Local Community Radio Act of 2010
PL 111-371 (H.R.6533), enacted 01/04/2011

124 STAT. 4072 
PUBLIC LAW 111–371—JAN. 4, 2011 
Public Law 111–371 
111th Congress 
An Act 
To implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission 
report to the Congress regarding low-power FM service, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Local Community Radio Act 
of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT. 
Section 632 of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and 
State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 
(Public Law 106–553; 114 Stat. 2762A–111), is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 632. (a) The Federal Communications Commission shall 
modify the rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio 
stations, as proposed in MM Docket No. 99–25, to— 
‘‘(1) prescribe protection for co-channels and first- and 
second-adjacent channels; and 
‘‘(2) prohibit any applicant from obtaining a low-power 
FM license if the applicant has engaged in any manner in 
the unlicensed operation of any station in violation of section 
301 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301). 
‘‘(b) Any license that was issued by the Federal Communications 
Commission to a low-power FM station prior to April 2, 2001, 
and that does not comply with the modifications adopted by the 
Commission in MM Docket No. 99–25 on April 2, 2001, shall remain 
invalid.’’. 
SEC. 3. MINIMUM DISTANCE SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Communications Commission 
shall modify its rules to eliminate third-adjacent minimum distance 
separation requirements between— 
(1) low-power FM stations; and 
(2) full-service FM stations, FM translator stations, and 
FM booster stations. 
(b) RESTRICTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Communications Commis-
sion shall not amend its rules to reduce the minimum co- 
channel and first- and second-adjacent channel distance separa-
tion requirements in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act between— 
(A) low-power FM stations; and 
(B) full-service FM stations. 
Local Community 
Radio Act 
of 2010. 
47 USC 303 note. 
Jan. 4, 2011 
[H.R. 6533] 
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08:34 Dec 07, 2012
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124 STAT. 4073 
PUBLIC LAW 111–371—JAN. 4, 2011 
(2) WAIVER.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the 
Federal Communications Commission may grant a waiver 
of the second-adjacent channel distance separation require-
ment to low-power FM stations that establish, using 
methods of predicting interference taking into account all 
relevant factors, including terrain-sensitive propagation 
models, that their proposed operations will not result in 
interference to any authorized radio service. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(i) SUSPENSION.—Any low-power FM station that 
receives a waiver under subparagraph (A) shall be 
required to suspend operation immediately upon 
notification by the Federal Communications Commis-
sion that it is causing interference to the reception 
of an existing or modified full-service FM station with-
out regard to the location of the station receiving inter-
ference. 
(ii) ELIMINATION OF INTERFERENCE.—A low-power 
FM station described in clause (i) shall not resume 
operation until such interference has been eliminated 
or it can demonstrate to the Federal Communications 
Commission that the interference was not due to emis-
sions from the low-power FM station, except that such 
station may make short test transmissions during the 
period of suspended operation to check the efficacy 
of remedial measures. 
(iii) NOTIFICATION.—Upon receipt of a complaint 
of interference from a low-power FM station operating 
pursuant to a waiver authorized under subparagraph 
(A), the Federal Communications Commission shall 
notify the identified low-power FM station by telephone 
or other electronic communication within 1 business 
day. 
SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF RADIO READING SERVICES. 
The Federal Communications Commission shall comply with 
its existing minimum distance separation requirements for full- 
service FM stations, FM translator stations, and FM booster sta-
tions that broadcast radio reading services via an analog subcarrier 
frequency to avoid potential interference by low-power FM stations. 
SEC. 5. ENSURING AVAILABILITY OF SPECTRUM FOR LOW-POWER FM 
STATIONS. 
The Federal Communications Commission, when licensing new 
FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low-power FM 
stations, shall ensure that— 
(1) licenses are available to FM translator stations, FM 
booster stations, and low-power FM stations; 
(2) such decisions are made based on the needs of the 
local community; and 
(3) FM translator stations, FM booster stations, and low- 
power FM stations remain equal in status and secondary to 
existing and modified full-service FM stations. 
SEC. 6. PROTECTION OF TRANSLATOR INPUT SIGNALS. 
The Federal Communications Commission shall modify its rules 
to address the potential for predicted interference to FM translator 
Deadline. 
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124 STAT. 4074 
PUBLIC LAW 111–371—JAN. 4, 2011 
input signals on third-adjacent channels set forth in section 2.7 
of the technical report entitled ‘‘Experimental Measurements of 
the Third-Adjacent Channel Impacts of Low-Power FM Stations, 
Volume One—Final Report (May 2003)’’. 
