The FCC says 1,336 low-power FM hopefuls filed applications before the filing window for new stations closed Friday.
The filing window, the first for LPFMs since 2013, incurred several obstacles before its completion. First the FCC had delayed the opening of the window by over a month, then it extended the filing window by a couple of days after some LPFM advocates discovered a security vulnerability with the FCC’s Licensing and Management System or LMS.
Now, the FCC staff will review the applications to identify mutually exclusive (MX) groups of applications as well as “singletons,” applications that are not mutually exclusive with any other.
Conflicting applications, which cannot all be granted consistent with the commission’s technical rules, are considered mutually exclusive. A MX group consists of all applications which are MX to at least one other application in the group. Rule-compliant singleton applications will be accepted for filing, according to the FCC.
It said in a public notice that any application submitted after the deadline of noon Eastern on Dec. 15 will be dismissed without further consideration.
The FCC has announced a temporary freeze on the filing of any amendments to new LPFM station applications submitted in this filing window. The freeze takes effect immediately and will continue until 6 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 31, 2024.
Following the review period, the Media Bureau will release public notices to identify the MX groups and explain procedures for filing settlement agreements and technical amendments.
There are approximately 2,000 licensed LPFMs in the country, according to the most recent commission data.
Any party seeking more information on the LPFM filing window is asked to contact James Bradshaw at [email protected].
