basis for regulation of translators is Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, which pertains to "any apparatus for the transmission of energy or communications or signals by radio." The Mass Media Bureau is the FCC's regulatory arm for AM, FM, and TV stations and related facilities. B. Key Regulations The most basic of translator regulations is: "The licensee of a . . . TV broadcast translator station shall not rebroadcast the programs of any other TV broadcast station . . . without obtaining prior consent of the station whose signals or programs are proposed to be retransmitted." FM translator licensees are subject to a similar regulation. Unlike stations that originate programming, translators need not be attended by a qualified operator. There are many more regulations that define the limitations on translators. The past decade saw dramatic changes, however, in translator regulation. For example, the FCC established low-power TV through the deregulation of translators, resulting in "the first new broadcast service . . . in twenty years." Some of the most important translator regulations are discussed below. 1. Identification Generally, the FCC requires broadcast stations to identify themselves, by call sign and location, once an hour. The
basis for regulation of translators is Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, which pertains to "any apparatus for the transmission of energy or communications or signals by radio." The Mass Media Bureau is the FCC's regulatory arm for AM, FM, and TV stations and related facilities. B. Key Regulations The most basic of translator regulations is: "The licensee of a . . . TV broadcast translator station shall not rebroadcast the programs of any other TV broadcast station . . . without obtaining prior consent of the station whose signals or programs are proposed to be retransmitted." FM translator licensees are subject to a similar regulation. Unlike stations that originate programming, translators need not be attended by a qualified operator. There are many more regulations that define the limitations on translators. The past decade saw dramatic changes, however, in translator regulation. For example, the FCC established low-power TV through the deregulation of translators, resulting in "the first new broadcast service . . . in twenty years." Some of the most important translator regulations are discussed below. 1. Identification Generally, the FCC requires broadcast stations to identify themselves, by call sign and location, once an hour. The
TRANSLATORS.docx