REC is issuing a very long overdue release for myLPFM.  

Server migration

myLPFM is the first of several REC services that will be migrating to a cloud-based service.  For the past few years, the broadcast services tools as well as some of the backend support tools for J1 Radio have been operating off of slow servers on site at REC.  This change will put the tools on faster equipment.  Our testing has shown significant improvements in response time.  The DNS changes have already been put in and it may take up to 48 hours for these changes to propagate through the internet.  

Since the FCC's original announcement of the groups of mutually exclusive (MX) LPFM applications, the FCC has allowed applicants to make minor changes that involve physical moves of less than 5.6 kilometers and changes in channel to the first, second or third adjacent as well as the intermediate frequency channels (10.6/10.8 MHz) as well as dismissals triggered by both application discrepencies as well as at the request of the applicants, the number of active MX groups, as tracked by REC has reduced from 417 to 316. 

The largest MX group, the Los Angeles 101.5 MegaGroup has reduced from 32 to 27 applicants.  Of those, two of those applicants have been dismissed and are currently in the 30-day reconsideration period.  

The FCC has recently rescinded (cancelled) the grants of fourteen LPFM construction permits in the southern states and returned those applications to pending status.  

An REC evaluation of these applications has shown that many of these applications contained information that may have been forged including siguatures, notary seals and articles of incorporation.  Some applications may have other issues such as incomplete party and NEPA compliance (radio frequency radiation worksheet) issues.

Since these applications have not been dismissed, they can still be amended.  Even if they are dismissed, a Petition for Reconsideration can be filed within 30 days of dismissal and a one time opportunity to correct defects can be made.  

In the FCC Rules for LPFM in section 73.807, FM translators are divided under three different "sub-classes" based on the size of their 60 dBu service contour using HAAT calculated from 12 radials.  Each of these three "sub-classes" require a different amount of protection by LPFM stations.  This method for protection was used to address the issue that not all translators are created equal and to provide a distance separation method to protect translators instead of using the customary prohibited overlap model that translators use to protect other translators and LPFM. 

With the recent Letter of Inquiry sent to a consultant regarding over a dozen of questionable applications, many in the LPFM community know the problem is bigger than just those few applications.  REC has compiled a list of singleton applications specifying that same person as the application certifier and the potential MX applicants they are keeping a channel from.

In other words, if the application on the left was dismissed, the applicants on the right can change to that channel from their current location (pending eligibility for second adjacent waiver based on location, antenna height, operating power and antenna type).