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Graham Brock, Inc. |
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Broadcast Technical Consultants |
| Vol. XVI, No. 10 |
R. Stuart Graham, Jr. |
| October 2009 |
Jefferson G. Brock |
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No More Third Adjacent for LPFM? |
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Several years ago, Congress told the FCC
it must apply a third adjacent spacing requirement for
LPFM stations when considering adjacent FM stations.
This significantly reduced the number of available
compliant LPFM channels. The change took place after the
first two LPFM windows opened, causing applicants much
confusion. After a series of studies and much lobbying,
Congress seems to be moving toward removing the
restriction. The House Telecommunications Subcommittee
voted to lift the requirement to provide third adjacent
spacing requirements; therefore, it appears that the FCC
will soon no longer require third adjacent channel
protection for LPFM stations. This will result in more
options for the possible relocation of existing LPFM
stations, should they be displaced by a full service
station. It also may allow the Commission to open a
filing window for new LPFM applications soon. There has
been no announcement, but the FCC did indicate that an
LPFM window would be coming at some point in conjunction
with the FM translator rulemaking, before another FM
translator window. |
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The rules allowing FM translators to retransmit AM
stations became effective at the beginning of
October. Applications for technical changes may now
list the AM or FM station to be rebroadcast by the
FM translator. There is no immediate indication of
the number of minor change applications that have
been filed. However, there was a flurry of letters
submitted to the FCC requesting to change the
retransmitted stations to AM facilities. This was
necessary because the STA’s that formerly allowed
this type of operation expired on the effective date
of the new rules. These letters, while notifying the
Commission of the change, may also trigger a review
of technical changes to the translator since the
original STA was granted to ensure that the
translator remains compliant and that the
translator’s 60 dBu contour is inside the AM
station’s 2.0 mV/m. A map associated with the letter
to the FCC should demonstrate this to the FCC staff. |
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LPTV Window Drew Interest |
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On August 25th, the FCC began accepting
applications for new digital LPTV stations,
outside of the top 100 television markets. The
new stations had to be a minimum of 75 miles
from these frozen markets. Many entities took
advantage of this window with some applicants
filing for multiple, sequential channels in some
communities. Although many applications were
filed on the first day, the applications did not
appear in the FCC database immediately.
Applications are only added to the database when
the FCC’s required filing fee is paid. While
some applicants initially felt hopeful about
their chances, many had their hopes dashed after
fees were paid and applications began popping
up. The FCC has already released a list of
several LPTV applications determined as not
mutually exclusive. The Commission set a 30 day
period for comments. More singleton lists are
expected as the Commission sorts through all of
the filings. The geographic limitations to
filing will no longer be a factor after January
25, 2010, when new applications can be filed in
all markets and locations around the country. |
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FM Auction #79 Concludes |
| After 50 rounds of
bidding, the latest FM allocation auction, Auction
#79, concluded on September 15th. At the auction’s
conclusion, only 85 of the originally proposed 122
channels were awarded. The remaining channels, for
which there were no winning bidders, are being held
by the FCC and may be included in a future auction.
Auction winners have until October 19th to submit
their applications for construction permits. Initial
permits allow a change of community of license,
provided the criteria for a city of license change
are met. Initial permits also allow a change to
non-adjacent channels with no class or city of
license change. As of the end of September, there
were no applications filed by the 85 winners. Both
the applications and the final payment are to be on
file by the October 19, 2009 deadline. The FCC will
collect approximately $5.2 million from Auction #79.
This pales in comparison to the amount the FCC
realized from the last auction, in which a single
allotment brought in more than $2.0 million. |
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Non-Commercials and Channel 6 |
| Some months ago, the
FCC indicated it would issue a Public Notice when
non-commercial stations no longer had to protect
former analog full power TV Channel 6 stations. The
Public Notice has been issued and states that
non-commercial stations can ignore former analog TV
Channel 6 stations beginning October 27, 2009. Until
that time, an agreement from the Channel 6 station
is still required. Noncommercial stations must still
protect affected digital TV Channel 6 stations. |
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If
you have a suggestion for a topic for an
upcoming newsletter, just send us a note
or email. To receive the newsletter via
email please send an email to
cathy@grahambrock.com. |
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