Spectrum Needs for Personal-Radio Services

The existing personal-radio service in the United States at 27 MHz, the Citizens Band (CB) Service, is plagued with problems that directly or indirectly stem from the service\´s spectrum allocation. The current allocation appears insufficient to meet growing demands imposed by a large service population, now estimated to be in excess of 20-million persons. In addition, its radio/television-interference properties and its susceptibility to "skip" propagation reduce the usefulness of the service and cause disruption of other services. Accordingly, the FCC\´s Personal-Radio Planning Group is now evaluating possible changes in the allocation and nature of personal radio. This analysis has involved an initial review of existing spectrum allocations in the 25-1215-MHz band. Those frequencies for which there is now sufficient demand, locations that would impose high relocation costs, and those that would pose severe television-interference potential have been eliminated from consideration, leaving a set of primary spectrum candidates. The suitability of these spectrum candidates for new or modifiled personal-radio services is being assessed so that a sound spectrum-allocation decision can be made.