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This article is no longer available. For more information on this topic, see  FCC Announces New Round of EEO Audits for Radio Stations; Reminds Broadcsters of Requirement to Post Annual EEO Public File Report on Station Website, and Cable Companies of Obligation to File EEO Program Annual Report

This article is no longer available. For more information on this topic, see February Legal Deadlines for Broadcasters – Online Public File, Review of Incentive Auction Comments, Filing Deadline for FM Auction, and Lots of Renewals and EEO Public File Reports

The FCC today issued the long-awaited text of its decision on Digital Audio radio – the so-called IBOC system.  As we have written, while adopted at its March meeting, the text of the decision has been missing in action.  With the release of the decision, which is available here, the effective date of the new rules can be set in the near future – 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register.  With the Order, the Commission also released its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, addressing a host of new issues – some not confined to digital radio, but instead affecting the obligations of all radio operations.

The text provides the details for many of the actions that were announced at the March meeting, including authorizing the operation of AM stations in a digital mode at night, and the elimination of the requirements that stations ask permission for experimental operations before commencing multicast operations.  The Order also permits the use of dual antennas – one to be used solely for digital use – upon notification to the FCC.  In addition, the order addresses several other matters not discussed at the meeting, as set forth below.  Continue Reading FCC Issues Rules on Digital Radio – With Some Surprises that Could Eventually Impact Analog Operations

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…

The Agenda for next week’s FCC meeting includes the consideration of 76 groups of mutually exclusive applications for new noncommercial FM stations.  Many of the 200 or so applications contained in these groups have been pending at the FCC for almost 10 years.  Several years ago, the FCC adopted a point system to resolve cases involving these applications as…

The FCC Order announcing a simplification of the procedures for changing cities of licenses of radio stations, and the modification of procedures for amending the FM Table of Allotments, was published in the Federal Register today.  Thus, the new rules will become effective in 30 days, on January 19.  The freeze on FM allotment changes that has been in place for the last year and a half will be lifted on that date.

Substantial questions remain about how these new rules will be implemented in practice.  Informal conversations with FCC staffers have indicated that further explanations of the procedures may be forthcoming.  Issues in the new rules include the fact that only 4 stations may be changed in any single, interrelated filing, which may hamper some of the larger, more complicated facilities changes that have become common over the last few years – and which allow many stations to improve their facilities through interrelated changes. 

There are also issues with city of license changes for noncommercial FM stations, as the new rules as written limit city of license changes to situations where the 1 mv/m contour of the station when moved would overlap with some part of the 1 mv/m service area of the station as currently licensed.  In other services, the limits are that the move must be mutually exclusive with the present facilities (e.g. the interfering and protected contours of the stations would overlap).  Continue Reading New City of License Change Rules Effective January 19