Federal Register: FCC (Broadcasting)

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) seeks comment on the need for updates to its rules implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeks to develop a record to help the Commission and the public better understand consumer complaints about loud commercials. The NPRM seeks input from consumers and industry on the extent to which the CALM Act rules have been effective in controlling and preventing loud commercials on programming provided by television broadcasters and pay TV providers. The Commission also asks about its authority to address loud commercials and the consistency of program volume on streaming platforms. Finally, the NPRM asks what actions the Commission, industry, or standards developers could take in this area to further minimize consumer harm.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting FM Channel 260C0 at Ethete, Wyoming, as a Tribal Allotment. The staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 260C0 can be allotted to Ethete, Wyoming, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules, with a site restriction of 42 km (26 miles) north of the community. The reference coordinates are 43- 22-25 NL and 108-36-28 WL.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray or Petitioner), the licensee of KSCW-DT, channel 12, Wichita, Kansas (Station or KSCW-DT). Petitioner requests that the Bureau substitute channel 12 for channel 28 at Wichita, Kansas in the Table of TV Allotments (table).

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray or Petitioner), the licensee of KNOE-TV, channel 8, Monroe, Louisiana (Station or KNOE-TV). Petitioner requests that the Bureau substitute channel 8 for channel 24 at Monroe, Louisiana in the Table of TV Allotments (table).

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray or Petitioner), the licensee of WYMT-TV, channel 12, Hazard, Kentucky (Station or WYMT-TV). Petitioner requests that the Bureau substitute channel 12 for channel 20 at Hazard, Kentucky in the Table of TV Allotments (table).

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed July 15, 2024, as amended on January 6, 2025, by Gray Television Licensee LLC (Petitioner), the permittee of unbuilt full power television station KCBU, channel 11, Price, Utah (Station or KCBU). The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 15 for channel 11 at Price, Utah (Price), in the Table of TV Allotments.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Louisiana Educational Television Authority (LETA or Petitioner) on January 10, 2025, as amended January 14, 2025, the licensee of noncommercial educational television PBS member station KLTM-TV, channel *13, Monroe, Louisiana (Station or KLTM). Petitioner requests that the Bureau substitute channel *29 for channel *13 at Monroe in the Table of TV Allotments (Table).

In this document, the Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by TV-49, Inc. (TV-49 or Petitioner), the permittee of an unbuilt full power television station KKAB, channel 12, Silver City, New Mexico (Station or KKAB). Petitioner requests an amendment of the Table of TV Allotments (table) to delete channel 12 at Silver City and substitute channel 12 at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (Truth or Consequences), consistent with the technical parameters set forth in the Petition, as amended. The Petitioner further requests modification of its construction permit to specify Truth or Consequences as its community of license.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by reinstating certain channels as a vacant FM allotment in various communities. The FM allotments were previously removed from the FM Table because a construction permit and/or license was granted. These FM allotments are now considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated FM authorizations or the dismissal of long-form auction FM applications. A staff engineering analysis confirms that all of the vacant FM allotments complies with the minimum distance separation requirements and principle community coverage requirements of the Commission's rules. The window period for filing applications for these vacant FM allotments will not be opened at this time. Instead, the issue of opening these allotments for filing will be addressed by the Commission in subsequent order.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by removing certain vacant FM allotment channels that were auctioned through our FM competitive bidding process and are no longer considered vacant FM allotments. The FM allotments are currently authorized licensed stations. FM assignments for authorized stations and reserved facilities will be reflected solely in Media Bureau's Licensing Management System (LMS). These FM allotment channels have previously undergone notice and comment rule making. This action constitutes an editorial change in the FM Table of Allotments. Therefore, we find for good cause that further notice and comment are unnecessary.

Petition for Reconsideration (Petition) has been filed in the Commission's proceeding by Robert McAllan, CEO, and Rich Morena, COO/ CFO, on behalf of Press Communications, LLC.

