Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER GEOFFREY STARKS

Re:	Reexamination of the Comparative Standards and Procedures for Licensing Noncommercial Educational Broadcast and Low Power FM Stations (MB Docket No. 19-3)

This notice of proposed rulemaking seeks comment on ways to improve the procedures we use to get and keep Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations and noncommercial educational radio and television (collectively, NCE) stations on the air.

I’ve long valued the service provided by NCE stations and have been intrigued by the hyper-local service and opportunities for new entrants that LPFM stations provide across the country.  I am generally in favor of designing processes that allow these licensees to spend the majority of their time on programming, rather than paperwork.

I will be interested in seeing how the record develops in this proceeding and will play close attention to any comments discussing ways that proposed rule changes could impact localism or diversity.  I vote to approve.

I would like to thank the Media Bureau for their hard work on this item, and their tireless work over the years working with these applicants.


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