Some FM stations that lose a tower can’t move to another one because the FCC’s spacing rules say no. A petition now open for comment would let them, as long as the move causes no added interference and Urban One’s chief executive is among its backers.
The FCC Media Bureau is asking for public comment on a petition that would make it easier for some FM stations to move their transmitters.
FM stations have to sit a minimum distance from other stations on the same or nearby channels so their signals don’t interfere. The FCC’s rules already let some stations sit closer than that if they use directional antennas and protect the other stations’ coverage areas, but Section 73.215(e) sets a distance limit that cannot be crossed.
Charles M. Anderson, who filed the petition February 2 and amended it June 16, says that limit leaves existing FM stations no leeway to move from aging towers or lost tower sites to existing towers. He would add a new subsection, 73.215(f), that lets a station go below the limit if it shows that no greater interference would be caused to nearby short-spaced stations than would occur at the minimum distances in subsection (e). His original petition would have deleted subsection (e) outright.
The Bureau reports it has received two letters of support. Urban One President and CEO Alfred C. Liggins, III wrote on July 23, and Marble City Media LLC President and CEO Lee Perryman wrote on August 20, both to Media Bureau Audio Division Chief Albert Shuldiner.
Comments are due December 14, and replies January 13, 2027, under MB Docket No. 26-303.
