On October 27, 2023, ARRL News reported the FCC has scheduled a vote on removing symbol rate restrictions.
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® welcomes news of a scheduled vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider removing symbol rate restrictions that restrict digital modes, foster inefficient spectrum use, and dampen incentives for innovation.
In the draft Commission decision, the FCC would replace the current HF restrictions with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit. The Commission also announced that it will consider a Further Notice in which it will propose eliminating similar restrictions where they apply in other bands and consider relying on signal bandwidth limits. If both actions are adopted by the Commission, there will be a period for public comment on the Further Notice issues.
In announcing the proposed Commission actions, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that “We’re bolstering amateur radio. We will vote on a proposal to incentivize innovation and experimentation in the amateur radio bands by removing outdated restrictions and providing licensees with the flexibility to use modern digital emissions.” 1
“FCC To Vote on Removing Symbol Rate Restrictions”, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio, accessed October 27 2023, http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-to-vote-on-removing-symbol-rate-restrictions. ↩︎
