[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR20.9]

[Page 10-12]
 
                       TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION
 
                    CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
                         COMMISSION (CONTINUED)
 
PART 20--COMMERCIAL MOBILE RADIO SERVICES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 20.9  Commercial mobile radio service.

    (a) The following mobile services shall be treated as common 
carriage services and regulated as commercial mobile radio services 
(including any such service offered as a hybrid service or offered on an 
excess capacity basis

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to the extent it meets the definition of commercial mobile radio 
service, or offered as an auxiliary or ancillary service), pursuant to 
Section 332 of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 332:
    (1) Private Paging (part 90 of this chapter), excluding not-for-
profit paging systems that serve only the licensee's own internal 
communications needs;
    (2) Stations that offer Industrial/Business Pool (Sec. 90.35 of this 
chapter) eligibles for-profit, interconnected service;
    (3) Land Mobile Systems on 220-222 MHz (part 90 of this chapter), 
except services that are not-for-profit or do not offer interconnected 
service;
    (4) Specialized Mobile Radio services that provide interconnected 
service (part 90 of this chapter);
    (5) Public Coast Stations (part 80, subpart J of this chapter);
    (6) Paging and Radiotelephone Service (part 22, subpart E of this 
chapter).
    (7) Cellular Radiotelephone Service (part 22, subpart H of this 
chapter).
    (8) Air-Ground Radiotelephone Service (part 22, subpart G of this 
chapter).
    (9) Offshore Radiotelephone Service (part 22, subpart I of this 
chapter).
    (10) Any mobile satellite service involving the provision of 
commercial mobile radio service (by licensees or resellers) directly to 
end users, except that mobile satellite licensees and other entities 
that sell or lease space segment capacity, to the extent that it does 
not provide commercial mobile radio service directly to end users, may 
provide space segment capacity to commercial mobile radio service 
providers on a non-common carrier basis, if so authorized by the 
Commission;
    (11) Personal Communications Services (part 24 of this chapter), 
except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section;
    (12) Mobile operations in the 218-219 MHz Service (part 95, subpart 
F of this chapter) that provide for-profit interconnected service to the 
public;
    (13) For-profit subsidiary communications services transmitted on 
subcarriers within the FM baseband signal, that provide interconnected 
service (47 CFR 73.295 of this chapter); and
    (14) A mobile service that is the functional equivalent of a 
commercial mobile radio service.
    (i) A mobile service that does not meet the definition of commercial 
mobile radio service is presumed to be a private mobile radio service.
    (ii) Any interested party may seek to overcome the presumption that 
a particular mobile radio service is a private mobile radio service by 
filing a petition for declaratory ruling challenging a mobile service 
provider's regulatory treatment as a private mobile radio service.
    (A) The petition must show that: (1) The mobile service in question 
meets the definition of commercial mobile radio service; or
    (2) The mobile service in question is the functional equivalent of a 
service that meets the definition of a commercial mobile radio service.
    (B) A variety of factors will be evaluated to make a determination 
whether the mobile service in question is the functional equivalent of a 
commercial mobile radio service, including: consumer demand for the 
service to determine whether the service is closely substitutable for a 
commercial mobile radio service; whether changes in price for the 
service under examination, or for the comparable commercial mobile radio 
service would prompt customers to change from one service to the other; 
and market research information identifying the targeted market for the 
service under review.
    (C) The petition must contain specific allegations of fact supported 
by affidavit(s) of person(s) with personal knowledge. The petition must 
be served on the mobile service provider against whom it is filed and 
contain a certificate of service to this effect. The mobile service 
provider may file an opposition to the petition and the petitioner may 
file a reply. The general rules of practice and procedure contained in 
Secs. 1.1 through 1.52 of this chapter shall apply.
    (b) Licensees of a Personal Communications Service or applicants for 
a Personal Communications Service license, and VHF Public Coast Station 
geographic area licensees or applicants, proposing to use any Personal

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Communications Service or VHF Public Coast Station spectrum to offer 
service on a private mobile radio service basis must overcome the 
presumption that Personal Communications Service and VHF Public Coast 
Stations are commercial mobile radio services.
    (1) The applicant or licensee (who must file an application to 
modify its authorization) seeking authority to dedicate a portion of the 
spectrum for private mobile radio service, must include a certification 
that it will offer Personal Communications Service or VHF Public Coast 
Station service on a private mobile radio service basis. The 
certification must include a description of the proposed service 
sufficient to demonstrate that it is not within the definition of 
commercial mobile radio service in Sec. 20.3. Any application requesting 
to use any Personal Communications Service or VHF Public Coast Station 
spectrum to offer service on a private mobile radio service basis will 
be placed on public notice by the Commission.
    (2) Any interested party may file a petition to deny the application 
within 30 days after the date of public notice announcing the acceptance 
for filing of the application. The petition shall contain specific 
allegations of fact supported by affidavit(s) of person(s) with personal 
knowledge to show that the applicant's request does not rebut the 
commercial mobile radio service presumption. The petition must be served 
on the applicant and contain a certificate of service to this effect. 
The applicant may file an opposition with allegations of fact supported 
by affidavit. The petitioner may file a reply. No additional pleadings 
will be allowed. The general rules of practice and procedure contained 
in Secs. 1.1 through 1.52 of this chapter and Sec. 22.30 of this chapter 
shall apply.
    (c) Any provider of private land mobile service before August 10, 
1993 (including any system expansions, modifications, or acquisitions of 
additional licenses in the same service, even if authorized after this 
date), and any private paging service utilizing frequencies allocated as 
of January 1, 1993, that meet the definition of commercial mobile radio 
service, shall, except for purposes of Sec. 20.5 (applicable August 10, 
1993 for the providers listed in this paragraph), be treated as private 
mobile radio service until August 10, 1996. After this date, these 
entities will be treated as commercial mobile radio service providers 
regulated under this part.

[59 FR 18495, Apr. 19, 1994, as amended at 62 FR 18843, Apr. 17, 1997; 
63 FR 40062, July 27, 1998; 64 FR 26887, May 18, 1999; 64 FR 59659, Nov. 
3, 1999; 66 FR 10968, Feb. 21, 2001]