SEC. 7. ENSURING EFFECTIVE REMEDIATION OF INTERFERENCE. 
The Federal Communications Commission shall modify the 
interference complaint process described in section 73.810 of its 
rules (47 CFR 73.810) as follows: 
(1) With respect to those low-power FM stations licensed 
at locations that do not satisfy third-adjacent channel spacing 
requirements under section 73.807 of the Commission’s rules 
(47 CFR 73.807), the Federal Communications Commission 
shall provide the same interference protections that FM trans-
lator stations and FM booster stations are required to provide 
as set forth in section 74.1203 of its rules (47 CFR 74.1203) 
as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. 
(2) For a period of 1 year after a new low-power FM 
station is constructed on a third-adjacent channel, such low- 
power FM station shall be required to broadcast periodic 
announcements that alert listeners that interference that they 
may be experiencing could be the result of the operation of 
such low-power FM station on a third-adjacent channel and 
shall instruct affected listeners to contact such low-power FM 
station to report any interference. The Federal Communications 
Commission shall require all newly constructed low-power FM 
stations on third-adjacent channels to— 
(A) notify the Federal Communications Commission 
and all affected stations on third-adjacent channels of an 
interference complaint by electronic communication within 
48 hours after the receipt of such complaint; and 
(B) cooperate in addressing any such interference. 
(3) Low-power FM stations on third-adjacent channels shall 
be required to address complaints of interference within the 
protected contour of an affected station and shall be encouraged 
to address all other interference complaints, including com-
plaints to the Federal Communications Commission based on 
interference to a full-service FM station, an FM translator 
station, or an FM booster station by the transmitter site of 
a low-power FM station on a third-adjacent channel at any 
distance from the full-service FM station, FM translator station, 
or FM booster station. The Federal Communications Commis-
sion shall provide notice to the licensee of a low-power FM 
station of the existence of such interference within 7 calendar 
days of the receipt of a complaint from a listener or another 
station. 
(4) To the extent possible, the Federal Communications 
Commission shall grant low-power FM stations on third-adja-
cent channels the technical flexibility to remediate interference 
through the colocation of the transmission facilities of the low- 
power FM station and any stations on third-adjacent channels. 
(5) The Federal Communications Commission shall— 
(A) permit the submission of informal evidence of inter-
ference, including any engineering analysis that an affected 
station may commission; 
(B) accept complaints based on interference to a full- 
service FM station, FM translator station, or FM booster 
Notice. 
Deadline. 
Notification. 
Deadline. 
Time period. 
Public 
information. 
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124 STAT. 4075 
PUBLIC LAW 111–371—JAN. 4, 2011 
station by the transmitter site of a low-power FM station 
on a third-adjacent channel at any distance from the full- 
service FM station, FM translator station, or FM booster 
station; and 
(C) accept complaints of interference to mobile recep-
tion. 
(6) The Federal Communications Commission shall for full- 
service FM stations that are licensed in significantly populated 
States with more than 3,000,000 population and a population 
density greater than 1,000 people per one square mile land 
area, require all low-power FM stations licensed after the date 
of enactment of this Act and located on third-adjacent, second- 
adjacent, first-adjacent, or co-channels to such full-service FM 
stations, to provide the same interference remediation require-
ments to complaints of interference, without regard to whether 
such complaints of interference occur within or outside of the 
protected contour of such stations, under the same interference 
complaint and remediation procedures that FM translator sta-
tions and FM booster stations are required to provide to full- 
service stations as set forth in section 74.1203 of its rules 
(47 CFR 74.1203) as in effect on the date of enactment of 
this Act. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 74.1203, 
no interference that arises outside the relevant distance for 
the full-service station class specified in the first column titled 
‘‘required’’ for ‘‘Co-channel minimum separation (km)’’ in the 
table listed in section 73.807(a)(1) of the Commission’s rules 
(47 CFR 73.807(a)(1)) shall require remediation. 
SEC. 8. FCC STUDY ON IMPACT OF LOW-POWER FM STATIONS ON FULL- 
SERVICE COMMERCIAL FM STATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Communications Commission 
shall conduct an economic study on the impact that low-power 
FM stations will have on full-service commercial FM stations. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall submit 
a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
of the House of Representatives on the study conducted under 
subsection (a). 
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124 STAT. 4076 
PUBLIC LAW 111–371—JAN. 4, 2011 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 6533: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 156 (2010): 
Dec. 17, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 18, considered and passed Senate. 
(c) LICENSING NOT AFFECTED BY STUDY.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall affect the licensing of new low-power FM stations as 
otherwise permitted under this Act. 
Approved January 4, 2011. 
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