[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 27 (Friday, February 8, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2753-2759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01491]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 0, 1, 5, 73, and 74

[MB Docket No. 18-121; FCC 18-174]


Posting of Station Licenses and Related Information

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC 
or Commission) eliminates provisions of our rules that require 
broadcasters to post and maintain copies of their licenses and related 
information in specific locations. These rules have become redundant 
and obsolete now that licensing information is readily accessible 
online through the Commission's databases, including CDBS, LMS, and 
ULS. It therefore finds that eliminating these rules, which apply in 
some form to all broadcast licensees, will serve the public interest.

DATES: Effective February 8, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, contact 
Jonathan Mark, [email protected], of the Media Bureau, Policy 
Division, (202) 418-3634. Direct press inquiries to Janice Wise at 
(202) 418-8165.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Report 
and Order (Order), FCC 18-174, adopted December 10, 2018 and released 
on December 11, 2018. The full text of this document is available 
electronically via the FCC's Electronic Document Management System 
(EDOCS) website at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/ or via the 
FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) website at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. (Documents will be available electronically 
in ASCII, Microsoft Word, and/or Adobe Acrobat.) This document is also 
available for public inspection and copying during regular business 
hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, which is located in Room 
CY-A257 at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554. 
The Reference Information Center is open to the public Monday through 
Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 
a.m. The complete text may be purchased from the Commission's copy 
contractor, 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554. 
Alternative formats are available for people with disabilities 
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), by sending an 
email to [email protected] or calling the Commission's Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 
(TTY).

Synopsis

I. Report and Order

    1. In this Report and Order (Order), we eliminate the provisions in 
parts 1, 5, 73 and 74 of our rules that require the posting and 
maintenance of broadcast licenses and related information in specific 
locations.\1\ In May 2018, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (83 FR 
30901) seeking comment on whether to eliminate license posting rules 
that appeared to be redundant and obsolete now that licensing 
information is readily accessible online through the Commission's 
databases. Commenters in this proceeding unanimously support the 
elimination of these rules. As detailed below, we find that eliminating 
these requirements, which apply in some form to all broadcast 
licensees, will serve the public interest. In doing so, we advance the 
Commission's goal of modernizing our media rules and remove unnecessary 
regulatory burdens that impede competition and innovation in the media 
marketplace.
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    \1\ By this Order, we also eliminate provisions in our rules 
which reference or cross-reference broadcast license posting rules.
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    2. Broadcast license posting rules predate the establishment of the 
Commission. As explained in the NPRM, the Federal Radio Commission 
promulgated the earliest iteration of broadcast license posting 
requirements on record in 1930. Subsequent Commission decisions revised 
and

[[Page 2754]]

