WASHINGTON � During the spring NAB Show just concluded FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the promised windows for AM stations to apply for new FM translators would open this summer. On May 12, the FCC added to its list of �items on circulation� a Public Notice announcing that window, according to David Oxenford on broadcastlawblog.
Each week the FCC updates this list of items on circulation � orders that have been written by the FCC staff and are thereafter reviewed by the commissioners themselves. Once these items are reviewed and approved, often in a matter of days or a few weeks, they are released to the public. �So it looks like the formal announcement on the dates for the windows will be coming very soon,� according to the same blog. The announcement, when released, will set a date for filing for these translators, likely about 60 days later. Applications would then be filed in the window set for these filings, perhaps as early as July.
The commission will be opening two windows, the first of which will be for Class C and D AM stations. After those applications have been filed, a second window will open for Class A and B AM stations. Only AM stations that did not file for a translator relying on the 250 mile waivers available last year are eligible to apply for translators in these upcoming windows; however, stations that acquired translators through other means can still apply for a new translator in this window. �Note that only one new translator will be available in this window for each AM eligible to file.
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