SB QST @ ARL $ARLB027   
   ARLB027 FCC Proposes Rule Changes in Response to ARRL's "Symbol Rate"   
   Petition, Seeks Comment   
      
   ZCZC AG27   
   QST de W1AW   
   ARRL Bulletin 27  ARLB027   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington CT  July 29, 2016   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB QST ARL ARLB027   
   ARLB027 FCC Proposes Rule Changes in Response to ARRL's "Symbol Rate"   
   Petition, Seeks Comment   
      
   The FCC has proposed to revise the Amateur Service Part 97 rules in response   
   to the ARRL's so-called "Symbol Rate" Petition for Rule Making (RM-11708),   
   filed in late 2013, and it has invited comments on its recommended changes.   
   The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in WT Docket 16-239, released on   
   July 28, had been making the rounds at the FCC since May. ARRL had asked the   
   FCC to change the Part 97 rules to delete the symbol rate limits in Part   
   97.307(f) and replace it with a maximum bandwidth for data emissions of 2.8   
   kHz on amateur frequencies below 29.7 MHz.   
      
   The NPRM can be found on the web in PDF format at, http://transi   
   ion.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2016/db0728/FCC-16-96A1.pdf .   
      
   "[W]e believe that the public interest may be served by revising the Amateur   
   Service rules to eliminate the current baud rate limitations for data   
   emissions, consistent with ARRL's Petition, to allow Amateur Service licensees   
   to use modern digital emissions, thereby furthering the purposes of the   
   Amateur Service and enhancing the usefulness of the service," the FCC said in   
   its NPRM.   
      
   "We do not, however, propose a bandwidth limitation for data emissions in the   
   MF and HF bands to replace the baud rate limitations," the NPRM concluded,   
   "because the rules' current approach for limiting bandwidth use by amateur   
   stations using one of the specified digital codes to encode the signal being   
   transmitted appears sufficient to ensure that general access to the band by   
   licensees in the Amateur Service does not become unduly impaired."   
      
   Under the current rules, "specified digital codes" in Part 97 may be used with   
   a symbol rate that does not exceed 300 baud for frequencies below 28 MHz, with   
   the exception of 60 meters, and 1200 baud in the 10 meter band. The baud rate   
   limits were adopted in 1980, when the FCC amended Part 97 to specify ASCII as   
   a permissible digital code.   
      
   Comments in the proceeding will be due 60 days after the date that the NPRM   
   appears in the Federal Register.   
      
   NNNN   
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