The FCC yesterday released a Public Notice announcing that the new Form 340 – Application for Construction Permit for Noncommercial Station – has been approved and is now effective. This is the revised form that allows noncommercial FM stations operating in the educational reserved band to file for city of license changes as minor changes, rather than having to wait for major change filing windows – which historically have been rare for noncommercial operators. So, noncommercial FM licensees who have been contemplating city of license changes – or commercial licensees looking at noncommercial city of license changes to "back fill" for their own proposed city of license change applications – are now free to file.
Commercial FM operators have been free to file city of license changes as minor changes since January 19. Many such applications have been filed, and they are being quickly processed by the FCC. For details about the new city-of-license-change procedure, see our posts here and here.