The Media Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission has released a Public Notice to provide additional guidance for the upcoming filing window for new FM translator stations operating in the reserved band by authorized noncommercial educational broadcasters (including LPFM stations).
Pending assignments
If at the time of the filing window, there is an assignment of license of the NCE or LPFM station in progress, the proposed assignee can participate in the window as long as the assignment or transfer of control application has already been filed at the time of the translator application. The translator application filed by a proposed assignee must include a request for waiver of §74.1233(b)(5)(i) of the rules (which requires Window applicants to be authorized NCE broadcasters).
Primary stations that time share
If an LPFM or NCE station that is currently time sharing wants to participate in the window, they can do so, however, if granted, the translator must be configured in a way where the translator will shut down during the hours that the primary station is not authorized to broadcast pursuant to the time share agreement.
If time share partners wish to go in on a single transmitter and have both (or some/all) of the stations in the time share group rebroadcast, then each time share proponent must each apply separately. Joint applications will not be accepted. Such separate filings should include a time share agreement to make it clear that these mutually exclusive applications are a part of such a time share agreement.
Established Local Applicant points
The rule has always been that in order to claim the 3 points for established local applicant, the organization’s headquarters or at least 75% of the residential addresses of the organization’s board must reside within 25 miles of the reference coordinates for the community of license. In the previous Notice at the request of REC, the Bureau further clarified that in the event that the community of license is not a location in the Census where reference coordinates are not available, then the translator location will be the starting point for the 25 mile measurement.
In this notice, the Bureau reminds us that unlike full-service stations, FM translators do not have a specific community of license/community coverage requirement. As such, you can use any community you want. However, if you are attempting to claim the Established Local Applicant points and using reference coordinates for the community of license, the proposed translator must place a 60 dBu contour into a portion of the corporate limits of the community identified.
Diversity of Ownership points
This was a major issue that REC had escalated to the Bureau on behalf of itself and other broadcast professionals who would be working in this filing window. On June 24, 2026, REC had notified Media Bureau staff of an erroneous decision that reserved band full-service stations and all LPFM stations were to use the 60 dBu contour of both the proposed translator and the existing facility with attributable interests to disqualify an applicant from Diversity points. REC had noted that the Commission’s original intention was to treat FM broadcasters at the city grade 70 dBu contour, including for reserved band where the 70 dBu is not normally used.
Today’s Notice admits that the Bureau had made an error. With that said, here’s the clarification on the diversity points. Diversity points will not apply if:
Proposed translator to full-service FM: The 60 dBu contour of the proposed translator overlaps the 70 dBu contour of an attribute interest.
Proposed translator to an LPFM station: The 60 dBu contour of the proposed translator overlaps the 70 dBu contour of an attribute interest.
Proposed translator to full-service AM: The 60 dBu contour of the proposed translator overlaps the 5 uV/m daytime contour of an attributable interest.
Proposed translator to existing Fill-in translator: Does not need to be considered. However, if the proposed translator’s 60 dBu contour does overlap the 70 dBu or 5 uV/m of the primary station, then diversity points will not be available.
Proposed translator to existing non fill-in translator: The 60 dBu contour of the proposed translator overlaps the 60 dBu contour of a non fill-in translator that is an attributable interest.
REC welcomes these clarifications and appreciates the work of the Media Bureau staff on working on the issues and clarifying the diversity point rule as it was originally intended back in 2000.
REC service offering update
We still have some room for new translator applications. We are working on the ones already received. We do warn this is a fairly slow process.
Please visit https://recnet.com/translators and download the information packet if you are interested in participating.
LPFMs are once again reminded of the §73.860(b) requirements:
Translator can only be within 10 miles of the LPFM in the top-50 markets, 20 miles elsewhere.
The 60 dBu contour of the translator must overlap the 60 dBu contour of the LPFM, even if that overlap is slight.
The translator must be able to receive the LPFM station over the air on its FM frequency.
If the LPFM station is operating HD, the translator cannot be used to rebroadcast an HD2, 3 or 4 stream.
Please provide the information requested in the packet and send to lpfm@recnet.com. We are taking requests that have provided the information we asked for in the order received. Please not that REC will not be providing a “docs only” service as we originally proposed in the past.
You must provide us with a location that you definitely know you would have access to if granted. A contract/commitment/lease is not needed. We will not do checks on “hypothetical” locations or “general availability” checks. We will also not accept phone calls to make these requests. Please use email and provide the information we are asking for.