Some asked the FCC to reconsider part of a recent...
Some asked the FCC to reconsider part of a recent order on low-power FM and FM translator stations. The Educational Media Foundation (EMF), Conner Media and a group of religious broadcasters separately asked in docket 99-25 the commission to reconsider…
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limits on the number of FM translator applications allowed per market. “The FCC’s stated basis for the one-to-a-market limitation was that parties rarely need multiple translators serving substantially the same area,” said Conner Media (http://xrl.us/bm64jw). But multiple translators within one market don’t necessarily serve the same areas, it said. In certain markets, “a single translator could not possibly suffice,” Connor said. The rule goes further than necessary to prevent parties from trafficking in translator authorizations, said Hope Christian Church of Marlton, translator operator Bridgelight and Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes in a jointly-filed petition (http://xrl.us/bm64ka). It proposed criteria for granting waivers from the rule under certain limited conditions. EMF also said it had problems with the limits (http://xrl.us/bm64kr). In setting up the market cap, the commission never defined what constitutes a market, EMF said. “Such failure to define such key terms is classic arbitrary and capricious agency action in its own right.” Separately, in the same docket, the Leadership Council on Civil Rights asked the FCC to give local nonprofit groups and coalitions of nonprofits enough time to learn about LPFM application rules and prepare applications (http://xrl.us/bm64mm). “A successful low power radio application will require the collaboration of multiple local organizations,” it said. “These are critical collaborations that require time to negotiate ... No organization is likely to put significant resources behind this project unless it knows a frequency is available in its community."