4 FCC 90375 Federal Communications Commission Record 5 FCC Rcd Iro. 25 Anrennas I IO &fore the lnierference criteria I Federal Communications Commission I6 TV channel rix interference Washington. D.C. 20554 132 Other matters Grandfathering criteria h1.U Docket NO.88-140 for existing translators I38 Rebised rule section i 45 In the Matter of Administratire matters 11R Amendment of Part 14 of the FM RM-5416 Commission's Rules Concerning RN-5472 Appendix A: Commenterr Translator Stations Appendix B Rule Section REPORTASDORDER Proceeding Terminated ISTRODLCTIOS I B) this Report md Order. the Cornmiwon I\ Adopted: Sorembcr 8. 1990 Released: December 4. 1990 amendine the rules gokerning the FM iran4ator ur\ice The Commi\wn I\ re\iructuring the f \l tranrlaior ruler By the Cornmiwon Commissioners \lar\hail and ~onrtrtent with the intended purpo\c of thi\ *nice. Duggan issuing xparate staiements uhich I\ io prtnide \upplementar> \enice io area, in uhirh LIIreLI re'epiion of radio hn>adca\r rlation'i I\ unwi\facior! due io dirtance nr inirr\cnine .terrain har- TABLE OF COSTESTS riers In particular. ue re\i\e and cldrif! the F5l fran4ator rules. including new rules for ounership and Paragraph financial wpport of translators. methods for \electing among fran4ator application\. the definition of "major INTRODUCTION 1 change" in tran4ator cowrage area,. ux of commercial and auriliar) hand frequencies. interference criteria' and iechnical rcquircmeni\ for tran\latar\ BACKGROUSD -7 DLSCCSSIOK 5 BACKGROUSD 2 tV tranrlatnrs are \tation\ that receiw the signals of 'Sjivice issues FU radio hroadcast stations and *imultaneousl) retratismit tho*e ,ignal, on another frequenc) ' In general. the signal Coverage area 9 of the FU radio hroadcast station heing rehroadcau' must' Ouncrship resfrictions I5 he rccci\cd directl) nrer-the-air at the iranrlator Me as a means Financial support 2.r Fbl trardainr\ ueie first authorized in 1970' of prmiding t\l $errice io area, and populations that Fundraising hy translator 33 sere unahle IO receive safisfactor? F\I signals clue to Local program originailon di\tance or tnterwning terrain oh\iructions ' While the authorit) 44 Cornmiwon recognized the henefits of authorizing FM Local service obligations 53 tranrlator w\ice. it also exprerud cnncern regarding the pnwhle umpetifi\e impact wch tran4ators could hare Signal delivery 56 on F\I radio hroadcast stations and the effect their p. Use of auxiliary frequencies 63 thoriration could haw on the kenring of tho* stations? Conditional relaying 67 Thu,. the Commission elecfed to authorize FM translators Need requirements for on a .econdar) hasis only and imposed rules that restricl translators -11 iheir ur\tc!. ounership. financial support and program origination The translator rules currently in effect Method for selecting FM are essentially the same as those adopted in I970 among applicants 76 3 The Commission commenced this proceeding with a Definition of major .Voticc of Inquiry (.VO/J ' IO sfudy the role of FM change 79 translators in the radio hroadcast service. Thfs SO/ re- Multiple ownership limits 84 $ponded to even parties who pettnoned the Commission Cross-service translating 87 for rule making seeking various. sometimes conflicting changes to our FM translator rules Rule making pelitionr were filed by fhe National Association of Broadarten Technical Issuer - (%AB). AGK Communications. Inc (ACK). John David- Frquencies available to wn Craver (Craver). John S. La Tour (La Tour). Commu- FM translators 90 nications General Corp. Bruce Ouinn IOuinn). and Maximum power output 9s Robert Jacoby (Jacoby)? In its petition. the NAB re- 7212 I 5 FCC Red 25 No. Federal Communications Commission Record FCC 90-375 quesed the Commission to impose financial support and danger remain permissible with no local Xr\Ice profit-maktq restricttons on F.U translators to prerent obligations Commercial translators provildilng fill-in ,er. their use by primary stattons to expand thetr senice areas. \ice ma!. use any terrestrial means to obtain the primary The NAB also =ked the Commission IO tighten the tech- station .. mals. wtth a favorable disposition toward wai\er nical rules to prevent interference from translators to FM request% for similar permission entertained for "wh,te radio broadcast stations The other petitioner5 generail) area" translafors. Commerctal fill-in translators nil1 alx, sought expansion of the current translator servlce. includ- be authorized to UK intercity relay ffequencies on a xc- ing program ortgmation authority. ondary basts. We will retatn the extstrng rule which pro- 4. The Commission nen adopted a So'ourc of Proposed htbits use of a translator solely to relay stgnals of a Rule .Uakmg (SoIlCci Io tn this proceeding. proposing to prlmary station 10 more distant translator factltttes. al- amend the rules governing the FM translator urstce though midental relay will be permitted We clarify that based on the comments submitted in response io the A'OI licensees may operate mulltple FM translators upon show- and our own analyss of the translator servtce We stated. ing "need" ?