FCC issues new NRPM on cellphone signal boosters

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding tougher rules regarding consumer signal boosters, asking how the products should comply with all applicable technical and RF exposure rules, as well as set parameters that would prevent or control interference and how to resolve problems quickly if they occur.
The NPRM is part of an ongoing four-year debate over whether end users can use signal boosters to get better wireless coverage. CTIA filed a petition in 2007 asking the FCC to outlaw the sale and use of any device that can enhance or impair cellphone calls. The petition was a surprise to some third-party retailers, who called RCR Wireless News at the time and thought the story had to be wrong. Therein lies the crux of the problem: a cellphone booster can enhance coverage for a customer, but also has the potential to interfere with someone else’s signal. Yet, cellphone boosters have been marketed to carriers and end users alike as a way to improve the cellular signal in areas where coverage is less than satisfactory – and the reality remains that cellphone coverage in some locations is spotty.
This NPRM covers amplifiers, repeaters, DAS systems, boosters and in-building radiation systems, but not femtocells and addresses petitions filed by Bird Technologies Inc., The DAS Forum section of PCIA, Wilson Electronics Inc. and Jack Daniel Co.
“We remain concerned that poorly manufactured or improperly installed boosters can do much more harm than good for both consumers and public safety officials. The record is full of examples of such harm. One of the leading advocates for changes in the commission’s rules, who also happen to be one of the leading manufacturers of boosters, has marketed and sold devices that have caused significant harmful interference. We hope that as the FCC moves forward with this proceeding, it keeps these actual, not theoretical, cases of harm in mind, ” said CTIA Assistant VP of Regulatory Affairs Brian Josef.
“Even when reading the introduction to this document, it is clear that the FCC has the consumer’s best interest in mind,” said Lloyd R. Meese, CEO of Wi-Ex. “Wi-Ex already complies with preventing interference with the carrier network. As a leader in cellphone signal boosters, we see firsthand the positive impact of cellphone signal boosters for consumers and businesses.”