Subpart A—General
§15.1 Scope of this part.
(a) This part sets out the regulations under which an intentional, unintentional, or
incidental radiator may be operated without an individual license. It also contains the technical
specifications, administrative requirements and other conditions relating to the marketing of
part 15 devices.
(b) The operation of an intentional or unintentional radiator that is not in accordance with
the regulations in this part must be licensed pursuant to the provisions of section 301 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, unless otherwise exempted from the licensing
requirements elsewhere in this chapter.
(c) Unless specifically exempted, the operation or marketing of an intentional or
unintentional radiator that is not in compliance with the administrative and technical provisions
in this part, including prior Commission authorization or verification, as appropriate, is
prohibited under section 302 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and subpart I
of part 2 of this chapter. The equipment authorization and verification procedures are detailed
in subpart J of part 2 of this chapter.
§15.3 Definitions.
(a) Auditory assistance device. An intentional radiator used to provide auditory
assistance communications (including but not limited to applications such as assistive listening,
auricular training, audio description for the blind, and simultaneous language translation) for:
(1) Persons with disabilities: In the context of part 15 rules (47 CFR part 15), the term
“disability,” with respect to the individual, has the meaning given to it by section 3(2)(A) of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102(2)(A)), i.e., a physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individuals;
(2) Persons who require language translation; or
(3) Persons who may otherwise benefit from auditory assistance communications in
places of public gatherings, such as a church, theater, auditorium, or educational institution.
(b) Biomedical telemetry device. An intentional radiator used to transmit measurements
of either human or animal biomedical phenomena to a receiver.
(c) Cable input selector switch. A transfer switch that is intended as a means to alternate
between the reception of broadcast signals via connection to an antenna and the reception of
cable television service.
(d) Cable locating equipment. An intentional radiator used intermittently by trained
operators to locate buried cables, lines, pipes, and similar structures or elements. Operation
