The FCC will allow Garmin International to build a Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) handheld that also includes an emergency transmitter linked to the Iridium satellite network. MURS is regulated under Part 95 of the Commission's rules while the emergency beacon satellite system comes under Part 25. According to the ARRL Letter, FCC rules prohibit combining a MURS transmitter with one that operates in a different service. In this case, Garmin persuaded the Commission that it would be in the public interest to waive that particular rule and permit the installation of an emergency satellite module in its MURS handheld. Users would have to subscribe to Iridium's service to access the beacon transmitter, which Garmin assured the FCC would not be able to transmit at the same time as the MURS portion of the radio.
