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Graham Brock, Inc. |
|
Broadcast Technical Consultants |
| Vol. XII, No. 9 |
R. Stuart Graham, Jr. |
| September 2005 |
Jefferson G. Brock |
| FCC Expedites Emergency Requests |
| Because of the severe damage caused by Hurricane
Katrina to broadcast and communications systems in the
Gulf Coast states, the Commission put policies in place
to expedite requests for special temporary and emergency
authorizations. The FCC is also waiving the requirement
for broadcast stations to notify the Commission within
24 hours of commencement of operations with emergency
systems, such as temporary long wire antenna systems for
AM stations, and the mounting of TV and FM antennas at
temporary locations. AM stations in the affected area
can remain on the air at night with daytime power
levels, provided the station airs emergency information
and not commercial material. Stations that are silent
because of Katrina have sixty days to notify the
Commission rather than the usual thirty days stated in
the rules. The FCC will be open on Saturdays and Sundays
to address emergency matters for the communications
industry. |
| More Time for Settlements |
| The FCC has issued a public notice extending the
settlement period for mutually exclusive AM
applications for new and major changes involved in
the upcoming AM Auction #84. These applications were
initially filed during the January 2004 AM filing
window, and are mutually exclusive with other
applications. The Commission is allowing certain
applicants to submit settlements, which will enable
the issuance of permits for new or changed stations,
without having to go through the auction process.
The window for settlements was to close September
16th; however, several parties requested an
extension because of the disruption caused by
Katrina. The new deadline for the submission of
settlement agreements is now October 31st . This is
also the revised date by which all applicants
involved in AM Auction #84 must submit their
respective Section 307(b) studies. |
| STL’s & RPU’s Construction
Notifications |
| Applications for auxiliary facilities, such
as STL and RPU systems, have been submitted
electronically for several years. Sometime this
year, the Commission will also add a
notification process for all outstanding permits
for STL and RPU systems. The FCC will require
the permittee to notify the FCC when a new STL
or RPU system is constructed and operating. A
failure to notify may result in the cancellation
of the permit for the auxiliary station,
requiring the permittee to go through the filing
process for a new STL again. So, if your
facility has permits for new or changed
auxiliary stations, be sure the Commission is
notified when they become operational. |
| Radio stations in Alaska, American
Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington
State, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont will
soon be renewing their licenses (as well as
TV stations in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana,
North Dakota and South Dakota). These
stations must re-certify their radio
frequency radiation compliance. Do not leave
the review of this issue until the last
minute. For those stations requiring
measurements, advance notice is needed for
engineers to come to the site to take the
necessary measurements since it can be
weeks, if not months, in advance for a
multi-user site. |
National
Association of Broadcasters
Radio Show In Philadelphia |
| Stu and Jeff will attend the NAB
Radio Show in Philadelphia September
21st through the 23rd. If you are going
to be in attendance and would like to
meet, please let us know. |
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