The Sixth Order on Reconsideration has been issued by the FCC to address the several issues that came up during the previous Report and Order on various subjects:
"New Entrant" Point
The FCC has rejected calls for chapters of larger organizations that have full power broadcast holdings to claim the "new entrant" point. The FCC states that the new entrant point was adopted to "encourage genuinely new entrants to broadcasting and to foster a more diverse range of community voices". The FCC also clarified that if an applicant has a triggering event that could change their score or make them ineligible for LPFM, their point total can be reduced or their application can be dmissed based on the reason.
Secondary selectees
The FCC has also denied a concept where if multiple applicants in a group of mutually exclusive applications can be accommodated as a result of another member of the group being dismissed then theother applications can be granted. Citing the opportunities for settlements and the ability to move to any channel during remediation windows, there is no need to change policy to what was proposed.
Protection of translator input channels
The FCC has clarified that LPFM stations are expected to protect translator input channels on a third adajcent channel even when the translator is being fed by another translator ("daisy-chain"). The FCC will amend some rules to replace the word "primary" with "input" in order to clarify that the protection applies to the channel that the translator actually receives the signal and not the primary station's output channel if they are different.
The FCC also reminds translator licensees to keep staff informed of any changes to the translator's operating parameters in respect to input.
The FCC also granted the Prometheus request to clarify that 73.827(a)(1) applies to the area around the translator's receive antenna and not "all areas".
myLPFM supports the Potential Interference Area (PIA) and will support daisy chained translators if the translator licensee has notified the FCC of the correct station information about how the translator is fed.
Periodic Announcements for Third Adjacent Channel LPFM Stations
The FCC clarified the rule regarding LPFM stations operating on third-adjacent channels of full power stations. Under the FCC's clarification, they consider the closest fully spaced third adjacent channel station 3 channels (600 kHz) below and the closest fully spaced third adjacent channel station 3 channels above the proposed LPFM channel would be the subjects to the announcement. You will not be required to announce a third adjacent channel station if it is located more than 100 km from the LPFM station.
If the LPFM station is "short spaced" to the third adjacent channel station, no announcement is required for that station. Short spaced stations are already subject to more stringent interference guidelines.
This functionality is now in myLPFM. The search result will indicate in the channel whether announcements may be required. Click on [Channel Report] for more information including the stations that would need to be included in teh announcement.
LP-10, LP-50
The FCC once again, denied the assignment of new LP-10 stations as well as LP-50 stations. The FCC denied arguments that because translators can run 10-watts, so should LPFM. The FCC has noted what we have been noting all along that while a translator can run 10-watts, that power can be operated at much higher antenna heights thus creating a service contour of well beyond the 3km that the LP-10 service was designed as. In fact, there are a very small number of translators with service contours at or inferior to the proposed LP-10 LPFM station parameters.
REC will continue to pursue the feisability of LP-50 at the conclusion of the outcome of the current filing window.
The only codified rules that will impact the window are those related to translator inputs. These revised rules will go into effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
