Applications and amendments to applications for stations in the wireless radio services are classified as major or minor (see §1.947). Categories of major and minor filings are listed in §309 of the Communications Act of 1934.

(a) For all stations in all Wireless Radio Services, whether licensed geographically or on a site-specific basis, the following actions are classified as major:

(1) Application for initial authorization;

(2) Any substantial change in ownership or control, including requests for partitioning and disaggregation;

(3) Application for renewal of authorization;

(4) Application or amendment requesting authorization for a facility that may have a significant environmental effect as defined in §1.1307, unless the facility has been determined not to have a significant environmental effect through the process set forth in §17.4(c) of this chapter.

(5) Application or amendment requiring frequency coordination pursuant to the Commission's rules or international treaty or agreement;

(6) Application or amendment requesting to add a frequency or frequency block for which the applicant is not currently authorized, excluding removing a frequency.

(b) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the following are major changes in the Cellular Radiotelephone Service:

(1) Application requesting authorization to expand the Cellular Geographic Service Area (CGSA) of an existing Cellular system or, in the case of an amendment, as previously proposed in an application to expand the CGSA; or

(2) Application or amendment requesting that a CGSA boundary or portion of a CGSA boundary be determined using an alternative method.

(3) [Reserved]

(c) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a) in this section, the following are major changes applicable to stations licensed to provide base-to-mobile, mobile-to-base, mobile-to-mobile on a site-specific basis:

(1) In the Paging and Radiotelephone Service, Rural Radiotelephone Service and 800 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service (SMR), any change that would increase or expand the applicant's existing composite interference contour.

(2) In the 900 MHz SMR and 220 MHz Service, any change that would increase or expand the applicant's service area as defined in the rule parts governing the particular radio service.

(3) In the Paging and Radiotelephone Service, Rural Radiotelephone Service, Offshore Radiotelephone Service, and Specialized Mobile Radio Service:

(i) Request an authorization or an amendment to a pending application that would establish for the filer a new fixed transmission path;

(ii) Request an authorization or an amendment to a pending application for a fixed station (i.e., control, repeater, central office, rural subscriber, or inter-office station) that would increase the effective radiated power, antenna height above average terrain in any azimuth, or relocate an existing transmitter;

(4) In the Private Land Mobile Radio Services (PLMRS), the remote pickup broadcast auxiliary service, and GMRS systems licensed to non-individuals;

(i) Change in frequency or modification of channel pairs, except the deletion of one or more frequencies from an authorization;

(ii) Change in the type of emission;

(iii) Change in effective radiated power from that authorized or, for GMRS systems licensed to non-individuals, an increase in the transmitter power of a station;

(iv) Change in antenna height from that authorized;

(v) Change in the authorized location or number of base stations, fixed, control, except for deletions of one or more such stations or, for systems operating on non-exclusive assignments in GMRS or the 470-512 MHz, 800 MHz or 900 MHz bands, a change in the number of mobile transmitters, or a change in the area of mobile transmitters, or a change in the area of mobile operations from that authorized;

(vi) Change in the class of a land station, including changing from multiple licensed to cooperative use, and from shared to unshared use.

(d) In the microwave, aural broadcast auxiliary, and television broadcast auxiliary services:

(1) Except as specified in paragraph (d)(2) and (d)(3) of this section, the following, in addition to those filings listed in paragraph (a) of this section, are major actions that apply to stations licensed to provide fixed point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, or multipoint-to-point, communications on a site-specific basis, or fixed or mobile communications on an area-specific basis under part 101 of this chapter:

(i) Any change in transmit antenna location by more than 5 seconds in latitude or longitude for fixed point-to-point facilities (e.g., a 5 second change in latitude, longitude, or both would be minor); any change in coordinates of the center of operation or increase in radius of a circular area of operation, or any expansion in any direction in the latitude or longitude limits of a rectangular area of operation, or any change in any other kind of area operation;

(ii) Any increase in frequency tolerance;

(iii) Any increase in bandwidth;

(iv) Any change in emission type;

(v) Any increase in EIRP greater than 3 dB;

(vi) Any increase in transmit antenna height (above mean sea level) more than 3 meters, except as specified in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(vii) Any increase in transmit antenna beamwidth, except as specified in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(viii) Any change in transmit antenna polarization;

(ix) Any change in transmit antenna azimuth greater than 1 degree, except as specified in paragraph (d)(3) of this section ; or,

(x) Any change which together with all minor modifications or amendments since the last major modification or amendment produces a cumulative effect exceeding any of the above major criteria.

