47 C.F.R. Subpart B—Family Radio Service (FRS)
Title 47 - Telecommunication
Source: 61 FR 28768, June 6, 1996, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Unless you are a representative of a foreign government, you are authorized by this rule to operate an FCC certified FRS unit in accordance with the rules in this subpart. No license will be issued. (b) You are responsible for all communications that you make with the FRS unit. You must share each channel with other users. No channel is available for the private or exclusive use of any user. (a) Provided that you comply with these rules, you are authorized to operate an FRS unit: (1) Within or over any area of the world where radio services are regulated by the FCC (this area includes the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands (50 islets and cays), American Samoa (seven islands), the Commonwealth of Northern Marianna Islands, and Guam Island); (2) Within or over any other area of the world, except within or over the territorial limits of areas where radio services are regulated by an agency of the United States other than the FCC or any foreign government (you are subject to its rules); (3) Aboard any vessel or aircraft registered in the United States, with the permission of the captain, that is within or over any area of the world where radio services are regulated by the FCC or upon or over international waters; (4) or; Aboard any unregistered vessel or aircraft owned or operated by a United States citizen or company that is within or over any area of the world where radio services are regulated by the FCC or upon or over international waters. (5) You must operate the FRS unit only according to any applicable treaty to which the United States is a party. The FCC will make public notice of any such conditions. (b)–(c) [Reserved] (d) Anyone intending to operate an FRS unit on the islands of Puerto Rico, Desecheo, Mona, Vieques, and Culebra in a manner that could pose an interference threat to the Arecibo Observatory, shall notify the Interference Office, Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612, in writing or electronically, of the location of the unit. Operators may wish to consult interference guidelines, which will be provided by Cornell University. Operators who choose to transmit information electronically should e-mail to: [email protected]. (1) The notification to the Interference Office, Arecibo Observatory shall be made 45 days prior to commencing operation of the unit. The notification shall state the geographical coordinates of the unit. (2) After receipt of such notifications, the Commission will allow the Arecibo Observatory a period of 20 days for comments or objections. The operator will be required to make reasonable efforts in order to resolve or mitigate any potential interference problem with the Arecibo Observatory. If the Commission determines that an operator has satisfied its responsibility to make reasonable efforts to protect the Observatory from interference, the unit may be allowed to operate. [61 FR 28768, June 6, 1996, as amended at 62 FR 55535, Oct. 27, 1997; 63 FR 68976, Dec. 14, 1998; 70 FR 31374, June 1, 2005] (a) You may use an FRS unit to conduct two-way voice communications with another person. You may use an FRS unit to transmit one-way voice or non-voice communications only to establish communications with another person, send an emergency message, provide traveler assistance, provide location information, transmit a brief text message, make a voice page, or to conduct a brief test. (b) Non-voice communications. (1) The FRS unit may transmit tones to make contact or to continue communications with a particular FRS unit. If the tone is audible (more than 300 Hertz), it must be transmitted continuously no longer than 15 seconds at one time. If the tone is subaudible (300 Hertz or less), it may be transmitted continuously only while you are talking. (2) The FRS unit may transmit digital data containing location information, or requesting location information from one or more other FRS units, or containing a brief text message to another specific FRS unit. Digital data transmissions must be initiated by a manual action or command of a user, except that an FRS unit receiving an interrogation request may automatically respond with its location. Digital data transmissions shall not exceed one second, and shall be limited to no more than one digital transmission within a thirty-second period, except that an FRS unit may automatically respond to more than one interrogation request received within a thirty-second period. (c) You must not use an FRS unit in connection with any activity which is against federal, state or local law. (d) You must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to emergency communication messages concerning the immediate safety of life or the immediate protection of property. (e) No FRS unit may be interconnected to the public switched network. [61 FR 28768, June 6, 1996, as amended at 68 FR 9901, Mar. 3, 2003] (a) You may only use an FCC certified FRS unit. (You can identify an FCC certified FRS unit by the label placed on it by the manufacturer.) (b) You must not make, or have made, any internal modification to an FRS unit. Any internal modification cancels the FCC certification and voids your authority to operate the unit in the FRS. (c) You may not attach any antenna, power amplifier, or other apparatus to an FRS unit that has not been FCC certified as part of that FRS unit. There are no exceptions to this rule and attaching any such apparatus to a FRS unit cancels the FCC certification and voids everyone's authority to operate the unit in the FRS. (d) FRS units are prohibited from transmitting data in store-and-forward packet operation mode. [61 FR 28768, June 6, 1996, as amended at 68 FR 9901, Mar. 3, 2003]
Title 47: Telecommunication
PART 95—PERSONAL RADIO SERVICES
Subpart B—Family Radio Service (FRS)
General Provisions
§ 95.191 (FRS Rule 1) Eligibility and responsibility.
§ 95.192 (FRS Rule 2) Authorized locations.
§ 95.193 (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.
§ 95.194 (FRS Rule 4) FRS units.
