Federal Register: FCC (Broadcasting)

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collection requirements associated with the Commission's rules in a Report and Order that implements the Low Power Protection Act. The Commission's Report and Order stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of those rules. However, due to a drafting technicality, those requirements are already effective. This document announces that the requirements are operational.

This document requests comments on a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Hispanic Target Media Inc., proposing to amend the Table of FM Allotments, by substituting Channel 285C1 for vacant Channel 235C1 at Canadian, Texas to accommodate the hybrid modification application for Station KPQP that proposes the substitution of Channel 235C3 for Channel 291C3 at Panhandle, Texas. A staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 285C1 can be allotted to Canadian, Texas, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, with a site restriction of 6.1 km (3.8 miles) north of the community. The reference coordinates are 35-57-35 NL and 100-24-24 WL.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a Fourth Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration that reinstitutes the collection of workforce composition data for television and radio broadcasters on FCC Form 395- B, as statutorily required.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Sinclair Media Licensee, LLC (Petitioner or Sinclair), the licensee of KECI-TV (Station or KECI-TV), channel 13, Missoula, Montana (Missoula). The Station is currently operating on channel 13, and in 2021, the Bureau granted Sinclair's request to substitute UHF channel 20 for VHF channel 13 at Missoula in the Table of TV Allotments (Table). Sinclair currently holds a construction permit to modify its facility to operate on channel 20 and has petitioned for the substitution of channel 21 for channel 20 at Missoula in the Table. Sinclair filed comments in support of the petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming its present intention to apply for a construction permit to build the Station's facilities on channel 21 and to promptly construct such facilities.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed January 19, 2024 and amended on January 30, 2024, by Multimedia Holdings Corporation (Petitioner). The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 33 for channel 13 at Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville), in the Table of TV Allotments.

In a Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) finds that allowing FM booster stations to originate content on a limited basis would serve the public interest. The Report and Order adopts rules to allow for the voluntary implementation of program originating FM booster stations, subject to future adoption of processing, licensing, and service rules proposed concurrently in a further notice of proposed rulemaking, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The rule changes in this document are needed to expand the potential uses of FM booster stations, which currently may not originate programming. The intended effect is to allow radio broadcasters to provide more relevant localized programming and information to different zones within their service areas.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) seeks comment on revising Commission rules to establish processing, licensing, and service rules that will enable full power FM and low power FM (LPFM) broadcast stations to originate programming using FM booster stations. In a concurrently adopted Report and Order (R&O), published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the Commission found that it would be in the public interest to provide broadcasters flexibility to use program originating boosters, subject to certain safeguards needed to address concerns raised in the record. This further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPRM) seeks comment on the details of implementing these safeguards and on a number of proposed rule changes.

This document requests comments on the proposal to substitute Channel 245B1 for vacant Channel 245B at Mattoon, Illinois. The existing vacant Channel 245B at Mattoon is not in compliance with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules. A staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 245B1 can be allotted to Mattoon, Illinois, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules, with a site restriction of 12.2 kilometers (7.6 miles) southeast of the community. The reference coordinates are 39-23-17 NL and 88-17- 21 WL.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by reinstating certain channels as a vacant FM allotment in various communities. The FM allotments were previously removed from the FM Table because a construction permit and/or license was granted. These FM allotments are now considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated FM authorizations or the dismissal of long-form auction FM applications. A staff engineering analysis confirms that all of the vacant FM allotments complies with the Commission's regulations. The window period for filing applications for these vacant FM allotments will not be opened at this time. Instead, the issue of opening these allotments for filing will be addressed by the Commission in subsequent order.

The Federal Communications Commission published a document in the Federal Register of March 13, 2024, concerning a rulemaking filed by Carolina Christian Broadcasting, Inc., licensee of WGGS-TV, channel 2, Greenville, South Carolina, requesting substitution of channel 29 for channel 2 at Greenville in the Table of TV Allotments. The document contained an incorrect effective date.

On January 11, 2024, the Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking VPM Media Corporation (Petitioner), requesting the allotment of reserved noncommercial educational (NCE) television channel * 12 to Waynesboro, Virginia (Waynesboro), in the Table of TV Allotments as the community's first local television service and its first NCE television service. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations by allotting channel * 12 at Waynesboro.

