FCC launches second settlement window for MX groups
On September 5, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the second of three public notices to begin a major settlement period for low power FM (LPFM) applicants in midwestern and eastern states. You can find the FCC's public notice here and check here to see if your application is listed. You can read about the first settlement period public notice released in July here.
Here's what you ought to know about the FCC's recent public notice:
- It announces the tentative selectees (point-winners) in 111 competition groups ('mutually exclusive groups’) from the following states - Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- It kicks off a 30-day period for the public to file Petitions to Deny and Informal Objections against the tentative selectees. The list of tentative selectees can be found in the appendix of the public notice. The public has until October 6, 2014 to file petitions and objections against applicants in these states.
- It also kicks off the beginning of a 90-day settlement period during which LPFM applicants can file voluntary timeshare agreements and major amendments (i.e. non-adjacent channel changes and site relocations of greater than 5.6 kilometers). Applicants in these states have until December 4, 2014 to submit these materials.
The 'Tentative Selectee Public Notice' launches the last round of bureaucratic wrangling before LPFM applicants can get their construction permits to start building their stations. In order to reach that point, some applicants will have to work with other applicant groups, submit detailed technical exhbiits, and/or file legal pleadings to the FCC. Take a look at our services page to see if the Prometheus Radio Project can support you on your road to becoming a wave-snatching, flame-filching, people-powered community radio station.
Go forth, and seize the airwaves!
Additional Resources:
- Full text of Tentative Selectee Public Notice for midwestern and eastern states
- Appendix to Public Notice
- Legal resources
- Petitions to Deny and Informal Objections
- Prometheus Services
- Timeshares and Settlements
