This section concerns the number of transmitters licensed under each station authorization in the Paging and Radiotelephone Service, other than paging geographic area authorizations.

(a) Operationally related transmitters. Each station must have at least one transmitter. There is no limit to the number of transmitters that a station may comprise. However, transmitters within a station should be operationally related and/or should serve the same general geographical area. Operationally related transmitters are those that operate together as a system (e.g., trunked systems, simulcast systems), rather than independently.

(b) Split of large systems. The FCC may split wide-area systems into two or more stations for administrative convenience. Except for nationwide paging and other operationally related transmitters, transmitters that are widely separated geographically are not licensed under a single authorization.

(c) Consolidation of separate stations. The FCC may consolidate site-specific contiguous authorizations upon request (FCC Form 601) of the licensee, if appropriate under paragraph (a) of this section. Paging licensees may include remote, stand-alone transmitters under the single system-wide authorization, if the remote, stand-alone transmitter is linked to the system via a control/repeater facility or by satellite. Including a remote, stand-alone transmitter in a system-wide authorization does not alter the limitations provided under §22.503(f) on entities other than the paging geographic area licensee. In the alternative, paging licensees may maintain separate site-specific authorizations for stand-alone or remote transmitters. The earliest expiration date of the authorizations that make up the single system-wide authorization will determine the expiration date for the system-wide authorization. Licensees must file timely renewal applications for site-specific authorizations included in a single system-wide authorization request until the request is approved. Renewal of the system-wide authorization will be subject to §1.949 of this chapter.

(d) Replacement of site-by-site authorizations with single authorization. After a paging geographic area authorization for a channel has been issued, the FCC may, on its own motion, replace the authorization(s) of any other licensee (for facilities located within that paging geographic area on that channel) with a single replacement authorization.

[62 FR 11634, Mar. 12, 1997, as amended at 63 FR 68945, Dec. 14, 1998; 64 FR 33784, June 24, 1999]