expanded to new broadcast services license posting obligations and 
requirements to maintain records at specific locations, but provided no 
explicit rationale for such rules. Based on the text and history of 
these rules, the NPRM noted that the intended purpose of the rules may 
have been to ensure that information regarding station authorizations, 
ownership, and contact information was readily available and easily 
accessible to the Commission and public. Commenters in this proceeding 
do not identify any alternative purpose or use for these rules and 
maintain that, with the advent of online sources for licensee 
information, the burdens that compliance with these rules imposes on 
licensees clearly outweigh any original benefits they may have 
provided.
    3. Consistent with our proposals in the NPRM, we eliminate the 
license posting rules applicable to broadcasters and the related rules 
that require records to be maintained at specific locations.\2\ We 
agree with commenters that ``while the posting rule[s] may have made 
sense almost 90 years ago'' they no longer serve the public interest 
given that all Commission licenses and related authorizations required 
to be displayed or maintained are now available ``24/7'' through 
publicly accessible online databases. Specifically, broadcast station 
licenses and other authorizations are currently accessible online 
through several Commission databases, including the Commission's 
Consolidated Database System (CDBS), Licensing Management System (LMS), 
and Universal Licensing Service (ULS).\3\ For full power and Class A 
television stations and AM and FM radio stations, licenses and related 
authorizations are also accessible through the Commission's Online 
Public Inspection File.\4\ In addition, the public may access orders 
and dispositions regarding station construction or facilities 
operation, which are required to be physically posted pursuant to two 
of our existing rules, through the Commission's online licensing 
databases.
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    \2\ Specifically, we eliminate the following rules, each of 
which applies specifically to broadcast licensees: 47 CFR 73.1230 
(all broadcast licensees), 74.564 (aural broadcast auxiliary 
stations), 74.664 (television broadcast auxiliary stations), 74.765 
(LPTV and TV translator stations), and 74.1265 (FM translator and 
booster stations). In addition, we amend the following rules to 
eliminate license posting obligations: 47 CFR 1.62(a)(2) (which 
currently requires all Commission licensees to post information 
pertaining to license renewal applications as well as the license 
itself, so that it applies only to non-broadcast licensees), 
5.203(b) (removing the requirement to post experimental licenses), 
74.432(j) (removing the requirement that remote pickup station 
licenses be ``posted at the transmitter, or posted at the control 
point of the station''), 74.832(j) (removing the requirement that 
low power auxiliary station licenses be ``posted at the transmitter, 
or posted at the control point of the station''). The NPRM 
incorrectly proposed to amend paragraph (a)(3)(viii) of 47 CFR 
74.787, instead of paragraph (a)(5)(viii). This has been corrected 
in the Final Rules. We also note that one additional change not 
captured in the NPRM is in the Final Rules below.
    \3\ Specifically, this information is readily available through 
CDBS, http://licensing.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm. 
Similarly, the public may access copies of a station's license, 
which includes the station call sign and name, address, and 
telephone number of the station licensee and point of contact, 
through LMS, https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/login.html 
and/or ULS, http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home. While 
most broadcast licenses are accessible through CDBS and LMS, 
licenses for aural and television broadcast auxiliary services are 
accessible through ULS. In addition, information regarding broadcast 
license renewal applications, which must be posted pursuant to Sec.  
1.62(a) of the rules, is available online via CDBS and LMS. 47 CFR 
1.62(a) (requiring posting of, ``in addition to the original 
license, any acknowledgment received from the Commission that the 
renewal application has been accepted for filing or a signed copy of 
the application for renewal of license which has been submitted by 
the licensee'').
    \4\ Online Public Inspection File, available at https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/. See 47 CFR 73.3526 (governing public file 
obligations of commercial full power AM, FM, and TV stations and 
Class A television stations); 47 CFR 73.3527 (governing public file 
obligations of noncommercial educational broadcast stations).
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    4. We also find the additional posting requirements in Sec. Sec.  
74.765(b) and 74.1265(b) of our rules to be unnecessary for similar 
reasons. These provisions require that LPTV, translator, and booster 
stations post at the transmitter site the station's call sign; the 
name, address, and telephone number of the licensee or local 
representative of the licensee; and ``the name and address of a person 
and place where the station records are maintained.'' As Nexstar notes 
in its comments, much of the information required to be posted under 
these rules is available on the station licenses or authorizations 
themselves, which as noted above, the public may easily access online 
via CDBS, LMS, or ULS. This information includes the station's call 
sign and the name and address of the station's licensee. Although LPTV, 
translator, and booster stations are not required to maintain public 
inspection files, they must include the contact information, including 
a telephone number, of personnel that may serve as a general point of 
contact on various Commission forms, which are publicly available via 
our online licensing databases. We therefore find no continued need for 
broadcasters to separately identify a local representative or a 
custodian of station records and display such information.\5\ Moreover, 
no commenter has provided any justification for continuing to require 
broadcasters to post or maintain at specific locations a physical copy 
of their licenses, authorizations, or general or local contact 
information.
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    \5\ Since we do not find that the public interest necessitates 
separately compiling custodian of records' contact information 
online, we decline to adopt HC2's proposal to modify existing 
Commission forms to solicit this information.
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    5. We further find that requirements to physically display 
licensing documents at the site of broadcast facilities are often 
ineffective. As NAB illustrates, requirements that mandate posting at 
the transmission site can be of little benefit to the public because 
certain transmission sites, including those of booster and translator 
stations, ``are often in areas surrounded by security fencing, thereby 
limiting the public access to these facilities and any posted 
information.'' Further, provisions mandating that broadcasters post 
licenses and other authorizations at the ``principal [control] point of 
the transmitter'' have been rendered obsolete by the internet, which 
has enabled broadcasters to transition to dial-up or IP systems that 
manage their transmitter stations remotely through a smartphone or 
personal computer. This trend, in conjunction with the elimination of 
the broadcast main studio rule, has rendered the physical posting of 
licenses out of step with technology and our other rules. We agree with 
NAB that ``posting physical documents at transmission facilities is 
redundant and provides no meaningful value to the public,'' and we 
eliminate these requirements.
    6. There is no evidence in the record suggesting that eliminating 
license posting and related requirements would undermine any public 
safety objectives. HC2 explains that posted information ``is often 
barely visible because the posting is well above eye level, or obscured 
by other equipment, or damaged and faded as a result of weather'' and 
is therefore not useful during emergencies.\6\ In these circumstances, 
the contact information first responders need is readily available 
through the Commission databases.\7\

