Taken off the agenda for this week’s FCC’s meeting was an item on rural radio service.
A spokesman told me the commission is concerned that its auction rules allow too many frequencies to leave rural areas in favor of larger markets. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes technical and procedural changes for allocation and assignment of AM and FM commercial and FM non-com frequencies.
The commissioners have adopted the NPRM, but the details of the item aren’t yet out; both Acting Chairman Copps and an agency spokesman said it would be released “shortly.”