Federal Register: FCC (Broadcasting)

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) amends its rules related to the two methods that may be used for determining and achieving compliance with the Commission's existing limits on human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields: Exemption--consideration of whether a particular device or deployment is so clearly compliant, based on criteria in the Commission's rules, that it qualifies as exempt from the requirement to undertake a more thorough RF exposure analysis--and evaluation--a more specific examination of an individual site or device, which considers factors beyond those utilized for exemption and may be performed with a variety of computational and/or measurement methodologies. It also amends the rules related to an increasingly important part of demonstrating and maintaining RF exposure compliance: mitigation--the restriction from or limitation of RF exposure in controlled areas to keep RF exposure within the Commission's established limits by, for example, using signs or barriers. The amended rules are intended to provide more efficient, practical, and consistent RF exposure evaluation procedures and mitigation measures to help ensure compliance with the existing RF exposure limits. The amended rules replace the various inconsistent service-specific criteria for exempting parties from performing an evaluation to demonstrate compliance with the RF exposure limits with new, streamlined criteria. The amended rules also allow the use of any valid computational method to determine potential RF exposure levels, remove the minimum evaluation distance requirement for frequencies above 6 GHz, and establish post-evaluation RF exposure mitigation procedures (e.g., signage), to help ensure that persons are not exposed to RF emissions in excess of the existing limits. The Commission also affirms its prior decision to classify the pinna (outer ear) as an extremity in RF exposure compliance testing, finds no appropriate basis for and thus declines to propose amendments to existing RF exposure limits at this time, and terminates the inquiry in which it sought comment on the Commission's existing guidelines for limiting RF exposure to humans.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collections associated with the carriage election procedures adopted in the Commission's 2019 CEN Order, FCC 19-69, and that compliance with the modified rules is now required. This document is consistent with the 2019 CEN Order, FCC 19-69, which states that the Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a compliance date for the modified rule sections and revise the rule accordingly.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) modernizes its rules regarding certain written notices that cable operators and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers are required to provide to broadcast television stations. Rather than continuing to require that cable and DBS providers deliver these notices on paper, the Commission is revising its rules to require that the notices be delivered to broadcast television stations electronically via email.

In this document, the Commission adopts changes to its rules and procedures to select and license competing applications for new noncommercial educational (NCE) broadcast stations and low power FM (LPFM) stations. The changes are designed to improve the comparative selection procedures, reduce confusion among future applicants, expedite the initiation of new service to the public, and eliminate unnecessary applicant burdens.

This document summarizes public notices that announce the procedures and upfront payments amounts and minimum opening bids for the auction of certain FM broadcast construction permits as well as a temporary freeze on the filing of minor change applications for FM stations. The Auction 106 Procedures Public Notice summarized here is intended to familiarize applicants with the procedures and other requirements for participation in Auction 106.

This document amends the broadcast ownership rules to reflect the mandate of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which vacated and remanded the Commission's 2018 Incubator Order and 2017 Order on Reconsideration in their entirety, and the definition of eligible entities adopted in the Commission's 2016 Second Report and Order. This document implements the Third Circuit's mandate and clarifies which rules are currently in effect.

In this document, the Media Bureau adopted an Order, granting a Motion for Extension of Time filed by the Campaign Legal Center, Sunlight Foundation, Common Cause, the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society and Issue One in MB Docket No. 19-363 (DA 19-1292).

The Federal Communication Commission proposes to amend its rules to allow AM broadcasters to use all-digital transmissions. All- digital AM broadcasting has the potential to provide a more reliable and robust radio signal than analog, as well as auxiliary digital services.

In this document, the Media Bureau seeks to update the record in MB Docket No. 03-185 on the operation of analog radio services by digital low power television stations (LPTV) as ancillary or supplementary services.

This document seeks comment on whether the Commission should modify or eliminate its rule (the radio duplication rule) that bars same-service (AM or FM) commercial radio stations from duplicating more than 25% of their total hours of programming in an average broadcast week if the stations have 50% or more contour overlap and are commonly owned or subject to a time brokerage agreement.

In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, the information collections associated with the rules adopted in the Report and Order in MB Docket Nos. 18-202 and 17-105, FCC 19-67, In the Matter of Children's Television Programming Rules; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of those rules.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC/Commission) is correcting final rules that had typographical errors that were published in three separate reports in the Federal Register. In those documents, the Commission used table 8 MHz maximum authorized bandwidth channels that had an error in various rules. This document corrects the errors.

In this document, the Commission seeks comment on whether it should eliminate or revise the requirements, in the Commission's rules, regarding access to FM and TV broadcast antenna sites. These rules prohibit the grant, or renewal, of a license for an FM or TV station if that applicant or licensee controls an antenna site that is peculiarly suitable for broadcasting in the area and does not make the site available for use by other similar licensees. The Commission seeks comment on whether these requirements, which are rarely invoked, are outdated and unnecessary in light of the significant changes in the broadcast marketplace, including significant growth in the availability of broadcast infrastructure that has occurred since these restrictions were first adopted nearly 75 years ago. With this proceeding, the Commission continues its efforts to modernize our rules and eliminate or modify outdated and unnecessary regulations.

The Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), in conjunction with the Media Bureau (MB), announce an auction of certain FM broadcast construction permits. This public notice also seeks comment on competitive bidding procedures and proposed minimum opening bid amounts for Auction 106.

In this document, the Commission adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, in which it sought comment on proposals to change the rules governing local public notice given by broadcast station applicants. These specific rule changes were proposed based on responses to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making in this proceeding.

At the request of SSR Communications Inc., the Audio Division amends the FM Table of Allotments, by allotting Channel 264A at Caliente, Nevada, as the first local service. A staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 264A can be allotted to Caliente consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules without a site restriction. The reference coordinates are 37-36-02 NL and 114-30-32 WL.

This document amends the FM Table of Allotments, of the Commission's rules, by reinstating certain vacant FM allotments. These FM allotments are considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated authorizations and licenses, or the dismissal of long-form auction applications. Theses vacant FM allotments have previously undergone notice and comment rule making. Reinstatement of the vacant allotments is merely a ministerial action to effectuate licensing procedures. Therefore, we find for good cause that further notice and comment are unnecessary.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) seeks comment on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to improve technical rules that primarily affect Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations, based upon a petition for rulemaking filed by REC Networks.

This document amends the FM Table of Allotments, of the Commission's rules, by reinstating certain vacant FM allotments. These FM allotments are considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated authorizations and licenses, or the dismissal of long-form auction applications. Theses vacant FM allotments have previously undergone notice and comment rule making. Reinstatement of the vacant allotments is merely a ministerial action to effectuate licensing procedures. Therefore, we find for good cause that further notice and comment are unnecessary.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission modernizes the carriage election notice rules by permitting broadcasters to post their carriage elections online and send notices to covered multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) by email only when first electing carriage or changing their carriage election status from must carry to retransmission consent or vice versa. Additionally, all parties will be required to post their contact information online on Commission databases.