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Graham Brock, Inc. |
|
Broadcast Technical Consultants |
| Vol. XII, No. 4 |
R. Stuart Graham, Jr. |
| April 2005 |
Jefferson G. Brock |
The Commission released a Further Notice of Proposed
Rule Making regarding possible changes to the LPFM
rules. Some of the proposed changes include allowing
LPFM permittees three years to construct, rather than
the present 18 months; whether to provide LPFM
applications priority over translator applications; and
whether to allow LPFM stations to operate if they
interfere with a full service station’s 70 dBu contour.
Additional changes, already in effect, allow the minor
relocation of existing LP100 stations to occur within
5.6 kilometers (rather than the present 3.2 kilometers)
of their authorized site.
As a result of the issuance of this Further Notice, all
pending applications for new FM translators will be
frozen. These applications were submitted in early 2003
during the last translator window, with thousands still
pending. Comments in this proceeding are due within
thirty days of publication of the Further Notice in the
Federal Register (MM Docket 99-25). |
| Rumors of Another FM Auction |
| While no one will confirm the rumors, the FCC
appears to be preparing to issue another list of
vacant FM channels which will be auctioned sometime
this year. The list of channels, reportedly just
under 200, may be released shortly. If so, another
October or November FM auction could be on the
horizon. Check our website for daily updates. |
| The FCC issued its list of 2005 regulatory
fees for broadcast stations. As one might
expect, some of the fees have increased. Fees
are assessed based on the class of the station
and the population served. A Class A FM station
serving less than 25,000 will pay $550 dollars
this year, an increase of $25 over the 2004 fee.
Broadcast auxiliary stations (STL’s and RPU’s)
remain at $10. Fees for unbuilt AM and FM
stations and construction permits with no
licensed facility were reduced to $310 and $550
respectively from $465 and $1,650 in 2004. |
| Petitions for Rule Making |
| The Commission issued a Public Notice
reminding everyone that all Petitions for
Rule Making seeking changes to the FM Table
of Allotments, as well as comments and
counterproposals, must be submitted to the
Secretary’s Office. They noted that over the
last several months, some requests were
filed with the Audio Services Division or
the Mass Media Bureau. The FCC noted that by
filing with any office other than the
Secretary’s, the comments or counterproposal
may be considered to be late filed when it
finally reaches the Secretary’s office,
which may result in a dismissal of the
request, comments, or proposals. |
| License Renewals
Continue |
| Radio stations in Arizona, Idaho,
Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
will soon be filing their license
renewal applications. In determining
compliance for radio frequency radiation
exposure for several stations in Texas,
we found that the antenna systems on the
towers did not match the model on the
station license. In one case, the
present license was issued in the late
1970's, but an antenna replacement was
made in the mid 1990's. Use of the
1970's antenna would have made it
impossible to certify RF exposure
without ground measurements. However,
the actual antenna was compliant. The
FCC requires notification of the
replacement of one non-directional
antenna with another on Form 302-FM.
Before renewal comes around, make sure
the license you have matches what is
actually on the tower. RF compliance
worksheets are associated with the
renewal applications, and should be
reviewed well in advance of the renewal
deadlines. If more detailed mathematical
calculations are needed, or on-site
measurements are required to demonstrate
compliance, there may not be sufficient
time to meet the renewal deadline if
only a week or two away. |
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