The FCC Thursday adopted a Report and Order that streamlines and improves the FM translator interference complaint and resolution process.
The increasing number of FM translator stations, as well as their growing economic importance for AM and digital FM stations, has led to industry interest in improving the rules governing FM translator interference complaints, according to the agency. The FCC has authorized over 1,700 new FM translator stations since the end of 2017.
Now, there are more than 8,000 authorized FM translators, according to the agency.
Currently, even one listener complaint, at any distance from the desired FM, can result in an FM translator needing to go off the air. Also, there are often prolonged disputes over the validity of the interference claim.
“Success here is simple: We want to receive fewer meritless complaints and make those we do get easier to resolve,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai during the vote.
“The FCC deserves credit for endorsing a common-sense compromise for reviewing FM radio listener complaints alleging interference from FM translators,” said NAB EVP Communications Dennis Wharton. “FM translators have been enormously helpful extending the reach of AM radio stations. We’re pleased the FCC continues to embrace ideas that foster the revitalization of AM radio.”
The Order provides additional certainty and reduces the costs and burdens of the existing interference claim and resolution process by:
- Allowing translator operators to change frequency to any available same-band channel as a minor change in response to interference issues
- Establishing a minimum number of listener complaints, proportionate to the population the complaining station serves, that a station would need to submit with any claim of interference
- Standardizing the contents of each listener complaint
- Establishing interference resolution procedures that permit, but do not require, complaining listeners to cooperate with remediation efforts, and implementing an alternative, technically-based process for demonstrating that interference has been resolved
- Establishing an outer contour limit for actionable interference complaints while allowing waivers of that limit for interference complaints that meet specified criteria.
May 13, 2019
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