(2) Changes to transmit antenna location of Multiple Address System (MAS) Remote Units and Digital Electronic Message Service (DEMS) User Units are not major.

(3) Changes in accordance with paragraphs (d)(1)(vi), (d)(1)(vii) and (d)(1)(ix) of this section are not major for the following:

(i) Fixed Two-Way MAS on the remote to master path,

(ii) Fixed One-Way Inbound MAS on the remote to master path,

(iii) Multiple Two-Way MAS on the remote to master and master to remote paths,

(iv) Multiple One-Way Outbound MAS on the master to remote path,

(v) Mobile MAS Master,

(vi) Fixed Two-Way DEMS on the user to nodal path, and

(vii) Multiple Two-Way DEMS on the nodal to user and user to nodal paths.

(e) In addition to those filings listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the following are major actions that apply to stations licensed to provide service in the Air-ground Radiotelephone Service:

(1) Request an authorization to relocate an existing General Aviation ground station; or,

(2) Request the first authorization for a new Commercial Aviation ground station at a location other than those listed in §22.859 of this chapter.

(f) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a), the following are major changes that apply to stations licensed in the industrial radiopositioning stations for which frequencies are assigned on an exclusive basis, Maritime and Aviation services, except Maritime Public Coast VHF (CMRS), Ship and Aircraft stations:

(1) Any change in antenna azimuth;

(2) Any change in beamwidth;

(3) Any change in antenna location;

(4) Any change in emission type;

(5) Any increase in antenna height;

(6) Any increase in authorized power;

(7) Any increase in emission bandwidth.

(g) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a), any change requiring international coordination in the Maritime Public Coast VHF (CMRS) Service is major.

(h) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the following are major changes that apply to ship stations:

(1) Any request for additional equipment;

(2) A change in ship category;

(3) A request for assignment of a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number; or

(4) A request to increase the number of ships on an existing fleet license.

(i) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the following are major changes that apply to aircraft stations:

(1) A request to increase the number of aircraft on an existing fleet license; or

(2) A request to change the type of aircraft (private or air carrier).

(j) In addition to those changes listed in paragraph (a) of this section, the following are major changes that apply to amateur licenses:

(1) An upgrade of an existing license; or

(2) A change of call sign.

(k) Any change not specifically listed above as major is considered minor (see §1.947(b). This includes but is not limited to:

(1) Any pro forma assignment or transfer of control;

(2) Any name change not involving change in ownership or control of the license;

(3) Any address and/or telephone number changes;

(4) Any changes in contact person;

(5) Any change to vessel name on a ship station license;

(6) Any change to a site-specific license, except a PLMRS license under part 90, or a license under part 101, where the licensee's interference contours are not extended and co-channel separation criteria are met, except those modifications defined in paragraph (c)(2) of this section; or

(7) Any conversion of multiple site-specific licenses into a single wide-area license, except a PLMRS license under part 90 or a license under part 101 of this chapter, where there is no change in the licensee's composite interference contour or service area as defined in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

[63 FR 68927, Dec. 14, 1998, as amended at 64 FR 53239, Oct. 1, 1999; 68 FR 12755, Mar. 17, 2003; 70 FR 19306, Apr. 13, 2005; 70 FR 61058, Oct. 20, 2005; 76 FR 70909, Nov. 16, 2011; 77 FR 3952, Jan. 26, 2012; 79 FR 72150, Dec. 5, 2014]