Editorial of Michelle Bradley, founder of REC Networks.

I know this topic comes up every year and I would not be surprised if its brought up again at this year's GRC.  Why doesn't LPFM have a national association?  It’s simple, LPFM is an FCC defined radio service for a type of station that has a service contour of 5.6 km and has reduced regulations in an effort to bring more established non-profit organizations that would not otherwise be in broadcasting into the medium. 

REC Networks has filed comments today in MB Docket 18-184, the FCC's Notice of Inquiry based on the SSR Communications petition that would create a new FM service class C4 (12 kW at 100m HAAT, available only in FM Zone II) and would make a change to §73.215 to allow an applicant station to be able to use contours in addition to distance separation in order for the applicant station to upgrade service class (i.e.

Artlce updated.  See below.

While we are awaiting the full text of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in this proceeding, we do have concerns based on comments made during the Commission's Open Meeting and in the News Release published by the Commission on Thursday regarding the proposal to reimburse full-service FM and FM translator stations that are forced to be displaced from their tower sites by TV stations participating in the incentive auction.   

We need more diverse ownership.  We need more people, especially women, minorities and the LGBT entering the broadcasting field as more than just DJs, but as owners, directors and major stakeholders of commercial and noncommercial stations.  Chairman Pai's broadcast "incubator" experiment fails to establish a mentorship program but instead creates a free-pass for large corporate broadcasters to get favors where it comes to ownership caps.  We do not know how this impacts the Prometheus v FCC litigation but we are hoping that "Prometheus 2"/Georgetown Law is going to pursue this.   As a cons

Due to changes being made by Twitter in August, 2018, REC/J1 Radio has identified that those changes may potentially impact our software that is used to provide real-time Japanese earthquake information.  This functionality is what plays the earthquake warning tones and announcements on J1 and J1xtra as well as real time logging of earthquake alerts on our earthquake site (eew.j1fm.tokyo).  

REC Networks has filed comments in the FM translator interference proceeding, MB Docket 18-119. 

In comments, REC points out the distinct nature of LPFM stations as well as Class D educational stations and even smaller Class A full-service FM stations that are the most susceptible to interference by new and modified FM translator facilities.