FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS C OMMISSION WASHINGTON OFFICE OF July 21, 2020 T H E CHAIRMAN The Honorable Xochitl Torres Small U.S. House of Representatives 2444 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congresswoman Small: Thank you for your letter regarding the scheduling of a new application filing window for the low power FM (LPFM) service. I agree with you that these conummity-based, low power stations provide an essential service to their listeners, and I appreciate your understanding of the complexities involved in the Commission's application filing process. The Media Bureau's Audio Division handles all licensing matters for full power AM and FM stations, full power non-commercial (NCE) FM stations, and FM translator and booster stations, in addition to LPFM stations. Bureau staff must allocate resources among these services and only open a filing window for one service at a time. Once a filing window is scheduled, the Bureau processes all of the applications before moving to open another filing window for another service. As you note, this process can be time-consuming, given that there is continued interest in new opportunities in the FM band, which can result in thousands of filed applications. The full-power NCE FM service will be next to receive a filing window, as that service has not had an opportunity for new applications since 2010, before the last LPFM filing window in 2013. Staff anticipates that the NCE FM window will be opened after our new processing rules for this service are effective later this year. Going forward, these new rules will make the process more efficient. Once the applications from the NCE FM filing window are processed, the Bureau will be in a position to open a filing window for new LPFM applications. Public Notices that announce filing windows are generally released well in advance of the window opening. Prior to the 2013 window, the Media Bureau conducted outreach in the four months leading up to the filing window, and I'm confident prospective applicants will be given ample time to prepare themselves before the next window is open. In the meantime, prospective applicants can prepare in advance by familiarizing themselves with our rules, the application, and application process. Entities also can search for potential LPFM channels using the FCC's online tool (www.fcc.gov/media/radio/lpfm-channel-finder). Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. ---- ------- -------------