In this week’s LPFM news: The MX settlements begin in western states; a woman is surprised to learn she has an LPFM; a high school returns its CP.
Resolutions Proposed in Competition for 24 Low-Power FM Frequencies
The settlements are happening, the MX group settlements that is. As we reported last week, the FCC issued a list of 79 low-power FM frequencies in the western US with multiple applicants competing for them. Now it’s up to those applicants to amend their applications for new frequencies or reach time-sharing agreements with other competitors.
Thanks to accounting by REC Networks, we know that in the last week there have been 24 total settlements reached.
A three-way time-sharing agreement is rare, but one of these is proposed in the Bay Area. Peralta Community College District in Oakland, Sound of Hope Radio Network and the Chinese Culture and Art Heritage Foundation, both in San Francisco, have agreed to split up airtime on 96.9 FM.
There is one proposed two-way time-sharing agreements in my backyard of Portland, Oregon. Jehovah Jireh International Mission and Slavic Community Center agree to share 100.7 FM, each getting 12 hours a day of broadcast time.
These sharing agreements still need to be reviewed and approved by the FCC.
Woman Surprised to Learn She Has an LPFM
In San Leandro, CA it turns out that one LPFM applicant has a board member who didn’t sign up for the job. A woman contacted the FCC with an informal complaint to say that she started getting sales calls for broadcast equipment, then discovered her name was listed as the corporate president of Community Development Corporation, which has been granted a construction permit for 96.1 FM.
The only problem is, she declined the offer to serve on that organization’s board and has nothing to do with the station. It’s doubtful the FCC will look kindly upon this.
Indiana High School Returns LPFM CP
Finally, in some sad news, the Parent Teacher Organization at Floyd Central High School in Floyd Knobs, IN is handing its LPFM construction permit back to the FCC. The school system already operates full-power WNAS-FM. According to the Courier-Journal newspaper, there were concerns that the new station would broadcast with much less power, and that plans for the station were not discussed with the school board prior to the application filing.
