Graham Brock, Inc.

Broadcast Technical Consultants

July Newsletter

Vol. IX, No. 7

July 2002

 The Temperature is Rising...So Are The Fees

The FCC has released its schedule of regulatory fees for broadcast stations and their associated auxiliaries for this fiscal year. Each commercial broadcast station must pay the respective fees between September 10, 2002, and September 25, 2002. The fees are based on the population within the service contours and the class of the AM or FM station. The fees for television stations are assessed based on VHF or UHF service and the size of the market in which the station operates. The top fee for radio service is $4,975. The top fee for a TV station (VHF) in New York is $47,050. Fees for STL and RPU systems are $10 per license. The anticipated fees will bring $218 million into the government. You can check the Commission’s website for the fee for your station. In addition, the Commission has increased many of the fees for the filing of applications, effective September 10, 2002. For example, a minor change application for an AM, FM or TV station will be $800, up from $755.

Tower Registration Re-Visited

Several years ago, the FCC mandated that all towers above 200 feet (and some less than 200 feet) be registered with the Commission. The owners would receive a seven digit number that would identity the tower and this number had to be posted in a conspicuous place on the tower. Sounds pretty simple, right? Some tower owners went to the trouble of hiring surveyors to pinpoint the exact location of the tower. In some cases, the coordinates of the tower had to be corrected with the Federal Aviation Administration, and then the licenses of any facilities located on the tower had to be corrected with the FCC. In other situations, tower owners took the tower information off their licenses to complete the tower registration form. In each case, a tower registration number was usually issued. Now, several years later, GPS receivers are more readily available. One station owner called to inform us that a FCC Regional Inspector had been by to visit his station, with his handy GPS. The tower was not at the correct location. Therefore, the coordinates on the tower registration and station licenses were also incorrect. The station now must correct the tower coordinates with the

FAA and, upon the issuance of a new Determination of No Hazard, update the tower registration and the authorizations of all stations that are located at this site. How were your tower coordinates determined? You may need to double-check them with a GPS.

It’s Summer But There’s A Freeze

The Commission issued a public notice last month announcing a freeze on the submission of “maximization” applications for TV stations operating on Channels 52 through 59. These channels will eventually have to relocate into the core TV spectrum. The Commission will hold a future auction for the use of the old channels for new services (non-broadcast). Stations presently operating on Channels 52 - 59 (both digital and analog) cannot extend their service contours. However, proposals to do so will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applications to relocate a station to common antenna locations (that were encouraged in the DTV transition) are otherwise in the public interests and would also be considered, again on a case-by-case basis. Those stations in the New York area affected by events on September 11^th are specifically addressed by the Notice, indicating the FCC’s inclination to grant relocation waivers. This freeze is in place until further notice.

FM Translators

We recently received an inquiry regarding changes to a FM translator. As we previously reported, applications for new or major changes for existing translators are frozen, primarily to accommodate the implementation of the low power FM service. However, approximately two years ago, there was a change in the definition of major changes for FM translators. The new rules allow for the expansion of the coverage area, provided it did not result in interference to any full service stations, and may change to adjacent channels. One restriction is that the proposed new 60 dBu contour must cross a portion of the 60 dBu contour of the presently licensed translator in some manner. This provides substantial latitude in relocating and improving an existing translator.