REC Statement: Univision complaint against Iglesia Alfa y Omega/KYEB-LP

REC supports Univision's complaint against KYEB-LP.  If the allegations made in the complaint are true, this is a serious violation of the FCC Rules, puts the integrity of LPFM at risk and strains the relationship between LPFM and the full-service broadcast industry.

The alleged actions of KYEB-LP are not representative of the LPFM service as a whole.

While Univision alludes to the REC Informal Objection against 246 Cesar Guel-assisted applications, we wish to point out that Iglesia Alfa y Omega was not included in that objection because the original application for Iglesia Alfa y Omega was not handled through Antonio Cesar Guel and/or Hispanic Christian Community Network but rather by another consultant.  Guel/HCCN was involved in a subsequent minor modification.  

Among the 246 applicants in the REC December 2, 2013 Informal Objection, REC has already identified 21 organizations that appear to be self-governed and not likely a part of a larger ownership scheme and as a result, REC has withdrawn objections on those individual applications thus resulting in their grants.  149 applications have been dismissed for various reasons (including voluntary) and 76 applications remain pending.  Most are the so-called "HEFF" applications that appear to show a pattern of being speculatively filed and then subsequently transferred to other parites.  The FCC also appears to be actively investigating these applications to determine if truthful information about headquarters and board member's residences were given on the original application. 

It is our hope that we will see FCC decisions on the remainder of the Guel applications by the end of the summer and decisions on the remaining pending LPFM applications by the end of the year.

It is REC's desire to allow LPFMs to obtain translators in 2017, move LP-250 forward for a 2018 implementation and to have a window for new LPFM stations in 2019.  

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