[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 47, Volume 2]

[Revised as of October 1, 2004]

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



[[Page 11]]



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 

Sec. Sec. 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



[[Page 12]]



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 Sec. Sec. 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]