The FCC has released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making ET Docket No. 09-36 RM-11404
The matter at hand is the Amendment of Parts 2 and 95 of the Commission’s Rules to Provide Additional
Spectrum for the Medical Device Radiocommunication Service in the 413-457 MHz band (which covers the ham radio 420-450 band)
The purpose of the NPRM is for the Commission seeks comment on the feasibility of allowing up to 24 megahertz of spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band to be used on a secondary basis under the Medical Device Radiocommunication Service (MedRadio Service) in Part 95 of the Commission’s rules.
This action was in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Alfred Mann Foundation (Alfred Mann or AMF) in implantable
neuromuscular microstimulation devices using wireless technologies.
This is not the first time the FCC has licensed spectrum for the use of wireless medical communications technologies.
In 1973, for example, the Commission authorized the use of 18 frequencies in the 460-470 MHz band on a license-by-rule basis under Part 90.
Later the Commission designated 14 megahertz of spectrum in the 608-614 MHz, 1395-1400 MHz, and 1429-1432 MHz bands
for the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) under Part 95 of its Rules.
On October 3, 2007, the Commission released a public notice seeking comment on this petition.
According to the FCC the record supports their consideration of additional spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band for the MedRadio Service under Part 95 of their rules to accommodate the bandwidth intensive wireless MMNs described by Alfred Mann or other similar
bandwidth intensive medical implant networks.
They are interested in comments about the suitability of four segments of the 413-457 MHz band requested by Alfred Mann—i.e., 413-419 MHz, 426-432 MHz, 438-444 MHz, and 451-457 MHz—for use by medical micro-power networks or other similar bandwidth intensive medical implant networks that require a high degree of operational reliability.
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by
accessing the ECFS: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website for submitting comments.
Please consider filing in NPFM 09-36. The FCC’s announcement, with the deadline to file, is below
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi…CC-09-20A1.pdf
73, Jack K4SAC
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