The MMTC wants to make sure the FCC doesn’t forget the idea of giving a power increase to certain U.S. FM radio stations.
Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council President Emeritus and Senior Advisor David Honig sent a letter to the three current commissioners, including new Chairman Ajit Pai, to remind them of past discussion about creating a new class called C4, one that backers believe could allow hundreds of Class A FM stations to raise power.
MMTC and SSR Communications co-authored the proposal (RM-11727), which was submitted in August 2014 when the commission was under the leadership of Chairman Tom Wheeler.
However, it is unlikely that the new chairman will need any reminders. When Pai addressed the Radio Show in September 2016, he brought the subject up himself and advocated for further consideration of the C4 classification.
In a nod to the deregulatory vibe expected of the new Republican majority, Honig’s letter referenced the burdens imposed by “the current regulatory environment” and argued that creation of a Class C4 would potentially alleviate some of those problems. “We shouldn’t neglect the FM band, where the substantial majority of terrestrial radio listening takes place,” Pai told the audience then. “If there are ways the FCC can modernize or update our regulations to help improve the quality of FM service, we should be open to them.”
MMTC wants the commission to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on RM-11727’s FM Class C4 and Section 73.215 revision initiative (which covers contour protection for short-spaced assignments).
