Title 47 CFR Part 15

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 15 (47 CFR 15) is an oft-quoted part of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations regarding unlicensed transmissions. It is a part of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and regulates everything from spurious emissions to unlicensed low-power broadcasting. Nearly every electronics device sold inside the United States radiates unintentional emissions, and must be reviewed to comply with Part 15 before it can be advertised or sold in the US market.

Subparts

A - General

Subpart A includes 21 sections from 15.1 to 15.38.

47 CFR 15.1 states that any radiator (that which emits radio energy), whether or not intentional, must be licensed unless it meets 47 CFR 15 or is otherwise exempted by the FCC.

47 CFR 15.3 contains definitions.

47 CFR 15.5 contains a general provision that devices may not cause interference and must accept interference from other sources. It also prohibits the operation of devices once the operator is notified by the FCC that the device is causing interference.

47 CFR 15.5 prohibits intentional damped wave transmissions, which were common before the 1920s but cut across large sections of frequencies.

47 CFR 15.9 prohibits operating a device under Part 15 for the purpose of eavesdropping, except when under lawful authority of law enforcement or when all parties in a conversation consent.

B - Unintentional radiators

Subpart B deals with unintentional radiators—devices for which the purpose is not to produce radio waves, but which do anyway, such as computers. There are 16 sections between 15.101 and 15.123.

C - Intentional radiators

Subpart C deals with devices that are specifically designed to produce coherent radio waves, such as small transmitters. Specific to broadcasting, 15.239 deals with the FM band, while 15.221 (and 15.219) deal with the AM band.

D - Unlicensed PCS devices

Sections 15.301 to 15.323 deal with unlicensed PCS devices from 1910 to 1930 MHz.

Cordless telephones using DECT 6.0 standards use this unlicensed PCS band.

E - Unlicensed NII devices

15.401 to 15.407 deal with unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices.

F - Ultra-wideband operation

15.501 to 15.525 deal with ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, including ground-penetrating radar.

G - Access Broadband over Power Line

15.601 to 15.615 deal with broadband over power lines (BPL) devices operating in the 1.705–80 MHz band over medium- or low-voltage lines.

H - Television Band Devices

15.701 to 15.717 deal with (TVBDs), TV-band devices that operate on an available television channel in the broadcast television band. An available channel is a 6 megahertz television channel that is not being used by a authorized service in a given geographical location, and thus may be used by unlicensed devices under the provisions of this rule part.

Subjects

Unintentional radiators

Unintentional radiators are designated into two major classes:

• Class A Device marketed for use in business/industrial/commercial environments.
• Class B Device marketed for use in a residential environment, notwithstanding use in industrial or commercial environments

These devices include personal computers and peripheral devices, and electrical ballasts for fluorescent lights.

Unlicensed broadcasting

On the standard AM broadcast band, transmission power is limited by 100 milliwatts of DC input power to the final RF stage (with restrictions on size, height and type of antenna), or, alternatively, under 15.221, if the AM transmission originates on the campus of an educational institution, the transmission can theoretically be any power so long as it does not exceed the field strength limits stated in 15.209 at the perimeter of the campus, 24000/f_kHz µV/m.

Unlicensed broadcasts on the FM broadcast band (88 to 108 MHz) are limited to a field strength of 250 µV/m at a distance of 3 meters from the antenna. This is roughly equivalent to 0.01 microwatts. Emissions must be kept within the 88.0 to 108.0 MHz band under Part 15 rules.

The FM broadcast band is limited but not restricted to 87.9 MHz (but see note below on TV) to 107.9 MHz. There are two class D FM stations on 87.9 MHz. Any unlicensed 88 to 108 MHz broadcasting with a signal strength greater than 250 µV/m at a distance of 3 m from the antenna is punishable by law and confiscation of all broadcast equipment. Low power station licenses otherwise known as TIS stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety/travellers information entities, but not individuals or commercial operations and are licensed under a separate section of FCC rules.

