In advance of a window opening to apply for new low power FM stations, LPFM advocacy Prometheus Radio Project has been working the FCC to make second adjacency waivers available to applicants, particularly in crowded urban areas.
Prometheus says it isn’t anything the Commission isn’t already doing for commercially-owned FM translators, which operate with similar basic technical parameters as LPFM stations.
Prometheus notes that getting approval to expand the service in the first place was the main event, but adding 2nd adjacency possibilities into the mix would be a “sweet deal.”
The organization offered a summary of a conversation between Prometheus staffer Brandy Doyle and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.
Prometheus stated that Doyle “…explained that current second-adjacent frequency restrictions keep LPFM stations out of urban areas because of lack of frequency space. Ms. Doyle also explained that there was no technical reason not to grant these waivers, as FM translators operating at higher power levels than LPFM stations already use second adjacent frequencies without incident. The same frequency rules that are already in place for these stations should be implemented for LPFM: if a station on a second-adjacent frequency will not interfere with an existing station, then the FCC should grant an LPFM license to a broadcaster for that frequency.”
Prometheus is encouraging parties interested in establishing an LPFM station to use the FCC’s application that shows possible frequency availabilities based on a zip code search.
