Report No. DC-2603         ACTION IN DOCKET CASE               May 23, 1994

    JOINT LICENSING AND USE OF COMMON CARRIER PAGING TRANSMITTERS FOR
                PRIVATE CARRIER PAGING SERVICES PROPOSED 
                            (CC DOCKET 94-46)
                                    
     The Commission has proposed deleting Section 22.119 of the
Public Mobile Service rules which prohibits the concurrent
licensing and use of transmitters for common carrier and non-common
carrier purposes.  It proposed permitting the joint licensing and
use of transmitters in the common carrier and private carrier
services. 

     The Commission also granted interim waivers of Section 22.119
to Paging Network, Inc., PacTel Paging and Arch Communications
Group, Inc., to be in effect during the pendency of this
rulemaking.  The waiver will allow them to use transmitters
presently licensed for common carrier paging purposes to also
provide private carrier paging service.

     The Commission said that while the original intent of Section
22.119 was probably to assure that the capacity of radio common
carrier transmitters was devoted to common carrier services in an
effort to protect subscribers, several factors make it appropriate
to reevaluate it at this time.  The first is advances in
technology, such as improved digital transmission techniques and
store and forward technology that have dramatically increased
capacity.  The second is that licensees providing wider-area
coverage could achieve substantial economies by sharing
transmitters when building out a system.  Finally, increased
competition in the industry provides an assurance that service to
existing customers will not suffer from joint use of transmitters. 

     Nevertheless, the Commission asked for comment on whether the
proposed rules should be limited to circumstances where the joint
use will facilitate the provision of national and/or regional
service as an overlay to local paging service or where the Part 22
licensee uses batched paging.  It also asked whether there may be
other circumstances where the FCC should not permit shared use.



                                  (over)


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     Action by the Commission May 13, 1994, by Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking and Order (FCC 94-113).  Chairman Hundt, Commissioners
Quello and Barrett.
                                  - FCC -
     
     News Media contact: Rosemary Kimball at (202) 632-5050.
     Common Carrier Bureau contact: Dan Abeyta at (202) 632-6450.