Greetings. This was forwarded from our friends in the UWB coalition. It relates to the Ultra Wideband order from FCC. The pressure is on from the Hill to relax the brand new regulations governing UWB. While GPRs are the least of our concerns, they DO operate below 900 MHz, and depending on configuration, could "leak" RF. 73, Chris W3KD WASHINGTON (July 11) - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and seven members of the Committee sent the following letter yesterday to FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell requesting a blanket waiver for Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) from recent FCC rules affecting ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission systems: June 10, 2002 The Honorable Michael K. Powell Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St. SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Mr. Chairman: We write to express our strong concerns regarding the consequences of the recent FCC revision of Part 15 of the Commission's rules regarding ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission systems (FCC 02-48 released April 22, 2002). Specifically, the new rules could have the effect of eliminating numerous existing businesses that employ Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). In order to prevent this, we believe that the FCC should immediately provide a blanket waiver for the manufacture and operation of GPR equipment at the Class B emissions limit with no other restrictions. As you know, GPR is a special class of radar system designed to penetrate solid materials, such as soil or concrete. This technology has been used in a multitude of engineering as well as public safety related applications, ranging from bridge deck and highway pavement condition evaluation to detection of trapped victims of earthquakes. In fact, Department of Energy personnel, working in conjunction with Federal Emergency Management Agency staff, assisted in the search for survivors by using GPR at the World Trade Center after the September 11th attacks. By its very nature, GPR is pointed at the ground (not into the air) for limited periods of time, thus making any interference unnoticeable. In fact, with over 30 years of GPR usage, there has never been a reported instance of interference caused by any GPR device on any other user of the frequency spectrum. Furthermore, the proliferation of GPR devices is low, with no more than a total of 1,000 units industry-wide operating in the United States. The new rules severely restrict emitted power in the frequency bands above 960Mhz, thereby eliminating many types of GPR systems and applications. High-resolution GPR systems are required to generate a frequency spectrum of sufficient bandwidth to achieve adequate range resolution and to emit sufficient power for ground penetration. We urge the Commission to amend the rules and provide a blanket waiver so as to allow this industry to continue to grow and prosper. We look forward to working with you on the issue of furthering ultra-wideband technologies. Sincerely, W. J. (Billy) Tauzin Chairman Eliot L. Engel Charles Bass Diana L. DeGette Jane Harman John Shimkus Gene Green Vito Fossella cc: Michael Gallagher, NTIA