Prospective LPFM Operator

by John O. Broomall, Sr.

If you are considering starting a radio station, the process is long (years), expensive (normally $15,000 to $20,000 or more), and complicated.  The rewards are great for groups that have the money and are patient ... if a frequency is available.

Full and Low Power stations are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in Washington; fines for operating an unlicensed "pirate" station are substantial.  The first step is to determine if a frequency is available.  There are one hundred FM frequencies from 88.1 through 107.9 but in most large urban or suburban areas, all frequencies have already been taken; some "silent spots" on your radio have already been reserved for future stations with Construction Permits.

CCB will at no charge conduct a free preliminary search to see if any frequencies appear to be available now for either a 100 or 10 watt station.  Officially, an LP100 station is supposed to cover a 3.5 mile radius and an LP10, two miles.  If terrain conditions are favorable (you are on high ground seeking to cover the valley below) and you have a good frequency (no nearby co-channel interfering stations), you will have many listeners ten miles away and possibly some 15-20 miles distant who have good radios and outside antennas. 

LPFM licenses can be held only by non-profit organizations, not by individuals nor by business.  Consultants such as CCB prepare and file FCC Form 318 applications electronically during designated filing weeks, called "windows."  All current LPFM applicants and operators filed during four windows between June 2000 and June 2001.  The exact dates were determined by the FCC, announced 30 days in advance, with the station location (state) the determining factor.  The sequence of state was determined by lottery!

The FCC is still processing some LPFM applications from 2000 and 2001 (see SCORECARD on the lower left of this website's Home Page).  Unofficially the FCC has told CCB that no windows are not planned until 2007, our guess is January 07.  When a window is announced, it will be listed on this website.  While LPFM advocates have asked for more advance notice, at present the FCC is required to give only 30 days advance notification.

A preliminary frequency search can be conducted now, However, it is impossible to conduct an accurate search until the window is announced for three important reasons: (1) the FCC is now considering changing the LPFM rules, (2) Congress is considering changing the law governing LPFM, and (3) full-power stations at make changes at any time affecting open frequencies.  Full-power stations are Primary; LPFM is secondary.  That means that a full-power can "take over" your frequency; LPFM advocates are currently asking the FCC to change this unfair regulation.  (See the lead feature story in the center of our Home Page.

If you have questions related to this topic which are not answered here, please contact JohnBroomall@Yahoo.com  We will either send a personal response or if we believe the answer would be of interest to others, we will updating this section of our website and send you a link.  Check all sections of our website and click "Refresh" on your computer for the latest updates.