FCC grants LPFM licenses in Puerto Rico to 3 nonprofits under time-share
Three Puerto Rico nonprofit organizations — two of them faith-based — have secured low-power FM (LPFM) radio station licenses from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), following a contested application process that resulted in an involuntary time-sharing arrangement.
The FCC granted construction permits to Iglesia Generación de Fuego Inc. (IGDF) and Iglesia Cristiana Pentecostal La Gran Cosecha Inc. (ICP), both based in Caguas, and Fundación Hazlos Sonreír Cómplices de Amor Inc. (FHS), in Cayey.
The licenses were part of LPFM MX Group 75, which included six applicants from Puerto Rico. IGDF, ICP and FHS received five points each under the FCC’s comparative review process, while Ministerio Dios Cumple El Propósito En Mi Inc. (MDC), New Beginning Communications Corp. (NBCC) and Gigante Communications Corp. (GCC) each received four points.
Because the top three applicants did not reach a voluntary agreement on sharing airtime, the FCC imposed a time-sharing schedule: ICP will operate from 10 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., IGDF from 2 a.m. to 9:59 a.m., and FHS from 6 p.m. to 1:59 a.m.
“The operating hours assigned to each applicant will appear on their respective construction permits,” the FCC stated in its order.
The agency dismissed objections from MDC and FHS, including arguments that Caguas already had an LPFM station and that priority should be given to first-time service. It also rejected claims that IGDF and ICP failed to meet ownership or technical requirements.
“The LPFM service is not intended to replace full-service broadcast coverage,” the FCC stated, adding that LPFM aims to serve “specialized community needs that have not been well served by commercial broadcast stations.”
With the decision, ICP, IGDF and FHS may proceed with plans to establish radio stations focused on educational and cultural programming.
