FCC Sees LPFM as Way to Increase Broadcast Localism

FCC Chairman Michael Powell has now embraced LPFM.
Faced with the wrath of members of Congress and the public over the media ownership rules and specifically media concentration, Powell announced a series of initiatives to ensure the commission does a better job of making sure broadcasters are living up to their public service obligations.
FCC Chairman announced a series of initiatives outlining future action. But one thing the commission intends to focus on first is getting more LPFMs on the air to get more locally owned stations in a market.
The commission intends to open a settlement window for LPFM applications. The agency will waive its processing rules to permit applicants who applied for the same frequency to apply for a different frequency, resolve conflicts, and go on the air.
Media Bureau Deputy Chief Robert Ratcliffe is co-chair of a task force to study media localism. He told RW Online the action is not based on the recently released Mitre report, which seems to suggest more LPFMs could be on the air if the 3rd adjacent channel protections were lifted. Comments on the report are due Sept. 12.
Hundreds of LPFM applications are pending, he said, because when parties used the “frequency finder” supplied by the FCC, often they only applied for the first frequency on the list in their area, leaving others with no takers. What the commission is trying to do is more evenly distribute the applications among the available frequencies.