Draft Of Proposed Rule Change To Allow FM Boosters To Originate Geotargeted Content Circulating At FCC

Boost For Boosters?

FCC Chairman AJIT PAI has circulated a draft of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing that the rules for FM boosters be changed to allow for limited geotargeted localized content aired on the boosters separately from their primary stations, based on the proposal from GEOBROADCAST SOLUTIONS.

The proposed change drew plaudits from Commissioner GEOFFREY STARKS, who issued a statement saying that "The use of geo-targeted content could provide a way for minority-owned stations to better serve their communities by offering hyper-localized content including alternative language news, weather, emergency alerts, and advertising periodically during the broadcast day.  For small businesses, this option could enable them to more cost-effectively advertise to a targeted audience while enabling minority-owned FM stations to increase advertising revenue."

STARKS noted the support from 21 civil rights advocacy groups for the proposal and said it "could offer a potential lifeline to small, women, and minority broadcasters that are struggling to retain their listening audiences and earn advertising revenue at a time when consumers have multiple options for access to information, entertainment, education, and civic engagement."

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