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The "Grandfather of Phones" Al Bernay dead at 71
July 11, 2008
According to reports received by REC Networks, Al Diamond, known in the telephone entertainment and phone phreak world as "Al Bernay" has passed away yesterday in Thousand Oaks, CA. He is believed to be 71.

Al has been well known for his previous business where he sold maps to the stars homes in the Hollywood area as well as the phone line that supported that business called "The Maps To Stars Homes Educational Tapes". Al was also a school teacher in which he spent many years teaching at various private schools.

Al introduced many people to the phone world and various methods of circumventing the telephone network back in the days before many of the digital systems of today.

Al was known for his various euphonisms such as his constant use of the word "niner" instead of "nine" as well as his use of the words "good bye" while hanging up the phone at the same time where the person on the other end will hear "good buh" and then the click of the phone hanging up.

In many ways, Al inspired many of the very early aspects of REC Networks where it came to the operation of the telephone entertainment lines back in the 1980's and was the inspiration of many other lines in the past during the so-called "golden days of phones".

Al will be remembered as the true telephone pioneer.

REC Operations • 1 Comments/Trackbacks

REC files comments in support of LPFM
April 9, 2008
REC Networks has filed comments on the Low Power FM second notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). In comments, REC supports various pro-LPFM initiatives proposed by the FCC including second adjacent channel waivers as well as compensation to LPFM stations when full power FM stations make a change of its community of license or other facility changes.

REC feels that more room for LPFM can be achieved by eliminating unnecessary and conflicting rules including rules requiring LPFM stations to protect other station's IF channels as well a major change on how reserved band LPFM protects LPTV and Class A stations on TV Channel 6.

REC has proposed to eliminate the 10-watt LPFM service with distance spacing (LP-10) and replace it with a new 1 to 100 service where LPFM stations are engineered like how translators work.

A full copy of our comments are at the FCC website at this URL
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New LPFM rules take effect today
March 17, 2008
In the Third Report and Order, the FCC made changes to various rules including 73.809 (interference procedure), 73.855 (ownership limits), 73.870 (processing of applications), 73.871 (amendments), 73.872 (mutually exclusive applications) and 73.3598(a) (construction period).

The updated rules can be viewed at REC's website LPFM.ws

Broadcasting • 2 Comments/Trackbacks

REC marks the 5th anniversary of the "St. Patty's Day Massacre"
March 17, 2008
On this date 5 years ago, the FCC issued a public notice which effectively puts a nail in the coffin for hundreds of LPFM applications. These were the applications that were impacted by the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act enacted by Congress which mandated third-adjacent channel protection by LPFM stations to full-power and translator stations. While some applicants were able to move to other channels, many applicants were "deadlocked" and could not change frequencies or locations to remain compliant with the Act. A Petition for Reconsideration lead by REC and supported by others was denied by the Commission.

Five-years later after the FCC through the Congress-mandated MITRE Report and the experimental Comsearch stations, proved that LPFM stations operating on third adjacent channels did not cause severe interference, various groups including REC, Prometheus and other LPFM and media advocacy groups are trying to get Congress to lift these restrictions. The broadcast industry lead by the National Association of Broadcasters disputes the findings in the MITRE report claiming that the report does show that some interference is caused and that MITRE did not do the second part of testing, which called for the economic impacts of LPFM stations operating on third adjacent channels.

Versions of the bill (S-1675 for the Senate & HR-2802 for the House) have been introduced to lift these restrictions.

REC continues to ask you to please contact your legislators to support these two bills.

Broadcasting • 0 Comments/Trackbacks

REC marks the 5th anniversary of the Great Translator Invasion
March 14, 2008
5 years ago this week, the FCC opened the "Auction 83" filing window which was designed to expand the number of FM translators. As a surprise to many, over 14,000 applications were filed in the window with a significant number of them filed by the co-owned Radio Assist Ministries and Edgewater Broadcasting.

What eventually surfaced was a long battle by REC, Prometheus and the grassroots movement that eventually lead to the FCC starting to look at their policies regarding speculative filing. As a result, the FCC has placed limits on the number of pending applications from that filing window and to address potential issues of speculative filing in the full power services, the FCC imposed a similar limit on last year's Non-Commercial Educational (NCE) FM filing window.

In a statement by Michelle A. Eyre, founder of REC Networks:
"Speculative filings by the large filers in the translator window to sell non-commercial permits that would not be subject to filing fees or auctions was the largest fleecing of FCC resources in this recent decade. The large filers claim they did not need those permits anymore. If that was the case, they should have turned the permits in and not sold them. It is clear what their intentions were. Now local organizations are left in a 'radio dust bowl' with a large amount of unusable spectrum. I call on the FCC to pass rulemaking that cultivates this currently unusable spectrum and give priority to those with local intentions."

Broadcasting · REC Operations • 3 Comments/Trackbacks

REC makes changes to its definition of LPFM Encroachment
March 11, 2008
As a result of the changes to the FCC Rules, specifically rule 73.809 that will take effect on March 17, 2008, changes to full power stations on the second adjacent channel of an LPFM station is will no longer be considered legal interference that the LPFM station would be required to remedy.

REC will no longer report second adjacent activity as an encroachment that will be assigned a color status (city grade, red, orange or yellow). Instead, there will be two possible messages that will come up:

SECOND ADJACENT ADVISORY - The 20 km buffer zone around the full power station's protected service contour has overlapped the LPFM's second adjacent channel interference contour. Although unlikely the LPFM will receive Interference complaints it is very possible that listeners with radios of poor design may not receive the station in fringe areas.

SECOND ADJACENT WARNING - The full power station's service contour has overlapped into the LPFM's interference contour.