[[Page 2755]]

Commenters also explain that because licensees typically do not own the 
towers on which their antennas are placed, eliminating requirements to 
have licensees' information physically displayed would not likely 
impede a first responder's ability to contact the appropriate person 
during an emergency. In many cases, antenna structure registration 
numbers allow first responders and others to rapidly identify the owner 
of a tower structure in the event of a tower lighting outage, collision 
or other problem, removing the need for licensee contact information.
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    \6\ HC2 further notes that posted information often is of 
limited utility because it is in a different location from the site 
of an emergency. For example, ``posted contact information at the 
transmitter, even if perfectly visible and accessible, is not 
helpful when the emergency is at the antenna site,'' which may be 
``some distance away,'' or vice versa. HC2 Comments at 5 (``For 
example, a firefighter battling a fire at an antenna site would not 
have any use for contact information posted at the transmitter quite 
some distance away.'').
    \7\ We acknowledge that natural disasters may in some instances 
limit the ability of first responders to access these databases. For 
instance, immediately after Hurricane Maria, over 95 percent of 
Puerto Rico's wireless cell sites were out of service. On a going 
forward basis, we commit to monitoring the impact of this rule 
change on first responders' ability to access the contact 
information they need in the event of an emergency.
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    7. For the foregoing reasons, we find that the provisions in parts 
1, 5, 73 and 74 of our rules requiring the physical posting and 
maintenance of broadcast licenses and related information at specific 
locations are redundant, obsolete, and unduly burdensome. Accordingly, 
we find that eliminating these requirements, as well as associated 
cross-references to them and similar requirements, is in the public 
interest and that the benefits of eliminating these requirements 
outweigh any costs of doing so.