On November 27, 2023, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Carolina Christian Broadcasting, Inc. (Petitioner), the licensee of WGGS-TV (Station or WGGS), channel 2, Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville), requesting the substitution of channel 29 for channel 2 at Greenville in the Table of TV Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 29 for channel 2 at Greenville.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting FM Channels 280A at Puhi, Hawaii, and 298C3 at Kekaha, Hawaii, as the communities' first local service. The staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 280A at Puhi can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with a site restriction of 10.8 kilometers (6.7 miles) west of the community at reference coordinates are 21-58-24 NL and 159-29-45 WL and Channel 298C3 at Kekaha can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with no site restriction at reference coordinates are 22-02-00 NL and 159-38-00 WL.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting FM Channels 264A at Koloa, Hawaii, and 224C3 at Waimea, Hawaii, as the communities' first local service. The staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 264A at Koloa can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with a site restriction of 8.3 kilometers (5.2 miles) northwest of the community at reference coordinates are 21-58-24 NL and 159-29-45 WL and Channel 224C3 at Waimea can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with no site restriction at reference coordinates are 22-02-00 NL and 159-38-00 WL.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting FM Channel 296A at Lihue, Hawaii, as the community's sixth local service and FM Channel 236C3 at Princeville, Hawaii, as the community's first local service. The staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 296A at Lihue can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with a site restriction of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) north of the community at reference coordinates 22-00-00 NL and 159-21-00 WL and Channel 236C3 at Princeville can be allotted consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with no site restriction at reference coordinates 22-12-00 NL and 159-30-00 WL.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection requirements under OMB Control Numbers 3060-1121, 3060-1320, 3060-0009, 3060-0386, 3060-0175, 3060-0178, 3060-0182, 3060-0190, 3060-0320, 3060- 0113, and 3060-1321 associated with the rules adopted in the Report and Order, FCC 23-72, adopting several rule updates for full power and Class A television stations that no longer have any practical effect given the completion of the transition from analog to digital-only operations and the post incentive auction transition to a smaller television band with fewer channels. This document is consistent with the Report and Order, which states that the Media Bureau will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date for these revised rule sections and revising the rules accordingly.

In this document, based on a Petition for Rulemaking Addendum--Request for Clarification filed by the National Association of Broadcasters and Xperi, Inc., the Commission seeks additional public comment in the pending rulemaking proposing to change the methodology to determine whether an FM digital broadcast station can increase its digital power, and to allow asymmetric sideband operation.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) retains the broadcast ownership rules with minor modifications in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which requires the Commission to review its broadcast ownership rules quadrennially to determine whether they are necessary in the public interest as a result of competition. Specifically, the Commission retains the Dual Network Rule, modifies the Local Radio Ownership Rule to make permanent the interim contour-overlap methodology long used to determine ownership limits in areas outside the boundaries of defined Nielsen Audio Metro markets and in Puerto Rico, and modifies the Local Television Ownership Rule to reflect changes that have occurred in the television marketplace and current industry practices.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) issues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to prioritize processing review of certain applications filed by commercial and noncommercial radio and television broadcast stations that provide locally originated programming. The Commission's goal is to provide additional incentive to stations to provide programming that responds to the needs and interests of the communities they are licensed to serve. In 2017, the Commission eliminated the rule that required broadcast stations to maintain a main studio located in or near their community of license, as well as the associated requirement that the main studio have program origination capability. We propose this processing priority in order to further encourage radio and TV stations to serve their community of license with local journalism or other locally originated programming. Such prioritization would be granted to renewal applicants, as well as applicants for assignment or transfer of license, that certify they provide locally originated programming, thereby advancing our efforts to promote localism and serve local communities across the nation.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopts several rule updates for full power and Class A television stations that no longer have any practical effect given the completion of the transition from analog to digital-only operations and the post incentive auction transition to a smaller television band with fewer channels. The Commission also adopts a restructuring of its full power television rules, which largely consist of the technical licensing, operating, and interference rules for full power television.