The FCC has a cautionary tale for would-be low-power FM applicants.
Based on recent dismissals of six applications for LPFM stations, the commission warns others to study the decision.
Wilkinson Barker Knauer attorney David Oxenford notes four dismissals were the result of the applicants not being registered as nonprofit organizations and another was cut for not responding in a timely manner to an FCC query. The attorney characterizes the lack of a nonprofit categorization as a “fatal” error.
Still another was dismissed because the applicant couldn’t be sure about transmitter siting before filing. Having reasonable assurance of a transmitter site “is a requirement of virtually all broadcast applications, so that the FCC does not waste its time processing applications that cannot be built where they are proposed,” notes Oxenford.
The upshot for those who want to file for a new LPFM? Applicants need to pay attention to the details, he advises.