II. Procedural Matters

A. Final Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis

    8. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as 
amended (RFA),\8\ an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) was 
incorporated in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MB Docket 
18-121.\9\ The Commission sought written public comments on proposals 
in the NPRM, including comment on the IRFA. The Commission received no 
direct comments on the IRFA. The present Final Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (FRFA) conforms to the RFA.
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    \8\ See 5 U.S.C. 603. The RFA, see U.S.C. 601-612, has been 
amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996 (SBREFA), Public Law 104-121, Title II, 110 Stat. 857 (1996). 
The SBREFA was enacted as Title II of the Contract with America 
Advancement Act of 1996 (CWAAA).
    \9\ Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 5, 73, and 74 of the Commission's 
Rules Regarding Posting of Station Licenses and Related Information, 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 33 FCC Rcd 4757 (May 10, 2018) (NPRM) 
(83 FR 30901).
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    9. Need for, and Objectives of, the Report and Order. The Report 
and Order (Order) arises from a Public Notice issued by the Commission 
in May 2017, launching an initiative to modernize the Commission's 
media regulations, and the subsequent NPRM.\10\ It eliminates 
provisions of the Commission's rules which require the posting and 
maintenance of broadcast licenses and related information in specific 
locations. Numerous parties in those proceedings argued for the 
elimination of these rules on the basis that they are redundant and 
obsolete.
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    \10\ See id.; Commission Launches Modernization of Media 
Regulation Initiative, Public Notice, 32 FCC Rcd 4406 (2017) 
(initiating a review of rules applicable to media entities to 
eliminate or modify regulations that are outdated, unnecessary or 
unduly burdensome).
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    10. Specifically, the Order eliminates: Section 73.1230, which 
requires broadcast stations to post their station license and other 
authorizations at ``the principal control point of the transmitter'' 
and prescribes the manner of such posting; \11\ Sec.  73.801, which 
applies Sec.  73.1230 to low power stations; \12\ Sec.  74.1265, which 
requires FM booster and translator stations to physically display their 
call sign and other information at the antenna site; \13\ Sec. Sec.  
74.564 and 74.664, applicable to aural and television broadcast 
auxiliary stations,\14\ respectively, which require stations to post 
licenses and any other authorizations ``in the room in which the 
transmitter is located'' and prescribes the manner of such posting; 
\15\ Sec. Sec.  74.432(j) and 74.832(j), which require remote pickup 
station and low power auxiliary station licensees to post licenses 
either at the transmitter or station control point; \16\ Sec.  
5.203(b),\17\ which requires broadcast licensees to post experimental 
authorizations along with their station license; Sec.  1.62(a)(2),\18\ 
which requires all Commission licensees, including broadcast entities, 
to post information pertaining to license renewal applications as well 
as the license itself; and Sec.  74.765, which requires LPTV and TV 
translator to physically display their call sign together with the 
name, address, and telephone number of the licensee or local 
representative of the licensee and the name and address of a person and 
place where station records are maintained at the antenna site. 
Sections 74.765(a) and 74.1265(a) also contain record maintenance 
obligations that this Order eliminates because they are duplicative of 
Sec. Sec.  74.781 and 74.1281, respectively.
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    \11\ 47 CFR 73.1230.
    \12\ 47 CFR 73.801.
    \13\ 47 CFR 74.1265.
    \14\ 47 CFR 74.564, 74.664.
    \15\ 47 CFR 74.565; 47 CFR 74.664.
    \16\ 47 CFR 74.432(j), 74.832(j).
    \17\ 47 CFR 5.203(b).
    \18\ 47 CFR 1.62(a)(2).
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    11. The Order also removes similar requirements and cross-
references to licenses posting rules as follows: Section 0.408 (cross-
referencing the license posting rules); Sec.  73.158(b), which requires 
any updated descriptions of directional antenna monitoring points to be 
``posted with the existing station license''; Sec.  73.801, which 
applies Sec.  73.1230 to LPFM stations; Sec.  73.1715(a), which 
requires broadcast licensees authorized to share time to file written 
agreements with the Commission and post with the station license; Sec.  
73.1725(c), requiring ``the licensee of a secondary station which is 
authorized to operate limited time'' to post approval of its limited 
time operating schedule with the station license); Sec.  73.1870(b)(3), 
which states that ``the designation of the chief operator [for full 
power and Class A stations] must be in writing with a copy of the 
designation posted with the station license.''; Sec.  74.733(i), which 
states that ``[t]he provisions of Sec.  74.765 concerning posting of 
station license shall apply to a UHF translator signal booster . . .''; 
Sec.  74.781(c), which states that ``[t]he name of the person keeping 
[LPTV and TV translator] station records, together with the address of 
the place where the records are kept, shall be posted in accordance 
with Sec.  74.765(c) of the rules.''; Sec.  74.787(a)(5)(viii), which 
applies Sec.  74.765 to digital low power television and television 
translator stations; Sec.  74.789; and Sec.  74.1281, which references 
Sec.  74.1265(b). These rule changes are intended to reduce outdated 
regulations and unnecessary regulatory burdens that can impede 
competition and innovation in media markets.
    12. Summary of Significant Issues Raised by Public Comments in 
Response to the IRFA. No comments were filed in response to the IRFA.
    13. Response to Comments by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 
Small Business Administration. Pursuant to the Small Business Jobs Act 
of 2010, which amended the RFA, the Commission is required to respond 
to any comments filed by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA and 
to provide a detailed statement of any change made to the proposed 
rules as a result of those comments.\19\ The Chief Counsel did not file 
any comments in response to this proceeding.
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    \19\ 5 U.S.C. 604(a)(3).
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    14. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to 
Which Rules Will Apply. The RFA directs agencies to provide a 
description of and, where feasible, an estimate of the number of small 
entities that will be affected by the rules adopted.\20\ The

[[Page 2756]]

