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Freedom251 › Blog › assistive listening

Low Power Radio Service: What LPRS Means and What It Allows

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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The Low Power Radio Service (LPRS) is a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) radio service for specific short-distance voice, data and tracking applications—not a general-purpose walkie-talkie service. Its permitted uses include auditory assistance, health-care-related communications for the ill, certain law-enforcement tracking and limited control communications for Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS) coast stations. LPRS stations may not be used for two-way voice communications.

What does LPRS mean?

LPRS stands for Low Power Radio Service, a service governed by FCC rules in Part 95, Subpart G. The current definition is in 47 CFR § 95.2103. The FCC adopted rules creating the service on July 25, 1996; that history does not replace the current rules, which can change.

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The name can be misleading: LPRS is not simply any radio that transmits at low power. It is a regulated service with designated purposes, frequencies, technical limits and operating conditions. Its central boundary is explicit: 47 CFR § 95.2133 states, “LPRS stations must not be used for two-way voice communications.”

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What is LPRS used for?

Under current FCC rules, LPRS stations may transmit voice, data or tracking signals for specified purposes. These are limited categories, not a general permission to use LPRS for personal or business radio conversations.

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Auditory assistance

Authorized examples include assistive listening devices, audio description for blind people and simultaneous language translation. The rules describe eligible users broadly, including people with disabilities, people who need translation and people who may benefit in educational settings.

Health-care-related communication

LPRS may be used for communications related to health care for the ill. This category does not make LPRS a general medical communications network.

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Law-enforcement tracking

Tracking signals may be used for homing or interrogation, including tracking people or stolen goods, when the use is under the authority or agreement of a federal, state or local law-enforcement agency with jurisdiction where the transmitters are placed. Certain channels are reserved exclusively for this tracking use.

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AMTS network control

LPRS can carry point-to-point network-control communications for Automated Maritime Telecommunications System coast stations licensed under FCC Part 80. This is a narrowly defined use with separate operator, frequency, power, antenna and notice requirements.

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Can LPRS be used for two-way radio communication?

No—not for two-way voice communications. The rule prohibits using LPRS stations for two-way voice. Although voice transmission is allowed for specified purposes such as auditory assistance, that allowance does not authorize ordinary back-and-forth conversations between radio users.

Who can operate an LPRS station?

Subject to general Part 95 eligibility requirements, any person may operate an LPRS station. The exception is operation for AMTS purposes: only a person holding an AMTS license under Part 80 may operate an LPRS station for that purpose. The current operator rule appears in 47 CFR § 95.2103.

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What frequencies and power limits apply?

LPRS channels are in the 216–217 MHz band. The rules enumerate standard, extra-band and narrowband channels; they also reserve channels 19, 20, 50 and 151–160 exclusively for law-enforcement tracking. AMTS network-control transmissions are limited to 216.750–217.000 MHz, and other AMTS transmissions in the 216–217 MHz band are prohibited.

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Operating case Maximum ERP Qualification
LPRS transmitter not used with an AMTS station 100 mW Maximum effective radiated power under the current FCC rule
LPRS transmitter used with an AMTS station 1 Watt Maximum effective radiated power under the current FCC rule

These are regulatory limits, not estimates of range or coverage. The FCC also requires LPRS stations to protect the U.S. Air Force Space Surveillance system operating in 216.88–217.08 MHz from harmful interference and to avoid harmful interference to reception within the service contour of a TV or DTV broadcast station operating on Channel 13. These conditions are in 47 CFR § 95.2167 and 47 CFR § 95.2125.

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What additional rules apply to AMTS use?

Before operating an LPRS transmitter with an AMTS, the AMTS licensee must notify in writing each television station that may be affected, subject to the rule’s application-notice provision. For non-integral antennas outside enclosed structures, the antenna tip generally may not be more than 30.5 meters (100 feet) above ground level. LPRS stations used with AMTS must use directional transmit antennas. These requirements are set out in the current Part 95 rules, including 47 CFR § 95.2103 and 47 CFR § 95.2167.

Does an assistive listening system automatically use LPRS?

No. Assistive listening devices are an example of an allowed auditory-assistance application, but that does not establish that every assistive listening product transmits on LPRS channels or meets FCC equipment authorization requirements. Check the particular device’s specifications and authorization; the product category alone is not proof of LPRS compatibility.

Where can you check the current LPRS rules?

The eCFR text for 47 CFR Part 95, Subpart G, is shown as current through October 5, 2026. It is the continuously updated online version of the Code of Federal Regulations; the official legal print publication is the CFR. For the service definition and operating rules, consult 47 CFR Part 95, Subpart G.

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