WASHINGTON, D.C. — All three vote-makers on the Federal Communications Commission have given their thumbs up to a Public Notice that proposes and seeks comment on certain eligibility requirements and a general limit filed by any applicant in the upcoming noncommercial FM translator filing window.
Specifically, the FCC is proposing a maximum of 10 applications filed by any entity in the window, which will come later this year. It would establish an FM translator scheme in the reserved noncommercial educational band of 88.1 MHz to 91.9 MHz, as noted in MB Docket No. 26-20.
For Democrat-aligned Commissioner Anna M. Gómez, empowering noncommercial educational radio station “aids all three” of the FCC’s objectives, as these educational, religious and local school-owned radio stations can be “specific and relevant” to the communities they serve.
As such, the Commission is supporting their “excellent work” with this Media Bureau action and keeps noncommercial radio broadcasters in step with commercially licensed stations that have access to translator stations. And, given the rural communities with terrain challenges, the Media Bureau is on the right track, Gómez believes.
Trusty offered no statement in support of the first-ever filing window for FM translator service in the noncommercial FM radio band, yielding to Chairman Carr. He notes that while FM translator services began in the early 1970s, this marks the first opportunity for noncommercial FM, LPFMs, and noncommercial AM stations (such as WOI-AM 640 in Ames, Iowa) to obtain new FM translator stations. “This will particularly benefit educational broadcasters, to allow them to extend the programming their stations provide to the public and reach remote, rural, and underserved communities,” Carr said.
The 3-0 vote means the FCC can now seek comment on how to tailor the upcoming NCE FM translator window. “We explore eligibility requirements and application limits to prevent gamesmanship and preserve the airwaves for future local and community focused services,” Carr said, adding that he looks forward “to seeing the positive results of this unique window and the continued growth of noncommercial service in the FM band.”
