The FCC unanimously approved and eliminated from Thursday’s meeting agenda the draft order in docket 19-3 on streamlining noncommercial educational and low-power FM license rules, said officials and a notice. The final order underwent few substantive changes from the draft version, an official told us. The order eliminates requirements that noncommercial licensees make diversity certifications in their governing documents, alter the processes for tie-breakers in licensing windows, and extend the construction period for LPFM stations. “We’re satisfied with what the commission is doing,” said Todd Gray, a broadcast attorney with Gray Miller who represents NCEs. Though public TV entities sought some changes to language in the order, Gray said the Media Bureau has addressed their concerns.

The FCC Media Bureau should extend the deadline for replies on NAB’s petition for reconsideration of the FCC’s recent political file clarification (see 1912020047) to Jan. 28 from Jan. 13, said the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, and Issue One, posted to docket 19-363 Monday. The groups need more time because of holiday commitments, conflicts, staff changes and student turnover at the Institute for Public Representation, the motion said. “Given that most of the complaints decided in the FCC’s October 2019 Orders were filed in May 2014, a short extension will not harm the parties or the public.”

The FCC Incentive Auction Task Force will make an initial $17.2 million allocation of incentive auction repacking reimbursement funds to affected FM stations, of the $50 million Congress allotted, said a public notice in docket 16-306 Monday. That's 92.5 percent of the estimated cost reported by each of the 86 eligible FM stations, the PN said. Ninety-three FM stations sought reimbursement eligibility, the PN said. The initial allocation for low power-TV and TV translator stations hasn’t been announced. “We have received 947 submissions from LPTV and TV translator stations which are currently under review,” said the PN. “A future public notice will address those filings and make an initial allocation for eligible stations in that category.” The reimbursement and repacking of full-power and Class A TV stations is “progressing as designed and on schedule,” the IATF said. The full-power transition is in phase 7 of 10, which is scheduled to end Jan. 17. As of Dec. 6, 697 of the 987 repacked stations have moved off their pre-auction channels, the PN said. “All of the stations required to vacate their pre-auction channels to date have successfully done so.” Broadcasters and tower industry officials say many broadcasters are moving to interim facilities to vacate the spectrum, and it’s not always clear when they will get permanent installations (see 1908090050). Seventy-nine percent “of the 697 transitioned stations have fully completed their transition to permanent facilities,” the PN said. “If necessary, transitioning stations may request extensions or tolling of their construction permit deadline and/or special temporary authority to use interim facilities to complete their transition to a post-auction channel,” the task force said. “We have granted over 280 such requests by stations for relief during the transition, and many of those stations have already completed the transition to their permanent facilities.” For the full-power transition, the agency initially estimated reimbursement costs at $1.85 billion. “We have continued to receive and review revised estimates that both increase and decrease the anticipated costs of transition,” the PN said. As of Dec. 6, the aggregate verified estimate for full-power and Class A stations and MVPDs was $1.95 billion. The total amount of reimbursement funds allocated is $886 million.

Unlicensed radio local area network (RLAN) Wi-Fi wireless routers/transmitters in 6 GHz would interfere with electronic newsgathering services, as predicted, NAB said in an FCC docket 18-295 posting Thursday, citing an Alion study the association commissioned and submitted. Alion said testing of ENG receive sites near San Diego and Washington documented "many cases of significant continuous or near-continuous interference." NAB said the study used computer modeling of indoor camera to indoor receiver, outdoor camera to news truck, and outdoor news truck to central receive site: RLAN interference was so high that the signals were always equal to or greater than the ENG receiver noise floor.

Decisions on the national ownership cap should allow broadcasters to “achieve sufficient scale to compete fairly in today’s diverse media marketplace,” said Tegna CEO Dave Lougee in a meeting Monday with FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, per a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-318. “When journalism and localism are more important than ever, the public interest would be served by allowing healthy growth for broadcasters.”

The FCC Media Bureau approved Univision's unopposed request for an increase in the percentage of the company that’s allowed to be foreign-owned, said a declaratory ruling in docket 19-132, posted in Thursday's Daily Digest. The request would allow internal restructuring (see 1905070032). The ruling would allow the broadcaster's foreign equity and voting interest to exceed 25 percent and to increase up to 70 percent.

The FCC Media Bureau wants to update the record on low-power TV stations operating analog radio services, said a public notice posted Wednesday. “Due to the impending deadline for elimination of the analog LPTV service, and recent developments in the record, we seek to refresh the record in this proceeding,” the PN said. Some commenters have asked to be allowed to continue operating analog radio stations after converting to digital, the PN said. Comments on whether that should happen, how it should be administered, and possible interference concerns are due 30 days after Federal Register publication, replies 15 days later.

The Media Bureau is seeking comment by Dec, 30 , replies Jan. 13 on NAB's petition for reconsideration of the FCC’s policy clarification on political file rules (see 1911180068), said a public notice in Monday's Daily Digest. The docket is 19-363.

The FCC Media Bureau opened a filing window to allow pending new rural digital low-power and TV translator stations displaced by the incentive auction and repacking to amend their applications to specify a new channel between 2 and 36, said a public notice Monday. The window opened Monday closes Jan. 31. Applications were accepted in 2009 but frozen in anticipation of the auction. “With the completion of the Incentive Auction and the progress made in the post-Incentive Auction transition, it is appropriate to give these applicants an opportunity to amend their applications to specify a new digital in core channel,” the PN said. Amendments submitted during the window “will be considered filed on the last day of the window,” with mutually exclusive applications to eventually be resolved under competitive bidding rules, the PN said.

The FCC should move ahead with a rulemaking to make it easier for broadcasters to use distributed transmission systems, said NAB, America’s Public Television Stations and several broadcast groups in reply comments posted in docket 16-142. Contrary to the concerns of Microsoft and low-power TV commenters (see 1911130064), the proposed changes wouldn’t expand the area in which DTS transmitters can be located, wouldn’t enlarge the protected contour of TV stations, and don’t allow stations to increase their antenna heights, NAB and APTS said in a joint filing. “Some of the concerns appear to misunderstand or misinterpret the proposed rule changes,” NAB and APTS said. The proposals are tailored to minimize impact on translators and LPTV stations, the joint filing said. Graham Media, Gray Television and E.W. Scripps filed in support of the NAB/APTS petition.