Prometheus Radio Petitions FCC to Protect LPFMs

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, April 17, 2017

The Prometheus Radio Project is challenging a part of the FCC's AM Revitalization effort, that allows AM stations to locate FM translators or repeaters within either 25 miles of their station, or within their daily broadcast area (2 mV/m contour), whichever is larger. Prometheus contends that it would harm low-power FM (LPFM) stations without affording them protections guaranteed under the Local Community Radio Act (LCRA). Formerly, AM stations were limited to staying within the smaller of those areas, a restriction that smaller AM stations contested.

Initially, the FCC proposed that translators must keep their broadcast to within 40 miles of the AM station, which was consistent with helping smaller AM stations. However, the January ruling removed this 40-mile limit, allowing the largest commercial AM stations to place FM translators substantially farther from their core service area. About 1,644 large AM stations stand to benefit from removal of the limit, that will compete with LPFMs for space on the FM dial.

Prometheus says that radio stations in general, and LPFMs more than most, need to periodically relocate for financial and practical reasons, and are allowed to move within 3.5 miles of their location, or within a circle 7 miles in diameter. FCC rules allow a translator to move closer to an LPFM than an LPFM can move toward the translator, and prevent the LPFM from thereafter moving any closer to the translator.

In its filing, Prometheus notes that Section 5(3) of the Local Community Radio Act (LCRA) says that LPFM stations and FM translators are to "remain equal in status" and the Commission enacted rules to protect this equality prior to the 2013 LPFM application period. Prometheus says that this "boxing-in" problem is one of several LCRA equality issues that the FCC must address especially with increasing demand for, and possible increased supply of FM translators.