The FCC agreed to modify its 76-meter height above average...
The FCC agreed to modify its 76-meter height above average terrain (HAAT) limit on white-spaces antennas to a new maximum height of 250 meters. The Wireless Internet Service Provider Association had requested the change in a petition for reconsideration filed…
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last year. But the FCC maintained a requirement that antennas be no higher than 30 meters above ground level. “We take this action because we find that the current rule, which limits fixed TV bands devices to sites where the ground HAAT is no greater than 76 meters, unnecessarily precludes the operation of fixed TV bands devices at many locations in the country, particularly in rural and other areas that are currently underserved by broadband services,” said the FCC order released Thursday. “Under the modification we adopt herein, a site with an elevation of up to 220 meters above average terrain could be used with a 30-meter antenna, or a site with a higher elevation above average terrain could be used with a shorter antenna, provided the sum of the site elevation above average terrain and antenna height above ground does not exceed 250 meters. These changes will result in lower costs and greater flexibility for fixed device operators by allowing the use of sites that were previously precluded by the rules and permitting greater coverage from each site.” The commission turned down a request by Motorola Solutions that devices be allowed to operate under looser adjacent channel out-of-band emissions limits from specified distances beyond the protected contours of adjacent channel TV stations. “We decline to relax the adjacent channel emission limits to prevent interference to authorized services in and adjacent to the TV bands,” the order said. “We conclude that our decision on this issue promotes more efficient use of the TV spectrum by both licensed and unlicensed devices.”