When the FCC voted on Nov. 30 on rules aimed at eventually opening a filing window for low-power FMs and raised the caps on pending FM translator applications, officials said at the time they would issue more information on those applications.
The commission has now announced a January filing window for broadcasters who have a total of some 6,000 pending FM translator applications left-over from the 2003 Auction 83 application window.
The filing window is Jan. 10 through the 25thfor broadcasters to show the commission which applications they want to pursue and how those would fit under the caps; the FCC intends to dismiss the rest.
To help the agency process the applications, the commission bumped up the national cap on pending FM translator applications that one entity can pursue from 50 to 70, as long as no more than 50 are in the top 150 markets. It relaxed the local cap on one application per entity up to three applications one company can pursue in more rural markets.
