(a) All stations in the maritime mobile service and the maritime mobile-satellite service shall be capable of offering four levels of priority in the following order:

(1) Distress calls, distress messages, and distress traffic.

(2) Urgency communications.

(3) Safety communications.

(4) Other communications.

(b) In a fully automated system, where it is impracticable to offer all four levels of priority, category 1 shall receive priority until such time as intergovernmental agreements remove exemptions granted for such systems from offering the complete order of priority.