FCC Ensures Licenses to ‘Microradio’ Stations
Federal regulators tweaked their plan to license hundreds of “microradio” stations Friday, adding safeguards to protect radio reading services for the blind from interference.
But the Federal Communications Commission, in a late Friday afternoon announcement, largely ignored the complaints of commercial broadcasters that say low-power service will interfere with existing FM stations.
“I have always been confident that [low-power FM] can be implemented without disturbing the integrity of the FM service,” FCC Chairman William Kennard said.
The plan has come under fierce attack on Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers have moved legislation to curtail or eliminate the FCC’s plan altogether.
But in Friday’s decision, the commission reiterated its view that the risk from interference by the low-power radio stations--operating at 10 and 100 watts--would be small and therefore did not require a larger buffer zone to protect full-power stations.
By increasing protections, the FCC would be forced to decrease the number of low-power stations it could authorize.
The FCC did, however, respond to concerns raised by National Public Radio and others that the low-power stations would harm so-called reading services for the blind and visually impaired. Such services, which allow for books or other text to be narrated, are carried on sub-carrier channels.
The commission adopted additional protections for those FM stations that operate radio reading services, requiring more space between them and the microradio channels.
About one-third of NPR’s members air reading services for the blind on sub-carrier channels. NPR said it will review the details of the changes made by the commission.
The FCC, while not adding protections for commercial broadcasters at large, did agree to institute a new interference complaint procedure. The process would be triggered when a full-power FM radio station receives complaints from 1% of its listeners in the area likely to experience interference.
Commission field agents would be available to assist low-power and commercial broadcasters in their attempts to address the interference. If a solution is not reached, the FCC will take up a review that it must complete within three months.
National Assn. of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton said the group did not have a chance to review the decision yet, but “we already know the FCC plan will allow additional interference for listeners.”
The commission is close to awarding its first batch of low-power licenses.
FCC Commissioner Michael Powell, backing some of the commission’s decision, continued to raise concerns that low-power stations could threaten the economic viability of small broadcast stations.