Unlicensed broadcasts on the TV broadcast bands are prohibited, except for certain medical telemetry devices, wireless microphones, and other "low power auxiliary" stations with an output of 50 mW or less. 87.5 to 88.0 MHz is considered part of the VHF TV low band (channel 6 analog audio is on 87.75), though it shows up on most FM tuners. For TV, 15.241 and 15.242 deal with high VHF (channels 7 to 13), 15.242 also deals with UHF (band IV and band V).

Common uses of Part 15 transmitters

Frequently encountered types of "Part 15" transmitters include:

• 802.11x wireless LAN (e.g. WiFi) 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz (U-NII)

• 802.15x PANs (e.g. Bluetooth, ZigBee) 2.4 GHz

• Cordless phones: 900 MHz, 1.9 (U-PCS), 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz (U-NII)

• Low-power broadcasting, often by hobbyists, or on college or high school campuses.

• Small FM radio transmitters designed to hook to the audio output of an iPod or other portable audio device and broadcast the audio so that it can be heard through a car audio system that is not equipped with an audio input.

• Very low power transmitters, often referred to as "talking roadsign", "talking houses" or "talking billboards", which will air a repeating loop of highway construction, traffic, promotional or advertising information. These transmitters typically operate on empty channels on the AM broadcast band. A sign placed near the transmitter is used to entice passersby (nearly always in automobiles) to tune in. The talking house gets its name from the fact that many such transmitters are installed at houses that are up for sale, thus enabling a passerby to find out details about the interior of the house without actually touring the building. It has been reported that some talking house transmitters have been modified by users to operate at unauthorized power levels, and sometimes using external antenna systems, to yield signals possibly exceeding the limitations authorized under Part 15. The FCC has also found some of these devices to exceed Part 15 limits. However, it should be noted that the Talking House brand transmitter systems are indeed certified Part 15 compliant.

• Some wireless microphones and headsets that broadcast to a receiver which amplifies the audio. Wireless microphones allow the user to move about freely, unlike a conventional microphone, and are thus popular with musicians. Some professional wireless microphones and 'low power auxiliary' stations(including those labeled as "UHF") must be licensed under Part 74, Subpart H of the FCC's rules. However, as of January 2010, many professional wireless microphones, and other Part 74 certified 'low power auxiliary' stations with a 50 mW output or less, can be operated in the "core TV band" (TV channels 2 through 51, except 37) frequencies without a license under a waiver of Part 15 rules. This waiver is expected to become permanent. Units using the high UHF channels (700 MHz band) revoked from the TV bandplan in June 2009 became illegal to operate in June 2010.

• Toys such as the popular late-1970s Mr. Microphone and its imitators, which would broadcast the user's voice to a nearby radio receiver. Variations on this type of transmitter were advertised for sale in radio magazines as far back as the 1920s.

• Walkie talkies intended for children's use, baby monitors, and some older cordless phones operate on frequencies in the 49 MHz band (or rarely at the upper end of the AM broadcast band) and have been known to interfere with one another.

• Remote Controls for various toys, garage door openers, etc.

Spurious emissions

Electronic equipment from computers to intentional transmitters can produce unwanted radio signals and are subject to FCC regulation. For digital devices including computers and peripherals, FCC Class B is the more stringent standard, applying to equipment marketed for use in the home, even if it could be used elsewhere. Home users are likely to be annoyed by interference to TV and radio reception. Class A is a looser standard for equipment intended only for business, industrial and commercial settings.

Transmitters also must adhere to a spectral mask, to prevent adjacent-channel interference, intermediate frequency interference, and intermodulation.

See also

• Family Radio Service
• CB radio
• TEMPEST
• low-power broadcasting

External links

• FCC OET rules
• FCC low power broadcast rules
• FCC Public Notice Dated July 24, 1991 Covers some basic questions about Part 15 and what is considered a compliant transmission distance.
• OET Bulletin 63 Dated October 1993 and Edited and Reprinted February 1996 Covers some popular FAQ's about low-power non-licensed transmitters.
• 2005 GPO index of 47 CFR §15
• Part15.us – a popular discussion board for Part 15 broadcasting hobbyists
• Part 15 AM Radio
• Part 15 Radio Stations of North America (from Archive.org April 2006)
• The Master List of Part 15 Radio Stations of North America (from tvWiki.tv)
• Understanding the FCC Regulations for computers and other digital devices by the FCC