This past week was fairly quiet on the low-power FM front compared to what we’ve seen most of the year so far. Only six more construction permits have been issued since last week, bringing the count to 1047 applications granted.
There were some interesting and informative comments to last week’s LPFM Watch which reported on the FCC seeking more information about 14 applications prepared by Cesar Guel, whose name is associated with a whopping 245 applications in total. For those who want to dive in, there is some back and forth regarding Sterling Communications. That firm prepared 150 applications, attracting attention from Prometheus Radio Project. Policy Director Sanjay Jolly said Prometheus “has filed or is in the process of filing informal objections or petitions to deny” against applications filed by Sterling.
REC Networks’ Michelle Bradley, who filed informal objections against the Guel applications, posted some clarifications about both the Guel and Sterling applications. She also addresses the conjecture that the FCC’s processing of applications is being slowed down because of the inquiry into Guel applications.
“That one is difficult to say unless you are on a fly on the wall at the Audio Division,” she wrote. “I personally think that it is slowing down the process.”
We’ll be watching to see how these contested applications end up, as we eagerly await the FCC starting to process competing applications in some of the country’s most densely populated urban markets. Join us next week!
