Point-to-Multipoint Communications Systems Operating in the Bands 928-929 MHz and 952-953 MHz

Confirmation of Acceptance

The attached Arrangement Between the Department of Communications of Canada and the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America Concerning the Use of the Bands 928 to 929 MHz and 952 and 953 MHz Along the United States-Canada Border is accepted as an understanding between our two agencies. This Arrangement will become effective on September 2, 1991, and is to be applied provisionally until the definitive entry into force of a replacement for the Agreement Concerning the Coordination and Use of Radio Frequencies Above Thirty Megacycles per Second, with Annex, as amended.

Tom Stanley
Chief Engineer, Office of Engineering and Technology
Federal Communications Commission

August 7, 1991

Michael Binder
Assistant Deputy Minister, Research and Spectrum
Department of Communications

July 24, 1991

Arrangement Between the Department of Communications of Canada and the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America concerning the Use of the Bands 928 to 929 MHz and 952 to 953 MHz along the United States–Canada Border

1. This arrangement describes the criteria for the coordination and use of the bands 928–929 MHz and 952–953 MHz for point-to-multipoint communications systems in the vicinity of the United States-Canadian border. The frequencies shall be divided into three separate groups as described below and shared subject to the terms of this arrangement.
2. Use of frequencies within the band 952.8500 to 953.0000 MHz shall not be covered by the terms of this arrangement. Such use shall be governed by the provisions of Arrangement A of the Agreement Concerning the Coordination and Use of Radio Frequencies Above Thirty Megacycles per Second, with Annex^{Footnote 1}, as amended^{Footnote 2}.
3. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this arrangement, beyond Lines A and B and Lines C and D^{Footnote 3}, each country shall have full use of the entire 928–929/952–953 MHz bands.
4. Existing stations shall be interpreted, for the purposes of this arrangement, as meaning any station currently licensed and coordinated or grandfathered (as listed in Annex B to this arrangement) or for which a request for coordination is pending before the other administration.
5. Between Lines A and B and Lines C and D, the frequencies shall be used as follows, consistent with the technical criteria of Annex A:

   928.5000–928.7500 MHz and 952.5000–952.7500 MHz

   Canada has full use of frequencies within these bands (subject to protecting existing, grandfathered stations of the United States). The United States may also use these frequencies on an unprotected basis, provided its stations are limited to a power flux-density (pdf) of -100 dBW/m² at or beyond the Canadian border.

   928.2500–928.5000 MHz and 952.2500–952.5000 MHz

   The United States has full use of frequencies within these bands (subject to protecting existing, grandfathered stations of Canada). Canada may also use these frequencies on an unprotected basis, provided its stations are limited to a pdf of -100 dBW/m² at or beyond the United States border.

   928.0000–928.2500, 928.7500–929.0000 MHz
   and 952.0000–952.2500 MHz, 952.7500–952.8500 MHz

   Frequencies within these bands are available for use by both the United States and Canada on a coordinated, shared basis (subject to protecting grandfathered stations of the other country). Coordination shall be conducted on a first-in-time basis, i.e., based on the date the request was submitted to the other administration. New master^{Footnote 4} stations must provide a minimum of 145 km (90 miles) separation, or alternatively limit the actual pdf of the proposed station to -100 dBW/m², at existing co-channel^{Footnote 5} master stations of the other country, or as mutually agreed upon on a case-by-case basis.

   Coordination is not required if the pdf at the border is lower than -100 dBW/m². Such stations will be notified to the other administration if protection is required.

6. Wherever this arrangement provides that power flux-density may be met in lieu of a distance separation, free space propagation may initially be assumed to determine whether the required power flux-density has been met. If the new applicant fails to meet a required pdf limit using free space propagation, the administration seeking use of the frequency may apply other methods, as appropriate, to demonstrate that the required pdf limit has, in fact, been met. Regardless of the method of analysis used, on channels co-equally shared between the United States and Canada, the actual pdf of the interfering stations must meet the required pdf limit at the locations of existing co-channel master stations. On frequencies primarily assigned for use by the other country, the pdf limit must be met at and anywhere beyond the border.
7. All stations licensed by DOC and FCC in these bands that are listed in Annex B to this arrangement shall be grandfathered and shall be allowed to continue operation under the terms of their existing authorizations. These stations shall be protected from interference from subsequently licensed co-channel stations of the other country. This protection shall consist of limiting the power flux-density of the interfering station to -100 dBW/m² at the protected master station location, or providing a separation distance of 145 km (90 miles) between master stations, or as mutually agreed upon on a case-by-case basis.

Annex A

Technical criteria applicable to stations operating in accordance with this arrangement:

Formula used for calculating free space propagation losses:

pdf (dBW/m²) = 10 Log [EIRP/(4 π D²)] where EIRP in watts, D in metres; and where power is relative to an isotropic radiator

pdf (dBW/m²) = 10 Log * 1.64 [ERP/(4 π D²)] where ERP in watts, D in metres; and where the power is relative to a dipole

Annex B

Note: Values annoted with an asterix (*) correspond to ERP, as opposed to EIRP.