RFA generally defines the term ``small entity'' as having the same 
meaning as the terms ``small business,'' ``small organization,'' and 
``small governmental jurisdiction'' \21\ In addition, the term ``small 
business'' has the same meaning as the term ``small business concern'' 
under the Small Business Act.\22\ A ``small business concern'' is one 
which: (1) Is independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in 
its field of operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria 
established by the SBA.\23\ The final rules adopted herein affect small 
television and radio broadcast stations. A description of these small 
entities, as well as an estimate of the number of such small entities, 
is provided below.
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    \20\ Id.
    \21\ 5 U.S.C. 601(6).
    \22\ 5 U.S.C. 601(3) (incorporating by reference the definition 
of ``small-business concern'' in the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 
632). Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 601(3), the statutory definition of a 
small business applies ``unless an agency, after consultation with 
the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration and 
after opportunity for public comment, establishes one or more 
definitions of such term which are appropriate to the activities of 
the agency and publishes such definition(s) in the Federal 
Register.''
    \23\ 15 U.S.C. 632.
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    15. Television Broadcasting. This Economic Census category 
``comprises establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting images 
together with sound.'' \24\ These establishments operate television 
broadcast studios and facilities for the programming and transmission 
of programs to the public.\25\ These establishments also produce or 
transmit visual programming to affiliated broadcast television 
stations, which in turn broadcast the programs to the public on a 
predetermined schedule. Programming may originate in their own studio, 
from an affiliated network, or from external sources. The SBA has 
created the following small business size standard for such businesses: 
Those having $38.5 million or less in annual receipts.\26\ The 2012 
Economic Census reports that 751 firms in this category operated in 
that year. Of that number, 656 had annual receipts of less than 
$25,000,000, and 95 had annual receipts of $25,000,000 or more.\27\ 
Based on this data, we estimate that the majority of commercial 
television broadcasters are small entities under the applicable SBA 
size standard.
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    \24\ U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS) Definitions, ``515120 Television 
Broadcasting,'' http://www.census.gov./cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch.
    \25\ Id.
    \26\ 13 CFR 121.201; 2012 NAICS Code 515120.
    \27\ U.S. Census Bureau, Table No. EC1251SSSZ4, Information: 
Subject Series--Establishment and Firm Size: Receipts Size of Firms 
for the United States: 2012 (515120 Television Broadcasting), 
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ECN_2012_US_51SSSZ4&prodType=table.
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    16. In addition, the Commission has estimated the number of 
licensed commercial television stations to be 1,349.\28\ Of this total, 
1,277 stations had revenues of $38.5 million or less, according to 
Commission staff review of the BIA Kelsey Inc. Media Access Pro 
Television Database (BIA) on October 1, 2018. Such entities, therefore, 
qualify as small entities under the SBA definition. The Commission has 
estimated the number of licensed noncommercial educational (NCE) 
television stations to be 412.\29\ The Commission, however, does not 
compile and does not have access to information on the revenue of NCE 
stations that would permit it to determine how many such stations would 
qualify as small entities.
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    \28\ FCC News Release, Broadcast Station Totals as of September 
30, 2018 (rel. Oct. 3, 2018) (Broadcast Station Totals), https://www.fcc.gov/document/broadcast-station-totals-september-30-2018.
    \29\ Id.
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    17. We note, however, that in assessing whether a business concern 
qualifies as ``small'' under the above definition, business (control) 
affiliations \30\ must be included. Our estimate, therefore likely 
overstates the number of small entities that might be affected by our 
action, because the revenue figure on which it is based does not 
include or aggregate revenues from affiliated companies. In addition, 
another element of the definition of ``small business'' requires that 
an entity not be dominant in its field of operation. We are unable at 
this time to define or quantify the criteria that would establish 
whether a specific television broadcast station is dominant in its 
field of operation. Accordingly, the estimate of small businesses to 
which the proposed rules would apply does not exclude any television 
station from the definition of a small business on this basis and 
therefore could be over-inclusive.
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    \30\ ``[Business concerns] are affiliates of each other when one 
concern controls or has the power to control the other or a third 
party or parties controls or has the power to control both.'' 13 CFR 
21.103(a)(1).
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    18. There are also 1,911 LPTV stations and 389 Class A 
stations.\31\ Given the nature of these services, we will presume that 
all of these entities qualify as small entities under the above SBA 
small business size standard.
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    \31\ Broadcast Station Totals supra note 28.
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    19. Radio Stations. This economic Census category ``comprises 
establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting aural programs by 
radio to the public.'' \32\ The SBA has created the following small 
business size standard for this category: Those having $38.5 million or 
less in annual receipts.\33\ Census data for 2012 shows that 2,849 
firms in this category operated in that year.\34\ Of this number, 2,806 
firms had annual receipts of less than $25,000,000, and 43 firms had 
annual receipts of $25,000,000 or more.\35\ Therefore, based on the 
SBA's size standard, the majority of such entities are small entities.
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    \32\ U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 NAICS Definitions, ``515112 Radio 
Stations,'' at http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch. 
This category description continues, ``Programming may originate in 
their own studio, from an affiliated network, or from external 
sources.''
    \33\ 13 CFR 121.201; NAICS code 515112.
    \34\ U.S. Census Bureau, Table No. EC0751SSSZ4, Information: 
Subject Series--Establishment and Firm Size: Receipts Size of Firms 
for the United States: 2012 (515112), http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ECN_2007_US_51SSSZ4&prodType=table.
    \35\ Id.
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    20. Apart from the U.S. Census, the Commission has estimated the 
number of licensed commercial AM radio stations to be 4,626 stations 
\36\ and the number of commercial FM radio stations to be 6,737, for a 
total number of 11,363.\37\ Of this total, 11,362 stations had revenues 
of $38.5 million or less, according to Commission staff review of the 
BIA Kelsey Inc. Media Access Pro Television Database (BIA) on October 
1, 2018. In addition, the Commission has estimated the number of 
noncommercial educational FM radio stations to be 4,130.\38\ NCE 
stations are non-profit, and therefore considered to be small 
entities.\39\ Therefore, we estimate that the majority of radio 
broadcast stations are small entities.
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    \36\ Broadcast Station Totals supra note 28.
    \37\ Id.
    \38\ Id.
    \39\ 5 U.S.C. 601(4), (6).
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    21. Low Power FM Stations. The same SBA definition that applies to 
radio stations would apply to low power FM stations. As noted above, 
the SBA has created the following small business size standard for this 
category: Those having $38.5 million or less in annual receipts.\40\ 
The Commission has estimated the number of licensed low power FM 
stations to be 1,966.\41\ In addition, as of June 30, 2017, there were 
a total of 7,453 FM translator and FM booster stations.\42\ Given the 
nature of these services, we will presume that these licensees qualify 
as small entities under the SBA definition.
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    \40\ 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS Code 515112.
    \41\ News Release, ``Broadcast Station Totals as of June 30, 
2017'' (rel. July 11, 2017) (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-304594A1315231A1.pdf).
    \42\ News Release, ``Broadcast Station Totals as of June 30, 
2017'' (rel. July. 11, 2017).
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    22. We note again, however, that in assessing whether a business 
concern

