FCC Denies Appeal of LPFM Permit But Starts Investigation
The FCC denied an application for review against a low-power FM construction permit granted to Community Radio, KCOD-LP Decorah, Iowa, but because filings show the LPFM applicant misrepresented his membership on an FM station board, the commission also directed the…
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Media Bureau to initiate an investigation against the LPFM licensee, said an order issued Wednesday. “When seeking an LPFM construction permit, Community Radio certified in November 2013 that no party to its application held an attributable interest in any non-LPFM broadcast station. That was not accurate,” said Commissioner Ajit Pai in a concurring statement attached to the order. “James Glesne, the individual who certified Community Radio’s application, was serving on the board of a non-LPFM broadcast station, KPVL(FM) in Postville, Iowa, at the time he made the November 2013 certification.” Filings showed Glesne was on the board until April 2014, when he then submitted a resignation backdated to December 2013, the order said. “I’m inclined to believe that Community Radio’s misrepresentations to the Commission have been intentional, not inadvertent,” Pai said. He said he “would have been willing to support designating this matter for a hearing to determine whether Community Radio possesses the character and qualifications to hold an LPFM license” but said he was pleased the Media Bureau would investigate the matter. The order said the application for review wasn't granted because there's a remedy for the situation in Glesne severing ties with KPVL.