WASHINGTON, D.C. — For years, supporters of non-commercial hyperlocal community-based radio got the short shrift from the FCC, with alleged favoritism to FM translators operated by secular and non-secular entities alike.
Now, the low-power FM community is gaining an opportunity to build new facilities.
The FCC’s Media Bureau has announced an upcoming filing window for applications for low power FM (LPFM) new station construction permits.
The filing window will open at 12:01am Eastern on Wednesday, November 1, will close at 6pm Eastern on November 8.
The window is available for LPFM proposals in the entire FM band (87.9 MHz-107.9 MHz).
Thank the Democratic leadership of Jessica Rosenworcel for the LPFM filing window, the FCC’s first in a decade. “We encourage potential applicants to begin familiarizing themselves with the application process,” the Media Bureau said in a statement released Thursday.
New applications must be filed electronically on FCC Form 2100, Schedule 318 in the Bureau’s Licensing Management System (LMS).
However, there’s a bit of a wait to get this form, as Schedule 318 is currently being updated. The Media Bureau assured, however, that the new version of this form will be released “in the near future, well in advance of the opening of the filing window.”
The FCC in 2019 amended its rules and procedures for filing LPFM applications and selecting and licensing competing LPFM applications.
The Bureau said it will provide detailed information about filing procedures and requirements by public notice in advance of the filing window.
Interested applicants also may monitor the Audio Division Web Page for information and developments: http://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/lpfm/.
