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Telecommunications Data

AnalyGIS Wireless Telecommunications data package is a collection of the most recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) definitions for BEA, BTA, CEA, CMA, EA, EAG, MEA, MTA, REA, and RPC boundaries. Interested organizations use this data to visualize the holdings and license assignments for various wireless telecommunications companies.

The complete data package provides users with the ability to examine the current wireless telecommunication license status and provide the basis upon which to join current FCC license information to geographic boundaries for a more complete picture of the licensing landscape.

Boundary Explanations:

BEA -  Business Economic Area
BEAs are designated by the Department of Commerce and each typically represents a major economic center.  The Economic Area service areas are based on the Economic Areas delineated by the Regional Economic Analysis Division, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce February 1995 (1-172), with the following additions: Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (173), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (174), and American Samoa (175).* The Commission has also designated the Gulf of Mexico (176) as an additional Economic Area. However, the Location and Monitoring Service (LMS) is currently the only service which implements the Gulf of Mexico (176) as a separate license area.

BTA - Basic Trading Area
A geographic area, based on the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, pages 38-39, used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to define the coverage of spectrum licenses for certain services. The United States is divided into 487 BTAs. The Commission has further defined 6 other BTA-like areas: American Samoa; Guam; Northern Mariana Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Mayaguez/Aguadilla-Ponce, Puerto Rico; and the United States Virgin Islands, for a total of 493 BTAs.*

CEA - Component Economic Area
A geographic area delineated by the Regional Economic Analysis Division, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce February 1995. There is a total of 354 service areas based on the 348 Component Economic Areas, with the following six FCC-defined service area additions: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, San Juan (Puerto Rice), Mayagüez/
Aguadilla-Ponce (Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.*

CMA - Cellular Market Areas
CMAs consist of the following:

MSA Boundaries - Metropolitan Statistical Areas: A geographic area defined by the Office of Management and Budget and modified by the FCC. There are 306 MSAs, including New England County Metropolitan Areas and the Gulf of Mexico Service Area (water area of the Gulf of Mexico, border is the coastline).*

and,

RSA Boundaries - Rural Service Areas:  A geographic area used by the FCC to define coverage of spectrum licenses in certain services. There are 428 RSAs, which, when combined with 306 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), comprise the 734 cellular geographic service areas.*

EA - Economic Area
A geographic area established by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce and used by the FCC to define the coverage of spectrum licenses for certain services. There are 172 EAs, plus three EA-like areas, encompassing the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.*

EAG - Economic Area Grouping
EAGs (220 MHz and 700 MHz) are geographic areas based on groupings of EA boundaries used for licensing in the 220 MHz, 747 to 762 MHz, and 777 to 792 MHZ bands.

MEA - Major Economic Areas
A geographic area established and used by the FCC to define the coverage of spectrum licenses for certain services. There are 52 MEAs, including 46 in the continental United States and 6 covering Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.*

MTA - Major Trading Area
A geographic area based upon the Rand McNally 1992 Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide, 123rd Edition, pages 38-39, used by the FCC to define coverage of spectrum licenses for certain services. The Commission uses 51 MTAs, which include the 47 established by Rand McNally, with the following exceptions and additions: Alaska is separated from the Seattle MTA and is licensed separately; Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are licensed as a single MTA-like area; Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are licensed as a single MTA-like area; and American Samoa is licensed as a single MTA-like area.*

REA - Regional Economic Areas 
A geographic area based on groupings of 172 Economic Areas (EAs) and 4 EA-like areas developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce, used to define the coverage of spectrum licenses for certain services.

RPC - Regional Narrowband PCS (Personal Communication Service) Area
RPCs were created by Commission staff, and are an aggregation of MTAs into 5 regions.

*American Territories not included in telecommunications data provided by AnalyGIS, LLC.