The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on proposed eligibility restrictions and application limits for the first-ever filing window for new noncommercial educational reserved band FM translator stations.
The proposal appears in a draft Public Notice circulated for tentative consideration at the Commission’s February 18, 2026 open meeting. The proceeding is MB Docket No. 26-20. The proposed window would be limited to applications for new NCE reserved band FM translators on Channels 201 through 220. Major modification applications for existing NCE reserved band FM translators would not be accepted in the window.
Under the proposal, an applicant would have to be the licensee or permittee of an existing NCE FM station, noncommercial AM station, or LPFM station that the proposed translator would rebroadcast. The FCC also proposes a national cap of ten applications per applicant entity, with lower limits for LPFM applicants. Tribal LPFM applicants would be limited to four applications, while all other LPFM applicants would be limited to two applications.
The Commission said application caps and eligibility restrictions have been used in prior NCE FM and FM translator filing windows to discourage speculative filings, reduce mutually exclusive application groups, speed processing, and preserve spectrum for future secondary services. The draft Public Notice notes that the Commission previously used a ten-application cap in the 2007 and 2021 NCE FM filing windows and found that limit effective in preventing mass filings while allowing new service to be authorized.
If adopted, the proposed rule would require the Media Bureau to retain only the applications filed first when an applicant exceeds the applicable cap, based on application receipt data, and dismiss later-filed applications that exceed the limit. The FCC seeks comment on whether the proposed caps and primary-station eligibility restriction are appropriate, whether different limits should apply, or whether no limits or restrictions should be adopted.