Mass Media: AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[FCC 96-113]

Mass Media: AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; comments in response to reconsideration.

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SUMMARY: In Comments in Response to Reconsideration of Implementation

of the AM Expanded Band and Allotment Plan, FCC 96-113, the Federal

Communications Commission denied requests raised in response to

Reconsideration of Implementation of the AM Expanded Band Allotment

Plan (Reconsideration Order) and closed to further changes the official

AM database (the June 30, 1993-A AM Engineering Database) which is used

for expanded band allotments. The Reconsideration Order had rescinded

the initial AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and provided a period for

comments to correct the AM database and comments on the procedures

which would be used to generate a new plan based on recalculated

ranking factors.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 18, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Burtle, Audio Services Division,

Mass Media Bureau, (202) 418-2670.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The full text of this Commission decision

Comments in Response to Reconsideration of Implementation of the AM

Expanded Band and Allotment Plan, FCC 96-113, adopted March 15, 1996,

and released March 22, 1996 (Comments Order), is available for

inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Dockets

Branch (Room 230), 1919 M St., N.W. Washington D.C. (See MM Docket 87-

267). The complete text of this decision may also be purchased from the

Commission's copy contractor, Downtown Copy Center, 1990 M St., N.W.,

Suite 640, Washington, D.C. 30036.

By the Reconsideration Order, 60 FR 48426 (September 19, 1995), the

Commission rescinded the interference improvement factor rankings and

the resulting Allotment Plan for AM stations seeking to migrate to the

AM expanded band. The Allotment Plan identified those AM stations that

were eligible to apply for authorizations for specific allotments for

AM expanded band frequencies (1605 kHz-1705 kHz). The Commission

provided the public a thirty-day period to submit comments on the

procedures and technical standards which were set forth in the

Reconsideration Order and which would be used to generate corrected

improvement factors and a new allotment plan. Comments were received

from four licensees. The FCC rejected the requests raised in the

comments.

Concurrent with the release of the Comments Order, the Commission's

Mass Media Bureau announced revised expanded AM broadcast band

improvement factors and a revised Allotment Plan. See Public Notice DA

96-408, released March 22, 1996. After the Allotment Plan becomes a

final Commission action, the FCC will issue a further public notice

announcing that each licensee that was allotted a frequency, and thus

selected for migration to the expanded band, will be afforded a sixty

(60) day period in which to file an application for construction permit

authority on the allotted channel. Such licensees will also be notified

individually by letter. Applications will be subject to petitions to

deny but not to competing applications. Applications are also subject

to the provisions of three international agreements (Region 2,

Canadian, and Mexican). See Section 73.28 (a) of the Commission's

Rules. Application procedures will be set forth in the further public

notice.

Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

This action is authorized under Sections 4 (i) and 303 (r) of the

Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and 303 (r), and Section 553

(b) (3) (A) of the Administrative Procedures Act.

Ordering Clause

Accordingly, it is ordered that the requests raised in the comments

filed in this proceeding are denied, as set forth above. It is further

ordered that the June 30, 1993-A database is now closed to further

changes and the June 30, 1993-A AM Engineering Database which was

placed in the public record and associated with MM Docket 87-267, the

Expanded Band rulemaking proceeding, will be used as the official

database for further use in the expanded band proceeding.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

William F. Caton,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96-9488 Filed 4-17-96; 8:45 am]

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