[[Page 2757]]

qualifies as ``small'' under the above definition, business (control) 
affiliations \43\ must be included. Because we do not include or 
aggregate revenues from affiliated companies in determining whether an 
entity meets the applicable revenue threshold, our estimate of the 
number of small radio broadcast stations affected is likely overstated. 
In addition, as noted above, one element of the definition of ``small 
business'' is that an entity not be dominant in its field of operation. 
We are unable at this time to define or quantify the criteria that 
would establish whether a specific radio broadcast station is dominant 
in its field of operation. Accordingly, our estimate of small radio 
stations potentially affected by the proposed rules includes those that 
could be dominant in their field of operation. For this reason, such 
estimate likely is over-inclusive.
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    \43\ ``[Business concerns] are affiliates of each other when one 
concern controls or has the power to control the other or a third 
party or parties controls or has the power to control both.'' 13 CFR 
21.103(a)(1).
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    23. Description of Reporting, Record Keeping, and Other Compliance 
Requirements for Small Entities. In this section, we identify the 
reporting, recordkeeping, and other compliance requirements in the 
Order and consider whether small entities are affected 
disproportionately by any such requirements.
    24. Reporting Requirements. The Order does not adopt new reporting 
requirements.
    25. Recordkeeping Requirements. The Order does not adopt new 
recordkeeping requirements.
    26. Other Compliance Requirements. The Order does not adopt new 
compliance requirements. Because no commenter provided information 
specifically quantifying the costs and administrative burdens of 
complying with the existing recordkeeping requirements, we cannot 
precisely estimate the impact on small entities of eliminating them. 
The adopted rule revisions remove certain record keeping requirements 
for all affected broadcast licensees, including small entities. 
Numerous parties in the Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, 
including all parties which commented on the NPRM have requested that 
the Commission remove broadcast license posting requirements and 
related record keeping requirements and no parties in this proceeding 
opposed such proposals.
    27. Steps Taken to Minimize Significant Economic Impact on Small 
Entities, and Significant Alternatives Considered. The RFA requires an 
agency to describe any significant alternatives that it has considered 
in reaching its approach, which may include the following four 
alternatives (among others): (1) The establishment of differing 
compliance or reporting requirements or timetables that take into 
account the resources available to small entities; (2) the 
clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance or 
reporting requirements under the rule for small entities; (3) the use 
of performance, rather than design, standards; and (4) an exemption 
from coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, for small entities.\44\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \44\ 5 U.S.C. 603(c)(1)-(4).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    28. The Order eliminates recordkeeping obligations requiring the 
posting of broadcast stations' license and other authorizations.\45\ 
These actions are intended to modernize the Commission's regulations 
and reduce costs and recordkeeping burdens for affected entities, 
including small entities. Under the revised rules, affected entities no 
longer will need to expend time and resources posting licenses and 
related information already available to the Commission, and most of 
which is publicly accessible by electronic means.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \45\ See supra Section A.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Paperwork Reduction Analysis

    29. This document eliminates, and thus does not contain new or 
revised, information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. In 
addition, therefore, it does not contain any new or modified 
``information burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 
employees'' pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 
2002, Public Law 107-198, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4).

