Sec. 22.131  Procedures for mutually exclusive applications.

    Two or more pending applications are mutually exclusive if the grant 
of one application would effectively preclude the grant of one or more 
of the others under Commission rules governing the Public Mobile 
Services involved. The Commission uses the general procedures in this 
section for processing mutually exclusive applications in the Public 
Mobile Services. Additional specific procedures are prescribed in the 
subparts of this part governing the individual Public Mobile Services 
(see Secs. 22.509, 22.717, and 22.949) and in part 1 of this chapter.
    (a) Separate applications. Any applicant that files an application 
knowing that it will be mutually exclusive with one or more applications 
should not include in the mutually exclusive application a request for 
other channels or facilities that would not, by themselves, render the 
application mutually exclusive with those other applications. Instead, 
the request for such other channels or facilities should be filed in a 
separate application.
    (b) Filing groups. Pending mutually exclusive applications are 
processed in filing groups. Mutually exclusive applications in a filing 
group are given concurrent consideration. The Commission may dismiss as 
defective (pursuant to Sec. 22.128) any mutually exclusive 
application(s) whose filing date is outside of the date range for 
inclusion in the filing group. The types of filing groups used in day-
to-day application processing are specified in paragraph (c)(3) of this 
section. A filing group is one of the following types:
    (1) Renewal filing group. A renewal filing group comprises a timely-
filed application for renewal of an authorization and all timely-filed 
mutually exclusive competing applications (see Sec. 22.145).
    (2) Same-day filing group. A same-day filing group comprises all 
mutually exclusive applications whose filing date is the same day, which 
is normally the filing date of the first-filed application(s).
    (3) Thirty-day notice and cut-off filing group. A 30-day notice and 
cut-off filing group comprises mutually exclusive applications whose 
filing date is no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the 
Public Notice listing the first-filed application(s) (according to the 
filing dates) as acceptable for filing.
    (4) Window filing group. A window filing group comprises mutually 
exclusive applications whose filing date is within an announced filing 
window. An announced filing window is a period of time between and 
including two specific dates, which are the first and last dates on 
which applications (or amendments) for a particular purpose may be 
accepted for filing. In the case of a one-day window, the two dates are 
the same. The dates are made known to the public in advance.
    (c) Procedures. Generally, the Commission may grant one application 
in a filing group of mutually exclusive applications and dismiss the 
other application(s) in the filing group that are excluded by that 
grant, pursuant to Sec. 22.128.
    (1) Selection methods. In selecting the application to grant, the 
Commission

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may use competitive bidding, random selection, or comparative hearings, 
depending upon the type of applications involved.
    (2) Dismissal of applications. The Commission may dismiss any 
application in a filing group that is defective or otherwise subject to 
dismissal under Sec. 22.128, either before or after employing selection 
procedures.
    (3) Type of filing group used. Except as otherwise provided in this 
part, the type of filing group used in the processing of two or more 
mutually exclusive applications depends upon the purpose(s) of the 
applications.
    (i) If one of the mutually exclusive applications is a timely-filed 
application for renewal of an authorization, a renewal filing group is 
used.
    (ii) If any mutually exclusive application filed on the earliest 
filing date is an application for modification and none of the mutually 
exclusive applications is a timely-filed application for renewal, a 
same-day filing group is used.
    (iii) If all of the mutually exclusive applications filed on the 
earliest filing date are applications for initial authorization, a 30-
day notice and cut-off filing group is used, except that, for Phase I 
unserved area applications in the Cellular Radiotelephone Service, a 
one-day window filing group is used (see Sec. 22.949).
    (4) Disposition. If there is only one application in any type of 
filing group, the Commission may grant that application and dismiss 
without prejudice any mutually exclusive applications not in the filing 
group. If there is more than one mutually exclusive application in a 
filing group, the Commission disposes of these applications as follows:
    (i) Applications in a renewal filing group. All mutually exclusive 
applications in a renewal filing group are designated for comparative 
consideration in a hearing.
    (ii) Applications in a 30-day notice and cut-off filing group.
    (A) If all of the mutually exclusive applications in a 30-day notice 
and cut-off filing group are applications for initial authorization, the 
FCC administers competitive bidding procedures in accordance with 
Sec. 22.201 through Sec. 22.227 and subpart Q of part 1 of this chapter, 
as applicable. After such procedures, the application of the successful 
bidder may be granted and the other applications may be dismissed 
without prejudice.
    (B) If any of the mutually exclusive applications in a 30-day notice 
and cut-off filing group is an application for modification, the 
Commission may attempt to resolve the mutual exclusivity by facilitating 
a settlement between the applicants. If a settlement is not reached 
within a reasonable time, the FCC may designate all applications in the 
filing group for comparative consideration in a hearing. In this event, 
the result of the hearing disposes all of the applications in the filing 
group.
    (iii) Applications in a same-day filing group. If there are two or 
more mutually exclusive applications in a same-day filing group, the 
Commission may attempt to resolve the mutual exclusivity by facilitating 
a settlement between the applicants. If a settlement is not reached 
within a reasonable time, the Commission may designate all applications 
in the filing group for comparative consideration in a hearing. In this 
event, the result of the hearing disposes of all of the applications in 
the filing group.
    (iv) Applications in a window filing group. Applications in a window 
filing group are processed in accordance with the procedures for a 30-
day notice and cut-off filing group in paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of this 
section.
    (d) Terminology. For the purposes of this section, terms have the 
following meanings:
    (1) The filing date of an application is the date on which that 
application was received in a condition acceptable for filing or the 
date on which the most recently filed major amendment to that 
application was received, whichever is later, excluding major amendments 
in the following circumstances:
    (i) The major amendment reflects only a change in ownership or 
control found by the Commission to be in the public interest;
    (ii) The major amendment as received is defective or otherwise found 
unacceptable for filing; or

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    (iii) The application being amended has been designated for hearing 
and the Commission or the presiding officer accepts the major amendment.
    (2) An application for initial authorization is:
    (i) Any application requesting an authorization for a new system or 
station;
    (ii) Any application requesting authorization for an existing 
station to operate on an additional channel, unless the additional 
channel is for paired two-way radiotelephone operation, is in the same 
frequency range as the existing channel(s), and will be operationally 
integrated with the existing channel(s) such as by trunking;
    (iii) Any application requesting authorization for a new transmitter 
at a location more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from any existing 
transmitters of the applicant licensee on the requested channel or 
channel block; or
    (iv) Any application to expand the CGSA of a cellular system (as 
defined in Sec. 22.911), except during the five-year build-out period.
    (v) Any ``short-form'' application (filed on FCC Form 175) 
requesting a new paging geographic area authorization.
    (3) An application for modification is any application other than an 
application for initial authorization or renewal.
[ 59 FR 59954 , Nov. 21, 1994, as amended at  62 FR 11629 , Mar. 12, 1997]