WASHINGTON, D.C.—The FCC Media Bureau has announced that all rules implementing the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA) are in effect and that the one-year window for qualified low power television (LPTV) stations to apply for Class A status will open on May 31, 2024 and close on May 30, 2025 (LPPA Window).
Earlier, on December 12, 2023, the Commission released a Report and Order (Order) that adopted rules to implement the LPPA, which required the FCC to open a new filing window during which qualifying LPTV stations could apply for and receive Class A status that would protect LPTV stations from being bumped off-air by harmful interference.
The rules adopted in the Order took effect on February 9, 2024, and sections 73.6030(c), 73.6030(d), 73.3580(c)(7), and the revisions to FCC Form 2100, Schedule F, which contain new or modified information collection requirements that required review by OMB, were approved by OMB on May 7, 2024. A notice announcing that these rules and other information collections were approved was published on May 31, 2024 in the Federal Register, and these rules and other information collections are effective, the FCC said.
The FCC noted that applications in the LPPA Window can be filed electronically via the Commission’s Licensing and Management System (LMS) on FCC Form 2100, Schedule F and applicants will be required to pay the requisite fee for an application for a “new license” for a Class A station ($425.00), the agency said.
The FCC noted that in order to be eligible for Class A status under the LPPA, a qualified LPTV licensee must have complied with the eligibility requirements set forth in section 73.6030(b) of the Commission’s rules and complete all required certifications in FCC Form 2100, Schedule F.
A qualified LPTV licensee is required to submit, as part of its application, a statement concerning the station’s operating schedule during the 90 days preceding January 5, 2023 and a list of locally produced programs aired during that time period.
The applicant may also submit, or may be requested by Commission staff to submit, other documentation to support its certification that the licensee meets the eligibility requirements for a Class A license under the LPPA. All stations afforded Class A status under the LPPA are reminded that they will be required to continue to comply with the service requirements applicable to Class A stations in order to maintain such status.
Instructions for applying are available here.
