Unanimous FCC Approval Expected for LPTV Order
The FCC is expected to unanimously approve an order at its open meeting Thursday that would update a number of low-power TV and translator rules, industry and FCC officials told us. The final item is expected to change little from the draft version, which updates and clarifies agency policies on station relocation, channel sharing, alerting and other matters. “In light of changes within the broadcast industry and LPTV Service over the last forty years, we adopt changes to our rules to ensure that the LPTV Service continues to flourish and serve the public interest long into the future,” the draft says.
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The order would make numerous small changes to LPTV policies, but one of its most important aspects is what isn’t included, said Wilkinson Barker's Davina Sashkin, who represents the LPTV Broadcasters Association, in an interview. The 2024 NPRM that led to the order was paired with another proceeding on extending political ad filing requirements and online file rules to LPTV, but those proposals aren’t part of the draft order. At the time, they were widely opposed by LPTV broadcasters (see 2408270050). “Everyone was against that,” Sashkin said. “So the fact that it’s not being taken up is great.” The order also doesn’t impose a minimum operating hours requirement on LPTV stations or take up proposals pushed by some broadcasters to allow for LPTV power increases.
Among the most important changes included in the draft order are updates to the FCC’s relocation rules for LPTV stations, Sashkin said. It would adopt a standard process for calculating the allowed relocation distance for displaced LPTV stations and set a limit of 49.1 kilometers from a station’s current location for minor change applications. Though LPTV owners have been wary of limitations on relocation in the past, the Media Bureau’s September announcement lifting a freeze on major changes ameliorates the issue somewhat, Sashkin said.
The draft order would also clarify that LPTV stations that channel-share with other stations would be considered displaced if the channel-sharing arrangement dissolves. “We agree with commenters that it is appropriate to provide LPTV/TV translator sharee stations an avenue to obtain a new non-shared channel and continue serving the public, especially in circumstances where a station’s channel sharing arrangement has expired or was terminated,” it says.
In addition, the draft item would require LPTV stations to use a call sign that matches their service designation, create a formal process for LPTV stations to specify a community of license, update technical rules to prevent interference, and clarify alerting rules for LPTV stations.