The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted final rules that will provide FM radio stations greater flexibility in customizing content reaching different portions of their service areas.
So-called FM booster stations allow broadcasters to differentiate the programming that they air to certain geographic sections within their entire service areas. Originally used primarily for rebroadcasting transmission signals to areas where reception is poor, booster technology has now evolved to the point that broadcasters can use boosters to customize programming content delivered to different parts of their service area and air programming different from their primary station. However, until now, the FCC has limited advanced booster technology for use only on a temporary or experimental basis.
A Second Report and Order issued by the FCC now opens booster technology for broader use, including the use of program-originating boosters that allow broadcasters to provide listeners with more targeted content, such as localized weather reports and advertisements from local businesses.
The FCC’s Second Report and Order allowing the use of program-originating boosters is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-121A1.pdf.
