Is your company participating in the filing of “Auction 99” applications for new cross-service FM translators?
An online tutorial is being provided by the FCC to help you in this process.
In a public notice released Thursday (7/13) in regard to AU Docket No. 17-143, the Media Bureau, in conjunction with the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, revealed that it has created an online tutorial that provides an overview of the application filing requirements for applicants seeking a new cross-service FM translator.
The online tutorial is available at the Auction 99 website: www.fcc.gov/auction/99.
This filing window opportunity is available to either an existing AM station licensee or, if applicable, a proposed assignee of such an AM station, consistent with the provisions of section 73.3517(a) of the Commission’s rules.
When establishing this cross-service FM translator approach in its AM Revitalization First Report and Order, the Commission stated that either an AM licensee or a proposed assignee could seek such FM translators in the first two modification windows, which were held in 2016.
Permitting a proposed assignee of an AM station to participate in this additional filing window opportunity is consistent with the Commission’s stated policy for those prior FM translator modification windows, which were also intended to further enhance the viability of the AM broadcast service, the Media Bureau says.
An AM licensee or assignee may not file for an FM translator for a primary AM station that was listed as the primary station in a modification application filed during either of the two 2016 modification windows.
Further, the Media Bureau will accept only one FCC Form 175 for a particular AM station—that is, only an existing AM licensee or assignee may file in this window, not both.
This filing window provides an opportunity to seek a new cross-service FM translator that would retransmit the signal of a primary AM station.
A party seeking an FM translator must file FCC Form 349 Tech Box for a permit for each such proposed facility in the Media Bureau’s Consolidated Database System (CDBS) between 12:01am Eastern on July 26 and prior to 6pm Eastern on Aug. 2, as well as one FCC Form 175 in the FCC Auction System covering all proposed station(s) for which it files a FCC Form 349 Tech Box between 9am Eastern on July 26 and prior to 6pm Eastern on Aug. 2.
Instructions for filing an application, including an overview of requirements, may be found in the Filing Instructions Public Notice.
