Private Land Mobile Radio Services

"Refarming" is the informal name of a notice and comment rule-making proceeding (PR Docket No. 92-235) opened in 1992 to develop an overall strategy for using the spectrum in the private land mobile radio (PLMR) allocations more efficiently to meet future communications requirements.

In June 1995, the Commission adopted a new narrowband channel plan in the PLMR bands below 800 MHz. In February 1997, the Commission adopted a Second Report and Order which did away with 20 discrete radio services and replaced them with two frequency pools: the Public Safety Pool and the Industrial/Business Pool. In May 2001, the Commission adopted the Sixth Memorandum Opinion and Order which resolved all outstanding issues and terminated the proceeding.

The rules adopted in the refarming proceeding are applicable to the Private Land Mobile bands below 800 MHz. Specifically, the technical rules adopted affect the licensing and use of radios in the following bands:

• 150-174 MHz (jpeg)
  VHF high band; available nationwide
• 421-430 MHz (jpeg)
  Available only in Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland
• 450-470 MHz (jpeg)
  Available nationwide
• 470-512 MHz (jpeg)
  Shared with UHF-TV; available only in 11 cities

In addition to the radio bands listed (view complete band plan (jpeg)), the consolidated frequency pools adopted in the Second R&O also include the PLMR frequencies available below 150 MHz.