieves equivalent efficiency)
- 216-220 MHz
- VHF High Band; available nationwide
- Channels are spaced every 6.25 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 6.25 kHz but channels may be combined for operation up to 50 kHz
- 406-413 MHz
- UHF Band; available nationwide
- The following channels are available for transmitting hydrological or meteorological data:
- 406.125 MHz
- 406.175 MHz
- 409.675 MHz
- 409.725 MHz
- 412.625 MHz
- 412.675 MHz
- 412.725 MHz
- 412.775 MHz
- 421-430 MHz (jpeg)
- Available only in Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland
- Channels spaced every 6.25 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 11.25 kHz or 6 kHz (wider bandwidth is permitted only if it achieves equivalent efficiency)
- 450-470 MHz (jpeg)
- Available nationwide
- Channels are generally spaced every 6.25 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 11.25 kHz or 6 kHz (wider bandwidth is permitted only if it achieves equivalent efficiency)
- 470-512 MHz (jpeg)
- Shared with UHF-TV; available only in 11 cities
- Channels are spaced every 6.25 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 11.25 kHz or 6 kHz (wider bandwidth is permitted only if it achieves equivalent efficiency)
- 800 MHz
- UHF Band; available nationwide
- Channels are spaced every 25 kHz or 12.5 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 20 kHz
- 900 MHz
- UHF Band; available nationwide
- Channels are generally spaced every 12.5 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 13.6 kHz
- 1427-1432 MHz
- UHF Band; available nationwide
- Channels are generally spaced every 12.5 kHz
- Authorized Bandwidth is 12.5 kHz but channels may be combined for operation up to 50 kHz