C. Congressional Review Act

    30. The Commission will send a copy of this Order to Congress and 
the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional 
Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A).
    31. Additional Information.--For additional information on this 
proceeding, contact Jonathan Mark, [email protected], of the Media 
Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-3634.

III. Ordering Clauses

    32. Accordingly, it is ordered that, pursuant to the authority 
found in sections 1, 4(i), 4(j), 303, 309, 310, and 336 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 154(j), 
303, 309, 310, and 336, this Report and Order is adopted.
    33. It is further ordered that the Commission's rules are hereby 
amended as set forth in the Final Rules below, effective as of the date 
of publication of a summary in the Federal Register.\46\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \46\ These rules serve to ``reliev[e] a restriction.'' 5 U.S.C. 
553(d)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    34. It is further ordered that the Commission's Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference Information Center, shall send a 
copy of this Report and Order, including the Final Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small 
Business Administration.
    35. It is further ordered that the Commission shall send a copy of 
the Report and Order in a report to Congress and the Government 
Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

List of Subjects

47 CFR Part 0

    Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements.

47 CFR Part 1

    Communications common carriers, Radio, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Television.

47 CFR Part 5

    Radio, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

47 CFR Parts 73 and 74

    Radio, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Television.

Federal Communications Commission.
Katura Jackson,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary.

Final Rules

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends 47 CFR parts 0, 1, 5, 73, and 74 as 
follows:

PART 0--COMMISSION ORGANIZATION

0
1. The authority citation for part 0 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: Sec. 5, 48 Stat. 1068, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 155, 
225, unless otherwise noted.


0
2. Amend Sec.  0.408 in the table in paragraph (b) by revising the 
entry ``3060-0633'' to read as follows:


Sec.  0.408  OMB control numbers and expiration dates assigned pursuant 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

* * * * *

[[Page 2758]]

    (b) * * *

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FCC form no. or 47 CFR
                            section or part, docket no.,  OMB expiration
     OMB control No.          or title identifying the         date
                                     collection
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                              * * * * * * *
3060-0633................  Secs. 74.165, 74.432, and            04/30/18
                            74.832.
 
                              * * * * * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART 1--PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

0
3. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. chs. 2, 5, 9, 13; Sec. 102(c), Div. P, 
Public Law 115-141, 132 Stat. 1084; 28 U.S.C. 2461, unless otherwise 
noted.


0
4. Amend Sec.  1.62 by revising paragraph (a)(2) to read as follows:


Sec.  1.62   Operation pending action on renewal application.

    (a) * * *
    (2) A non-broadcast licensee operating by virtue of this paragraph 
(a) shall, after the date of expiration specified in the license, post, 
in addition to the original license, any acknowledgment received from 
the Commission that the renewal application has been accepted for 
filing or a signed copy of the application for renewal of license which 
has been submitted by the licensee, or in services other than common 
carrier, a statement certifying that the licensee has mailed or filed a 
renewal application, specifying the date of mailing or filing.
* * * * *

PART 5--EXPERIMENTAL RADIO SERVICE

0
5. The authority citation for part 5 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 301, 302, 303, 307, 336.

0
6. Amend Sec.  5.203 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  5.203  Experimental authorizations for licensed broadcast 
stations.

* * * * *
    (b) Experimental authorizations for licensed broadcast stations may 
be requested by filing an informal application with the FCC in 
Washington, DC, describing the nature and purpose of the 
experimentation to be conducted, the nature of the experimental signal 
to be transmitted, and the proposed schedule of hours and duration of 
the experimentation.
* * * * *

PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES

0
7. The authority citation for part 73 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, 307, 309, 310, 334, 
336, 339.


0
8. Amend Sec.  73.158 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:


Sec.  73.158  Directional antenna monitoring points.

* * * * *
    (b) When the description of the monitoring point as shown on the 
station license is no longer correct due to road or building 
construction or other changes, the licensee must prepare and file with 
the FCC, in Washington, DC, a request for a corrected station license 
showing the new monitoring point description. The request shall include 
the information specified in paragraphs (a)(3) and (4) of this section, 
and a copy of the station's current license.


Sec.  73.801  [Amended]

0
 9. Amend Sec.  73.801 by removing ``Section 73.1230 Posting of station 
license''.


Sec.  73.1230  [Removed]

0
10. Remove Sec.  73.1230.

0
11. Amend Sec.  73.1715 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:


Sec.  73.1715  Share time.

