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.

FMI: www.fcc.gov, www.faa.gov