FCC to vote on updated LPTV rules at December meeting

The Federal Communications Commission will consider a package of rule changes for low power television (LPTV) stations at its Dec. 18 open meeting, aiming to provide regulatory clarity for a service that delivers free over-the-air programming to millions of viewers in rural and urban communities nationwide.

The Report and Order, part of the commission’s December agenda, addresses technical and operational requirements for LPTV, TV translator and Class A television stations that have evolved little since the service’s establishment more than 40 years ago. The rules affect how these stations calculate relocation distances, designate communities of license, and manage their call signs.

“We’re taking another step towards advancing the future of local broadcasting by voting on an order that delivers LPTV broadcasters added regulatory clarity to put their licenses to work.  LPTV stations deliver free, over-the-air television services to millions of viewers nationwide, often serving small towns, rural communities, and the unique, hyper-local interests of niche viewers,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wrote in a Nov. 25 blog post announcing the December meeting agenda.

“This action updates our rules to reflect the changes in the broadcast industry since the LPTV service was established more than forty years ago and help LPTV broadcasters serve their communities effectively,” wrote Carr.

The LPTV service was created in 1982 to bring local television to viewers in areas unserved or underserved by full power stations. Today, approximately 1,759 licensed LPTV stations, 3,096 TV translators, and 397 Class A stations operate across the country, serving discrete communities with locally produced programming alongside retransmission of network and other content. Many operate in rural areas, providing the only over-the-air television service available, while others serve niche audiences in urban markets.

Among the changes, the commission will establish uniform maximum relocation distances for minor modification applications and create a formal method for LPTV stations to specify their community of license. Stations must designate a community with boundaries that overlap their protected service contour within six months of the rule’s effective date. The commission will allow stations to use county names or commonly recognized names of unincorporated areas for their community designations, addressing concerns from operators serving rural locations. Application fees for community of license changes will be exempted during the initial six-month compliance period.

Stations will be required to use call signs that match their service designation, though existing call sign combinations will be grandfathered. The rule changes also permit LPTV and TV translator stations engaged in channel sharing to apply for their own independent channels through the major modification process. Fees for call sign changes will be waived for one year.

The order revises displacement rules to specify when stations qualify for protection, including cases of actual or predicted interference that exceed established thresholds. Predicted interference caused to full power stations must exceed 0.5 percent to qualify for displacement, while predicted interference received from full power stations must exceed 2 percent. The commission will eliminate the 30-day public notice period for displacement applications, which officials said causes avoidable service interruptions while stations wait for authorization to relocate. Displacement applicants will be required to include a brief exhibit explaining the basis for their displacement claim.

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The commission will require stations to enter into signed written interference agreements that clearly state whether money or other consideration was exchanged, bringing transparency to arrangements that allow stations to exceed standard interference thresholds. The order updates how relocation distances are calculated, switching from miles to kilometers to align with current technical standards. The rules also codify a one square kilometer maximum grid resolution for interference analysis, though stations may use a finer 0.5 kilometer resolution if specified in their applications.

The order clarifies Emergency Alert System equipment requirements for LPTV stations and updates technical rules intended to prevent interference between stations. For channel 14 operations, stations must specify either stringent or full-service mask filtering. The commission also requires that all transmitters in a station’s distributed transmission system use the same emission mask to ensure accurate interference calculations.

The commission declined to adopt several proposals that broadcasters argued would impose unnecessary burdens. These include minimum operating hour requirements for LPTV stations, limits on community of license changes, and restrictions on how often stations can change their service designation. The commission had proposed requiring LPTV stations to operate at least 14 hours per calendar week but determined the requirement would limit operational flexibility for stations serving niche audiences and small markets.

The rule revisions emerged from a notice of proposed rulemaking issued in June 2024 under docket MB 24-148. A companion proceeding addressing political programming and online public file requirements for LPTV stations remains pending in a separate docket.

The December meeting agenda also includes a third report and order on robocall prevention measures and a direct final rule eliminating approximately 35 obsolete regulations covering analog cable receivers and discontinued cordless phone technologies.