New Spectrum for Medical Devices

By
published

In a Report and Order (FCC 09-23) released last Friday, the FCC added spectrum at 401-402 MHz and 405-406 MHz to the existing Medical Implant Communications Service spectrum at 402-405 MHz. The name of the service has also been changed to the Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio).

In a separate Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (FCC 09-20) the FCC sought comment on allowing up to 24 megahertz of spectrum in the 413-457 MHz band to be used on a secondary basis by MedRadio under Part 95 of the FCC rules. The spectrum would share frequencies with government and amateur radio services in four band segments: 413-419 MHz, 426-432 MHz, 438-444 MHz, and 451-457 MHz.

"In particular, we are interested in providing access to spectrum for wireless MMNs (medical micro-power networks) that would be comprised of multiple networked implanted devices that employ wideband functional electrical stimulation – or FES – techniques," the commission said. "Use of MNNs could make FES technology more accessible to patients with paralyzed/impaired limbs and organs."

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.