The FCC now has set in motion plans to open a window for noncom broadcasters to apply for new FM translators, the first such window ever.
We told you about this pending action earlier. After a unanimous vote Wednesday, the FCC officially has embarked on the plan, though it’s taking comment on certain details.
It said this initiative is intended to support noncommercial broadcasting and preserve the airwaves for future local services.
Chairman Brendan Carr said in a prepared statement: “This will particularly benefit educational broadcasters, to allow them to extend the programming their stations provide to the public and reach remote, rural and underserved communities.”
The chairman called it a “unique” window and an opportunity to promote the continued growth of noncom service in the FM band.
As of December 2025 there were 4,755 noncom FMs in the United States, according to FCC data, compared to about 2,140 NCE stations in the year 2000. NCE stations consist primarily of public broadcasters, college radio stations and religious broadcasters.
Dates for the window have not been set but it is expected in late 2026.
The window will be an opportunity for noncommercial FM, low-power FM and noncommercial AM stations to obtain translators and extend the services they provide, the FCC said.
Full details have yet to be released, but Media Bureau officials said the FCC tentatively has decided to tighten down the requirements, though it is asking for comments.
The window would be limited to applications for new NCE FM translator station construction permits in the reserved band, which is FM Channels 201–220, better known as 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. The plan would exclude applications for major modifications to existing translators in that band.
The commission also plans to limit applications nationally to 10 per applicant, to avoid “speculative filings and protect spectrum for local radio services.” Any entity filing more than the maximum would trigger a review and the Media Bureau would retain the applications that were filed first, dismissing others that exceed the limit.
The commission noted that it has imposed eligibility restrictions and limits in prior windows to comply with the Local Community Radio Act of 2010, which requires it to ensure that licensing is available for all secondary services.
It noted that a 2003 FM translator window generated more than 13,000 applications and left thousands pending for years. The mass filings forced it to impose remedial processing rules later to protect LPFM spectrum.
Filing limits in the noncommercial full-power windows of 2007 and 2021, the FCC said, helped reduce “daisy chains” of mutually exclusive filings and allowed applications to be processed efficiently.
A draft of the public notice had indicated that tribal LPFM entities would be limited to four applications nationwide, while other LPFM applicants would be limited to two. Presumably those caps are in the final notice, which had not been released at this writing.
A period of public comment will be opened once the public notice (MB Docket 26-20) is published in the Federal Register.
