Washington, DC - Nov 3, 2006 - The FCC adopted a report and order that sets rules to revise and improve the FM Table of Allotments and AM community of license modification procedures. According to the FCC, the revisions are intended to streamline procedures; facilitate the expeditious licensing of proposals that advance the fair, equitable and efficient distribution of radio services; and reduce current backlogs. Specifically, the order compresses the two-step process for requests to change AM and FM station communities of license by eliminating the rulemaking step for FM requests and the auction application step for AM requests.

The Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in June 2005 that sought comment on proposals to modify certain aspects of AM and commercial FM application processing. It also imposed a freeze on the filing of new petitions for rulemaking to amend the Table of Allotments. The freeze will be lifted on the effective date of this order.

The Report and Order adopts the following rule changes.

• Permits Community of License Minor Change Applications - Allows AM and FM licensees and permittees to change their community of license by first-come first-served minor modification applications, streamlining the current two-step procedures.
• Requires Simultaneous Filing of Form 301 with Petitions to Add New FM Allotments - Requires filing Form 301, and paying the required filing fee, with all petitions to add new FM allotments to the table. This will help ensure that parties who value new allotments most--those who participate in broadcast auctions-–will be the ones seeking to add new FM allotments.
• Eliminates the Prohibition on Electronic Filing of Rulemaking Petitions to Amend FM Table of Allotments - Eliminates the current prohibition on electronic filing of petitions and other documents in proceedings to amend the FM Table of Allotments.

FCC 06-163, Docket 05-210.