§  87.261   Scope of service.

   (a) Aeronautical enroute stations provide operational control
   communications to aircraft along domestic or international air routes.
   Operational control communications include the safe, efficient and
   economical operation of aircraft, such as fuel, weather, position
   reports, aircraft performance, and essential services and supplies.
   Public correspondence is prohibited.

   (b) Service must be provided to any aircraft station licensee who makes
   cooperative arrangements for the operation, maintenance and liability
   of the stations which are to furnish enroute service. In emergency or
   distress situations service must be provided without prior
   arrangements.

   (c) Except in Alaska, only one aeronautical enroute station licensee
   will be authorized at any one location. In Alaska, only one
   aeronautical enroute station licensee in the domestic service and one
   aeronautical enroute station licensee in the international service will
   be authorized at any one location. (Because enroute stations may
   provide service over a large area containing a number of air routes or
   only provide communications in the local area of an airport, location
   here means the area which can be adequately served by the particular
   station.)

   (d) In Alaska, only stations which serve scheduled air carriers will be
   licensed to operate aeronautical enroute stations. Applicants must show
   that the station will provide communications only along routes served
   by scheduled air carriers.

   (e) Mobile units may be operated under an aeronautical enroute station
   authorization so long as the units are limited to use at an airport and
   are only used to communicate with aircraft on the ground or the
   associated aeronautical enroute station. Mobile units are further
   limited to operation on the VHF frequencies listed in 87.263(a)(1).

   (f) Mobile units licensed under paragraph (e) of this section shall not
   be operated on air traffic control frequencies, nor cause harmful
   interference to, communications on air traffic control frequencies.

   [ 53 FR 28940 , Aug. 1, 1988, as amended at  64 FR 27476 , May 20, 1999]