GeoBroadcast Solutions Statement on Today’s FCC Issuance of the NPRM
To Modify the Commission’s Rules Governing the Operation
of FM Booster Stations by FM Radio Broadcasters
CHICAGO - December 1, 2020 -
“We welcome today’s vote by the FCC and thank the Chairman and Commissioners for starting the process that will allow geo-targeting to come to broadcast radio,” said Robert Udowitz, a spokesperson for GeoBroadcast Solutions. “The prospect of hyper-localizing over-the-air radio content has great potential for the industry in reaching underserved audiences, as well as providing news and alerts on a regional basis, and improving the advertising revenue for the stations,”
Industry groups, media and advertising companies, broadcasting companies, minority coalitions, and individual stations have all supported and seen the prospects for this technology. We are encouraged and optimistic that the NPRM will continue its course and be enacted in 2021.”
GeoBroadcast’s ZoneCasting™ technology can help stations provide content to better serve their communities by offering hyper-localized news, weather, emergency alerts, advertising, and alternative languages during a small part of the broadcast hour. It could be implemented by stations across the country through a revenue-share model that essentially allows stations to deploy the technology without upfront capital expenses, with GeoBroadcast Solutions providing the infrastructure and each local station using it to sell localized advertising.
The rule GeoBroadcast seeks to change relates to FM boosters and their ability to originate geo-targeted content; there would be no changes to the FCC's rules regarding interference or translators. Radio is the only medium that lacks the ability to geo-target content and this rule change would put radio on par with television which now has that ability due to the 2017 FCC decision that allowed television broadcasters to use the Next Generation TV standard (also known as ATSC 3.0) and the many features of that standard include geo-targeted programming.
Additional information:
· FCC Seeks Comment on Enabling FM Booster Geo-Targeting Capabilities –
· https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-comment-enabling-fm-booster-geo-targeting-capabilities
· NPRM - https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-166A1.pdf
· Comment Date: [30 days after publication in the Federal Register]
· Reply Comment Date: [60 days after publication in the Federal Register]
About GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC
GeoBroadcast Solutions was formed in 2011 to develop the ZoneCasting™ Geo-Targeting platform. This platform has been successfully tested under special FCC authorization. Geo-Targeted separation of the main channel audio of an FM radio station to its listeners allows the ability to split an FM signal into local “zones.” Out of this development effort came MaxxCasting™, which increases signal quality, PPM watermark decoding, and allows geographic targeting and fencing of radio screen advertising. It is successfully deployed and operational in many markets and growing rapidly. Additional information is available at geobroadcastsolutions.com.
Media Contact:
Robert Udowitz
703.621.8060