This document requests comments on a petition for rule making filed by The Business Council of the Northern Arapaho, the non-gaming Tribal governmental agency of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, proposing to amend the FM Table of Allotments, by allotting Channel 260C0 at Ethete, Wyoming, as a Tribal allotment and the community's first local service. A staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 260C0 can be allotted to Ethete, Wyoming, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules, with a site restriction of 42 km (26 miles) north of the community. The reference coordinates are 43-22-25 NL and 108-36-28 WL.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts a Second Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration (Second R&O) on processing, licensing, and service rules that will allow voluntary, limited use of FM booster stations to originate content on a permanent basis. This action builds upon an April 2024 Commission action which permitted experimental use of program originating boosters subject to adoption of such rules. The rule changes are needed to expand the potential uses of FM booster stations, which previously could not originate programming. The intended effect is to allow radio broadcasters to provide more relevant localized programming and information to different zones within their service areas.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray) and SagamoreHill of Lubbock, LLC (SagamoreHill and collectively, the Petitioners), the licensees of two Lubbock, Texas stations; KCBD, operating on channel 11, and KJTV-TV, operating on channel 35. The Petitioners request amendment of the Table of TV Allotments to substitute channel 11 for channel 35 and channel 35 for channel 36, respectively. The Petitioners filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming their interest in the proposed channel substitutions and that they will promptly file applications seeking authorizations on channels 11 and 35.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting Channel 284A at Huntley, Montana, as the community's first local service. To accommodate the allotment, we modify the license of KYSX, Billings, Montana to specify operation on Channel 286A in lieu of Channel 283C1. A staff engineering analysis reveals that Channel 284A can be allotted to Huntley, Montana, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules with a site restriction of 13.9 km (8.6 miles) north of the community.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts rules to allow digital FM broadcast radio stations to operate with different power levels on the upper and lower digital sidebands, by notification to the Commission. The rule changes will facilitate greater digital FM radio coverage without interfering with adjacent-channel FM broadcast stations. The intended effect is to advance the broader adoption of digital FM broadcasting by authorizing digital FM broadcasters to implement such asymmetric sideband operation by simple notification to the Commission, rather than by requesting experimental authorization as is the current practice.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) revises the technical rules for low-power auxiliary station (LPAS) devices to permit a recently developed type of wireless microphone system, termed herein as a Wireless Multichannel Audio System (WMAS), to operate in the broadcast television (TV) bands and other LPAS frequency bands on a licensed basis. The Commission adopts technical rules for licensed WMAS operations in specific frequency bands under our LPAS rules and also permits WMAS to operate on an unlicensed basis under the rules in the TV bands and 600 MHz duplex gap. The Commission updates its existing LPAS and technical rules for wireless microphones, which already rely on certain European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards, to incorporate the latest version of that standard where appropriate. Finally, the Commission updates the wireless microphone rules to reflect the end of the post-Incentive Auction transition period. The Commission's goal in the FCC document is to increase wireless microphone spectral efficiency and enable more intensive use in the spectrum available for such operations.

The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray), the licensee of KFVS-TV (Station or KFVS-TV), Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Cape Girardeau). Gray requests amendment of the Table of TV Allotments to substitute channel 11 for channel 32. Gray filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming its interest in the proposed channel substitution and that it will promptly file an application seeking authorization on channel 11.

On June 24, 2024, the Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray), the licensee of WRDW-TV (Station or WRDW-TV), Augusta, Georgia (Augusta). Gray requested amendment of the Table of TV Allotments to substitute channel 12 for channel 27. Gray filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming its interest in the proposed channel substitution and that it will promptly file an application seeking authorization on channel 12. The Bureau concludes that the public interest would be served by substituting channel 12 for channel 27 at Augusta.

On June 24, 2024, the Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in response to a Petition for Rulemaking filed by King Broadcasting Company (Petitioner or King Broadcasting), the licensee of KTVB, channel 7, Boise, Idaho (Station or KTVB). The Petitioner requested the substitution of channel 23 for channel 7 at Boise, Idaho (Boise), in the Table of TV Allotments. TEGNA, Inc., on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, King Broadcasting, filed comments in support of the Petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming King Broadcasting's commitment to apply for channel 23. The Bureau concludes that the public interest would be served by substituting channel 23 for channel 7 at Boise.