There are some upcoming FCC deadlines for low-power FM applicants and CP-holders to note.
LPFM time-sharing and settlement agreements in the Northeast markets, meaning one or more applicants will be dismissed while one or more applicants take the channel, are due to the commission Dec. 4.
Major technical amendments that involve change in channel or location are due Dec. 8, according to attorney Peter Tannenwald in a client note. He doesn’t believe the FCC will extend the deadlines.
LPFM applicants in these specific markets are affected:Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. These applicants can file major change amendments, and lead scoring applicants in each group can file partial settlement agreements for the purpose of aggregating points, according to REC Networks, which adds that aggregations should be filed on or before Dec. 4.
Out of 2,826 applications filed in the 2013 window, 628 were dismissed, leaving a net 2,198 applications. Of those 150 are licensed and on-air, or planning to be, with a remaining 1,196 holding unbuilt construction permits, according to a tally from Christian Community Broadcasters, which indicates an additional 857 applications are mutually exclusive and/or unprocessed.