REC has made changes to ASPEN to reflect the new encroachment definition. The REC LPFM Encroachment Report that will be issued the weekend of March 15 will also reflect the new definition.

REC is planning to issue a new Master Encroachment Report that will be published with our LPFM comments in MM Docket 99-25.

Broadcasting · REC Operations • 0 Comments/Trackbacks

REC Broadcast Applications release notes
March 9, 2008
REC has made the following changes to the various broadcast applications:

GREAT TRANSLATOR INVASION
- REC has ran internal reports that have identified all pending applications filed during the 2003 translator auction window that are over the 10 application limit per the FCC's latest LPFM Report and Order. Please note that even though we have identified these applications, the translator applicant may select different applications as their "priority" applications.

FMQ-BROADCAST QUERY
- For each application record, the FCC application ID now appears. Clicking on the application ID will bring up the application information at the FCC website.
- FMQ now displays an indicator when the translator is a GTI pending application that is over the 10 application limit and subject to dismissal.
- Transmitter location county information is now displayed for translators.

ADVANCED LPFM CHANNEL SEARCH
- Tool now has an option that you can use to exclude all of the translator facilities that we identified as potentially dismissable under the FCC's 10 application limit.
- Census tool finally works again. This is an application that was never converted to the new platform a couple of years ago. Tool still has some minor known issues.

CANADA DATABASE
- Canada database updates will now occur weekly on Saturdays during the mid morning.

As we prepare for comments in various proceedings, we will be adding more enhancements.

REC Operations • 0 Comments/Trackbacks

REC publishes Information Sheet for those planning to comment in the LPFM rulemaking
March 8, 2008
While we encourage all proponents to support the future development and expansion of LPFM stations in comments, for those who wish to specifically address the issues that the FCC is raising in this second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), REC has complied a list of the questions and issues the FCC is seeking comments on. Our listing is in a bulleted list format for ease of reading. When we file detailed comments, we first prepare a document like this to work off of.

REC encourages everyone to read the Report and Order and Second FNPRM.

Our doucment does not express any opinions. We will be releasing positional information on issues at a later time and for some issues, after consultation with our allies.

When you comment, try to stay in the scope of the proceeding in order to be seriously considered. Items that can be perceived as "out of scope" include:

* A commercial LPFM service.
* LPAM.
* Power levels over 100 watts for distance spacing based LPFM licensing.
* Assignment in the Channel 5 or 6 spectrum (with the exception of having access to Channel 200/87.9 MHz for displacement relief citing the rules for Class D stations and the exception granted to translator K200AA.)

Some REC initatives that we feel are in-scope which we would appreciate support on include:

* Increasing the number of translator protection "sub-classes" from 3 to 8 for LPFM licensed under distance spacing methodology.
* The use of Channel 200 (87.9) as a displacement channel in areas where it is available.
* Eliminating the "subsecondary" status that LP-10 stations have in relation to translators. (Yes, LP-10 stations can be bumped by translators.)
* For LPFMs under distance spacing methodology, eliminating all second adjacent spacing requirements to translators (equal playing field).
* Eliminating the IF channel protection requirements (currently enjoyed by translators with less than 100 watts).
* Use of primary station location for determining the local focus of a translator instead of determining whether the translator is terrestrially fed or fed by satellite.

A copy of our Information Sheet with the list of the questions can be found at the following URL:
http://www.recnet.com/fcc/99-25_2nprm_questions.pdf

Broadcasting • 0 Comments/Trackbacks

FCC Considers Reallocation of TV Channels 5 & 6 to FM Audio Broadcasting
March 6, 2008
Deep in a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for broadcast diversity (MB Docket 07-294), the Federal Communications Commission, acting on a recommendation by Mullaney Engineering, would propose the expansion of the FM Broadcast Band to include the spectrum of TV Channels 5 and 6 (76-88 MHz).

If approved, this could open opportunities for 60 additional channels to the existing 100 channels.

The spectrum between 76-88 MHz is already used for FM broadcast in Japan (their FM band is from 76-90 MHz and they have television in the 90-108 MHz range).

REC will be working together with our allies and media partners to provide our own concept of an expanded Channel 5 & 6 spectrum.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Comments of Mullaney Engineering

A comment period will not be open until the NPRM is published at the Federal Register and regulations.gov.

Broadcasting • 3 Comments/Trackbacks

REC participates in Low Power FM Leadership Day
February 28, 2008
This past week, REC had supported Low Power Leadership Day, an event thrown by our allies at Prometheus Radio Project. This event attracted several people from the independent media community as well as the operators of LPFM and NCE-FM stations.

During the event in Washington DC, REC's Michelle Eyre gave an overview of the situation surrounding translators, the Great Translator Invasion and how LPFM stations protect translators. Various others spoke on other topics.

On Tuesday, Michelle and others visited the FCC to give presentations to the Media Bureau staff. In the afternoon, everyone was let loose on the Senate and the House.

20 states were represented. From Arizona, Michelle Eyre was joined by Hector Yousey, the general manager of KPYT-LP in Tucson operated by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. REC has been credited with filing the appropriate objections to clear the road in a more expedient manner and then was there again when we realized that KPYT's construction permit had lapsed but they are on the air. On Tuesday, Michelle and Hector visited the offices of Senators John Kyl and John McCain as well as their local congressmen to get their support to pass legislation that would drop the third adjacent.

REC would like to thank Prometheus for the hospitality in Philadelphia and Washington as well as a big thank you to all the kind words we have received from the other LPFM and NCE operators regarding our website operations.

Broadcasting · REC Operations • 1 Comments/Trackbacks