FCC to Vote on First-Ever Noncom FM Translator Filing Window

As Brendan Carr shovels out from under the snow and ice, he revealed that he and his fellow commissioners will take a vote next month for opening a window for new noncommercial band FM translator construction permits.

The FCC chairman announced the commission’s plans for the month of February in a Jan. 27 blog entry on the FCC’s website, titled “Good Governance,” which outlines the actions he said ensure the agency “is a good steward of scarce federal dollars.” It includes a vote to launch a public notice for what would be the first filing window for translators in the noncom FM band. 

There have been past filing windows for full-power noncom stations, or for stations that broadcast between 88.1 and 91.9 MHz, most recently in 2021.

And while a provision for filing windows for translators in the noncom frequencies exist in the FCC’s rulebook, as attorney Gregg Skall explained for Radio World, past translator filing windows, such as in 2003, have been only for commercial (above 92 MHz) frequencies. 

If the three commissioners vote to approve the item, the FCC would release a public notice seeking comment on the proposed rules for noncom translator filings. Carr said in his post that in doing so, the commission also seeks comment on eligibility requirements and application limits to prevent “speculative filings” and ensure fair access to licenses.

During the 2021 full-power noncom filing window, for example, the commission wanted to cap the number of applications to avoid a repeat of the 2003 translator window in which it was swamped with 13,000 applications, many from speculative filers.

The chairman said that the proposed filing window is part of the steps the FCC is taking to support noncom educational broadcasting and preserve the airwaves for local and community-focused services.

“These actions help strengthen localism and support the continued growth of noncommercial service on the FM band,” Carr wrote.

On Wednesday, the FCC released more details of the proposed NCE filing window. Read Radio World’s coverage.