Wed, Jan 12, 2011
Reverses Prohibition Of Manufacture, Sale, Certification Of The
Emergency Beacons
Pilots with older model ELTs operating on 121.5 MHz have
gotten a reprieve from the FCC, which had sought to ban the
devices.
The agency has stayed a rule which had been adopted in the Third
Report and Order in this which had prohibited the certification,
manufacture, importation, sale or use of emergency locator
transmitters (ELTs) that transmit distress alerts on frequency
121.5 MHz.2 The FCC says it has taken the action at the request of
the FAA.
In 2000, Cospas-Sarsat announced plans to terminate satellite
processing of distress signals from 121.5 MHz beacons in 2009, and
urged users to switch to the more reliable 406.0-406.1 MHz (406
MHz) beacons, which transmit distress signals on a frequency that
Cospas-Sarsat continues to monitor. Cospas-Sarsat has now stopped
monitoring frequency 121.5 MHz; therefore, only the 406 MHz
frequency is currently being monitored by satellite.
On July 14, 2010, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration forwarded to the Commission a request
from the FAA that the commission not implement this rule amendment.
The FAA believes that the current supply of 406 MHz ELTs is not
sufficient to replace all existing 121.5 MHz ELTs in the short
term, so, given that most General Aviation aircraft are required to
carry ELTs,12 a prohibition on 121.5 MHz ELTs would effectively
ground most such aircraft. The FAA further asserted that 121.5 MHz
ELTs can continue to provide a beneficial means of locating missing
aircraft even without satellite monitoring of frequency 121.5 MHz,
because the frequency is still monitored by the search and rescue
community, including the Civil Air Patrol. It also is concerned
about the cost of equipping aircraft with 406 MHz ELTs.
Under these circumstances, the FCC said Monday it believes it
would be in the public interest to further consider what actions
the Commission should take in light of the termination of satellite
monitoring of frequency 121.5 MHz, with the benefit of an augmented
record. Toward that end, the agency will stay that portion of the
Third Report and Order prohibiting the certification, manufacture,
importation, sale or use of 121.5 MHz ELTs. No action will be taken
regarding 121.5 MHz ELTs until further notice, following an
additional opportunity for interested parties to comment.
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