& determined on technical ground, h) the in the .Vouce. that the proper role for FM translators quality of signal recened from the mended primar) Ita- should be as a secondary serbice Intended to supplement lion or an) operating translator. We adopt procedures to the ervtce of FM radio broadcast stations The rule resolve mutually exclusive appltcawns "fill-in" changes propoud in the Soucc wught to ensure that translators of the commonly owned primar! .tatlon ut11 transkwr enice does not adversely affect the qxration haw highest priority. alternative frequencies uill he a,. of FM radio broadcast \tations Sixty-nine parties filed higned u hen possible. when alternatl%e frequencies are initial comments in response to the .\once and went) unavailable. priortt! classifications for FM allotments uill parties replied." he used. and. where the mutual excluwity remalns. ne ut11 \elect applications using a first-come-firsi-ser\ed method A "major change" for FM translators ulll be DISCC'SSION defined as any change in output frequenc) (output chan- nel). or an) change or increu (hut decreau) in 5 We continue to helie\e that the proper role for FY not geographic area that increaus the I mV m coverage area translators is that of a secondary service intended to sup- pkmenr the service of EM radio hroadcast sta(ionL" Fur- h) more than 10 percent of the pre\tourly authorized ther. the rule changer we now make reflect our cowage contour FM translators will remain exempt from multiple ownerqhip rules and no AM-FM cross- .conclusion that the ale purpoe of FM trmslators is to provide service in areas where direct reception of radw ser\ice translating will he permttted. service IS unsatisfactory due to dtstance or ioierkening 7 Regarding techn~cal issues. we udl allow all FM terrain obstructions. After revieu of the comments suh. translators tu operate on an! of the RO non-resened com- mitted in responx to the .Voricr add our oun analpis of mercial channels -8th the 20 rcserwd noncommercial these issues. we conclude that our existing regulator) educational ISCE) channels remaining a\ailable for XCE- structure does not adequately ensure that the FM FM trandator UY The propoxd maximum ERP standard translator service achieves its intended purpo\e We are has been reduced to 250 watts at Ion antenna hgights aoare of the need to clarify and amend several rules in (HMT). uith the pro\'tston that additional antenna order to ensure that FM radio hroadcast stations are not height must he traded for reduced power ?ielding new adwvcly affected b) translator operations. We also haw criteria for permtssible coverage distance We will he fa- determined that several rules should he modified to assure rorahl! dispoud touard uaiving this rule to permit high- that translators better serre the public. er pouer up to 250 uatts ERP at any HAAT if the applicant demonstrates that the %nice IO a greater dis- 6 This Report and Order takes the following actionr id tance reaches only a "uhite area 'I For purposes of apply. revise the FM translator rules. First. the coverage contoui ing the waiwr standard to NCE-FM translators. the of a translator providing fill-in service nil1 he defined Commission w11l construe any area that 15 not served by a congruent with the coverage contour of the primary \ta- full-rer$ice public radio station as a "uhite area." We tion for respective station classes. An FM translator', pro- haw clarified the standards for antennas and adopted our, tected contour uill hc defined at I mV.m. With respect 10 propod prohibited o\erlap criteria for Interference to service issues. an FM translator may not be'ltcenwd to a FM and TV Channel 6 stations. Exisling stations must commercial FM broadcast station if the translator s COI- compl) uith the ne= service rules withtn three years of erage contour beyond the primary stat.ion's cowrage goes the effective date of these new rules. and we will entertain contour. However. in "white area" situations heyond the naiver requests where service to the public would be lost protected contour of any full-time aural service. we will as a result Since most iranslarors already comply with the be favorably disposed toward requests for waivers of our neu technical rules. we will "grandfather" existing rules to permit commercial primary -station ounership translators until interference problems occur. at which Commercul primary stations may financially support fill- time compliance will be required Prospective licensees in translators both before and after the translator appljing for translators under the new rules should commences operation. HoGever. commercial primary sia- be aware that the Commrssion intends to enforce the scan- lions may provide no financial support beyond technical dards. and lhow found in violation of the rule Wql assislance IO translators serving other areas.