The FCC has received 500-plus applications from AM owners seeking FM translators.
The agency has granted 400 so far, according to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
Dozens have come from Spanish-language AMs like KSPE, Santa Barbara to WOCN, Miami to WRYM, New Britain, Conn.
Regarding the latest proposals to help revitalize the AM band, that we’ve been reporting on, Pai hopes the commission moves on those swiftly. “We also need to continue the dialog about the long-term future of the AM band,” he said Wednesday at the Hispanic Radio Conference organized by our sister publication Radio Ink.
The FCC has an open rulemaking to update its broadcast foreign investment rules; Pai supports the effort, noting that not only would U.S. owners be able to invest abroad, but a relaxation would allow owners to benefit from an influx of foreign capital.
Such a move could help Hispanic broadcasters get funding from Latin America as well as widen their sources of U.S. capital as well, he said.
