National Religious Broadcasters and the Educational Media Foundation,...
National Religious Broadcasters and the Educational Media Foundation, in comments to the FCC on AM band revitalization, said the “Mattoon waiver” process, which allows FM translator relocation, should be preserved. It should be maintained where a translator window is made…
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for an AM station, “but no suitable frequency is found on which to apply,” NRB said (http://bit.ly/1hscHLq). The AM-only translator window won’t eliminate the need for Mattoon waivers, EMF said (http://bit.ly/LR8h6n). While the AM translator window may provide relief to some AM stations, many AM stations won’t be able to obtain an FM translator as, “especially in larger markets, there simply are no locations on the FM band in which they can be squeezed,” it said. NRB also urged an end to the “ratchet rule,” which is aimed at limiting nighttime interference, and it said the commission should consider creating some relaxation of community coverage requirements for AM radio service, “as long as those changes are made on a case-by-case basis, which would create administrative flexibility, and as long as audio/reception quality is not impaired,” it said. The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council continued to urge the commission to give serious consideration to developing a plan to relocate AM service to TV channels 5 and 6, it said (http://bit.ly/KVz9lp). The FCC must change technical rules “so that AM service can do more than survive,” it said. There should be a relaxation of restrictions on AM stations relocating near urban areas, tutorials on AM radio engineering rules and the creation of a position for a broadcast public engineer to aid in routine engineering matters, “making technical expertise available to clarify procedures,” it said. NPR requested opening an FM translator filing window for noncommercial educational (NCE) stations in conjunction with the proposed window for AM stations. The FCC has failed to afford NCE FM stations an opportunity “to obtain new reserved band FM translator permits since adopting the current window filing system in 2000,” it said (http://bit.ly/1ek74vf). Eliminating the ratchet rule, modifying the daytime and nighttime coverage standards and permitting wider implementation of Modulation Dependent Carrier Level control technologies are reasonable measures to improve the AM service, NPR said. Missouri Broadcasters Association (http://bit.ly/1hSRyLg), KNAB(AM) Burlington, Colo., and other stations backed the FM translator filing window proposal. Preference for FM translators should be given to those broadcasters that have very limited or no nighttime service, KNAB said (http://bit.ly/1dV40Lk).