FCC

The Federal Communications Commission has released a circulation draft for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in MB Docket 21-263, which eliminates or modifies some outmoded or unnecessary broadcast regulations as well as harmonizes some rules to be consistent with other rules and previously updated international agreements. This item will be voted on or before the next FCC Open Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 13.

The FCC has announced today by Public Notice that REC's latest 250-watt LPFM service Petition for Rulemaking has been assigned RM-11909. 

On a party line vote of 49-46, the Senate has confirmed Nathan Simington to serve on the Federal Communications Commission to replace Commissioner Michael O’Reilly, effective on January 20, 2021. 

Section 154 of the Communications Act calls for the make-up of the Commission itself.  Specifically, that of the 5 Commissioners, only 3 can be from the same political party. 

There continues to be confusion in the Amateur Radio community on how we reached this point with proposed application fees in the Amateur Radio Service.  Some have said that an "exemption for Amateur Radio was removed with RAY BAUM'S". That both is correct and incorrect.  You need to understand the 1986 law and the progress from then to the enactment of RAY BAUM'S. 

Here is some clarification on the way it used to be.  Prior to RAY BAUMS, Public Law 99-272, which was enacted in 1986 stated in Section 158 of the Communications Act, that the Commission shall charge application fees.  Those fees were listed as a fixed table. Amateur Radio was not included as a price point.

Riverton, MD (May 28, 2020) : REC Networks has filed with the FCC a new Petition for Rulemaking to create an additional 250-watt class of service for Low Power FM (LPFM).  The new “Simple 250” plan addresses the issues that were expressed by the Commission in the Report and Order of MB Docket 19-193 regarding additional complexity to the application process and compliance with the Local Community Radio Act of 2010 (LCRA).

Prior to the May open meeting, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted the broadcast public notice Report and Order (MB Dockets 17-265, 17-105, 05-6).  In the Order, the FCC made some monumental changes on how broadcasters comply with Section 311(a) of the Communications Act which requires all broadcast applicants to make a public notice of their application.  This law was passed by Congress in the early 60s as part of a suite of leg

"Growing pains" associated with the Federal Communications Commission recent conversion of FM engineering applications such as modifications and licenses is causing substantial delays in the processing of broadcast applications.  

Today, the FCC has assigned a rulemaking (RM) number to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by REC Networks, through its founder, Michelle Bradley, KU3N as RM-11843.  

Dear Ms. Fowlkes,

I am very sad to say that this is the second year in a row that I have had to write to you regarding results of the participation of LPFM stations in a Nationwide EAS test.  As a major stakeholder who advocates for the LPFM service, I am very disappointed by the outcome of LPFM’s overall participation in the test.  While LPFM stations did report an increase in receiving and retransmitting the test message, the actual percentage of LPFM stations participating was very disappointing.  After the 2016 test results, I had hoped that Staff would have reached out to me, so we could work on uncovering why the participation was so low and what we could do to improve it.