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Statistics! by Kai Aiyetoro December, 2002 Statistics is one component of working in Low Power FM that
helps us realize the importance of working with new stations as they
develop into full-fledge radio stations. The FCC database, which is
not the easiest access information center around, offers information
about all of the LPFM applications that have been submitted, whether
they’ve been approved, denied, petitioned or allowed to expire.
With this information readily available, we can seek out those stations
that might need our assistance and direction in fulfilling their aspirations
of becoming a LPFM community radio station. There are 406 organizations with active construction permits on the FCC approved list. The final application window still has 11 states (567 out of the 3124 total applications) that have not received word of approval or denial. During our visit with the FCC this past October we were informed by Peter Doyle, Chief of the Audio Services Division, that singleton applications from this group should be approved by the end of the year. Now here’s the interesting aspect of this scenario: there are applications for 9 Calvary Chapel affiliated groups and 26 Educational Associations submitted by Lyle Evans, along with 181 other miscellaneous church groups. We’re talking about 216 out of 406 applications dedicated to the church. Now some church groups may very well be community-oriented, but there are suspicions that many of these stations may become translators for major church affiliate stations, broadcasting syndicated programming. Seventy-three municipalities have active construction permits that may or may not become useful tools for city and state transportation departments, fire departments, and city councils. We’ve noticed that some of these groups discard their frequencies when their budgets don’t allow the plan to manifest; for example, two frequencies in the metropolitan Atlanta area were forfeited, while community groups in the area longed for the opportunity to utilize those frequencies. Community-focused organizations (including schools, universities, and indigenous groups) hold only 117 of the construction permits left for development. NFCB is focusing outreach efforts on these community groups by offering referrals, organizational support and information for station development. Fifty-one licensed stations are now broadcasting: 17 community stations, 9 schools and universities, six municipalities, 15 miscellaneous churches, and 4 Calvary Chapel affiliates. It took nearly a year for many organizations to obtain their construction permits from the first window that was open from May 30 to June 8, 2000. Seven hundred twenty-two applications were received by the FCC during this window alone, for frequencies in Alaska, California, Washington, DC, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Mariana Islands, Maryland, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Utah, and of those 722 only 58 construction permits were approved. Only 18 of those stations have been licensed. Thirteen stations expired as of October 12, 2002. This leaves over 600 applications from the first window still in limbo. These stations are either mx’d (requesting the same frequency) with other groups, or were caught up in the third adjacent frequency debate. Those groups were eliminated from the running due to modifications made in the original FCC rules for LPFM applications. The third adjacent folks were recently given a window between Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 to file an amendment. Under the Commission’s initial LPFM technical rules, an LPFM station application was not required to provide third-adjacent channel protection to full power FM stations. Between May 28, and June 8, 2000 (“Window I”), and between July 28, and August 1, 2000 (“Window II”), the Commission received applications for new LPFM stations from various U.S. jurisdictions filed in accordance with this interference standard. Subsequently, in December 2000, Congress passed legislation requiring the Commission to adopt third-adjacent channel protection standards and to apply the new requirements to all LPFM applications already on file. The stats for the second, third and fourth windows follow this same pattern. With the situation being what it is today, we have a long way to go, and no definite date when all stations will be in place. The process will start all over again whenever the windows are opened for 10-watt stations. Kai Aiyetoro
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