* * * * *
    (a) If the licenses of stations authorized to share time do not 
specify hours of operation, the licensees shall endeavor to reach an 
agreement for a definite schedule of periods of time to be used by 
each. Such agreement shall be in writing and each licensee shall file 
it in duplicate original with each application to the FCC in 
Washington, DC for renewal of license. If and when such written 
agreements are properly filed in conformity with this section, the file 
mark of the FCC will be affixed thereto, one copy will be retained by 
the FCC, and one copy returned to the licensee and will be considered 
as part of the station's license. If the license specifies a 
proportionate time division, the agreement shall maintain this 
proportion. If no proportionate time division is specified in the 
license, the licensees shall agree upon a division of time. Such 
division of time shall not include simultaneous operation of the 
stations unless specifically authorized by the terms of the license
* * * * *

0
12. Amend Sec.  73.1725 by revising paragraph (c) to read as follows:


Sec.  73.1725  Limited time.

* * * * *
    (c) The licensee of a secondary station which is authorized to 
operate limited time and which may resume operation at the time the 
Class A station (or stations) on the same channel ceases operation 
shall, with each application for renewal of license, file in triplicate 
a copy of its regular operating schedule. It shall bear a signed 
notation by the licensee of the Class A station of its objection or 
lack of objection thereto. Upon approval of such operating schedule, 
the FCC will affix its file mark and return one copy to the licensee 
authorized to operate limited time. Such approved operating schedule 
shall be considered part of the station's license. Departure from said 
operating schedule will be permitted only pursuant to Sec.  73.1715 
(Share time).

0
13. Amend Sec.  73.1870 by revising paragraph (b)(3) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  73.1870  Chief operators.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (3) The designation of the chief operator must be in writing. 
Agreements with chief operators serving on a contract basis must be in 
writing with a copy kept in the station files.
* * * * *

PART 74--EXPERIMENTAL RADIO, AUXILIARY, SPECIAL BROADCAST AND OTHER 
PROGRAM DISTRIBUTIONAL SERVICES

0
14. The authority citation for part 74 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 302a, 303, 307, 309, 310, 336 and 554.

[[Page 2759]]


0
15. Amend Sec.  74.432 by revising paragraph (j) and removing the note 
at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  74.432  Licensing requirements and procedures.

* * * * *
    (j) The license shall be retained in the licensee's files at the 
address shown on the authorization.
* * * * *


Sec.  74.564  [Removed]

0
16. Remove Sec.  74.564.


Sec.  74.664   [Removed]

0
17. Remove Sec.  74.664.


Sec.  74.733  [Amended]

0
18. Amend Sec.  74.733 by removing paragraph (i), redesignating 
paragraph (j) as paragraph (i), and removing the note at the end of the 
section.


Sec.  74.765  [Removed]

0
19. Remove Sec.  74.765.

0
20. Amend Sec.  74.781 by revising paragraph (c) to read as follows:


Sec.  74.781  Station records.

* * * * *
    (c) The station records shall be maintained for inspection at a 
residence, office, or public building, place of business, or other 
suitable place, in one of the communities of license of the translator 
or booster, except that the station records of a booster or translator 
licensed to the licensee of the primary station may be kept at the same 
place where the primary station records are kept. The station records 
shall be made available upon request to any authorized representative 
of the Commission.
* * * * *


Sec.  74.787  [Amended]

0
21. Amend Sec.  74.787(a)(5)(viii) by removing ``Sec.  74.765 Posting 
of station and operator licenses''.


Sec.  74.789  [Amended]

0
22. Amend Sec.  74.789 by removing ``Sec.  74.765 Posting of station 
and operator licenses''.

0
23. Amend Sec.  74.832 by revising paragraph (j) to read as follows:


Sec.  74.832  Licensing requirements and procedures.

* * * * *
    (j) The license shall be retained in the licensee's files at the 
address shown on the authorization.


Sec.  74.1265  [Removed]

0
24. Remove Sec.  74.1265.

0
25. Amend Sec.  74.1281 by revising paragraph (c) to read as follows:


Sec.  74.1281  Station records.

* * * * *
    (c) The station records shall be maintained for inspection at a 
residence, office, or public building, place of business, or other 
suitable place, in one of the communities of license of the translator 
or booster, except that the station records of a booster or translator 
licensed to the licensee of the primary station may be kept at the same 
place where the primary station records are kept. The station records 
shall be made available upon request to any authorized representative 
of the Commission.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2019-01491 Filed 2-7-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6712-01-P